Term Limit for LGU Officials

The term limit for Local Government Units (LGUs) officials will forever be a hot issue. For a good Mayor, 3 years (1 term) or 9 years (3 terms) is too short. On the other hand, 3 years (1 term) or 9 years (3 terms) is too long for a bad Mayor.

In Manila and if you have Atienza as Mayor, you’ll probably want to put him in the office forever. No doubt, Atienza did everything he could to re-invent and beautify Manila. When Alfredo Lim took the reins of the premier city, he practically destroyed all the beautification projects that Mayor Atienza made for the city. He also splurged (spent) all the surpluses (worth billions of pesos) accumulated during the Atienza era.

Manila is the microcosm of the Philippines. Unfair it may seem but for foreigners, what they see in Manila is the Philippines in itself. Nakakapanghinayang that the city that once hold a promise of revival was damaged by Lim’s inability to lead. Mas inuuna niya pa ang pamumulitika. In fact, he sends all Barangay Officials allied to him to an R&R in a major city in Asia (Of course, courtesy of the City of Manila’s treasury).

The same is true with Iloilo City. It only takes a Jerry Treñas to make Iloilo what it is today. Well, he really needs more years actually but because of term restrictions, he has to bow down. I’m not really saying that he’s the best thing that really happen to Iloilo (not even the next big thing). There were allegations before that he wanted to eliminate Adonis Manzan, a local critic. It’s still an allegation but Sheila Manzan, Adonis’ sister was horrified when a group of armed men open fire at the Manzan residence in Calumpang.

I’m sure that you guys have good and bad things to say against your local officials. The best thing is that, you have the power to vote who is best for our community. Just vote for someone who truly represents you. If he fails to perform, you just have to wait for another 3 years, and vote for the more deserving one.

I admire the intentions of the framers of the Local Government Code. They specifically designed a law that won’t allow a Local Official to remain in the office forever. However, as with all the laws, it should be reviewed to adapt to a changing times.