President Duterte was reported to have said that “he needed a military man at the DILG because he had a problem with the police” (“Cayetano is DFA head; Año is DILG secretary,” Front Page, 5/11/17).
I certainly do not wish to question the motive of the President in appointing a military man as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. In fact, I would be very sympathetic to the President who is determined to put things in the Philippine National Police in order. The PNP, after all, is an attached agency of the DILG as expressly mandated by Republic Act No. 6975 (“An act establishing the Philippine National Police under a
reorganized Department of the Interior and Local Government, and for other purposes”).
However, we should not turn our backs on the problems of the local government units (LGUs), including their changing roles, attitudes, challenges and opportunities.
It is something of a paradox that we focus on cleansing the ranks of the PNP and undermine the needs of the LGUs. Gone are the days when we would just egg on the LGUs to practice self-governance. It is high time we expanded, developed and tapped their potentials, raised their confidence and their sense of public service.
We, therefore, urge the President to also appoint a DILG assistant secretary to serve as point person for LGUs—a man or a woman who has
a heart for LGUs and who deeply identifies
himself/herself with them.
REGINALD B. TAMAYO, assistant city council secretary, Marikina City