Representative Juliette Uy (2nd district, Misamis Oriental) has urged the Congress to pass a law granting barangays created by local Sanggunians their just and equitable share from national taxes to enable them to efficiently deliver basic government services and implement development projects in their respective communities.
Uy, a member of the National Unity Party (NUP), said her proposal will correct certain provisions of Republic Act 7160, which had excluded barangays created after the law’s effectivity from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of local government units.
RA 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, provides LGUs with their share from national taxes via the IRA to help realize the law’s primary goal—local autonomy.
Uy pointed out though that under Section 285 of RA 7160, "the financial requirements of barangays created by local government units after the effectivity of the Code shall be the responsibility of the local government unit concerned."
"This provision practically excludes barangays created after the Code's effectivity from receiving their just share of the Internal Revenue Allotment, practically negating the constitutional provisions on local government autonomy," the Mindanao lawmaker said.
Uy noted that “the continued exclusion of such barangays from the IRA severely impairs implementation of basic social services and projects."
Her proposal, embodied under House Bill 4109, aims to correct this inequity.
The bill, Uy said, contains safeguards, such as the strict compliance of LGUs with the requirements of creating additional barangays, to help ensure that her proposed law would not be abused.
“House Bill 4109 will help in ending the financial deprivation of non-IRA barangays and make local government autonomy a reality for the same," Uy said.