MAYOR URGE MARCOS JR. TO FACTOR IN LGU PARTNERSHIPS ON CABINET SHAKEUP

May 24, 2025 Headlines

BAGUIO CITY

The country’s town mayors urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to include collaborations with the local government units as a key
criterion in evaluating Cabinet officials, following the shake-up being currently implemented between cabinet secretaries. League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) national president JB Bernos said, the 1,486-strong municipal mayors around the country fully
support the tact of the President in asking all department secretaries to submit courtesy resignations. “If local government units conduct periodic performance reviews, so must the national government, especially those who are entrusted to bring the President’s vision to reality,” he said.

But Bernos urged Preds. Marcos Jr. to also consider how much the Departments have collaborated or supported the municipalities in the past three (3) years. He emphasized that national-local partnerships strengthen governance in the country, and those who have adequately served the needs of the municipal governments must stay to continue such good practice. “I believe that a Department that sufficiently acts on the needs of the LGUs is a Department with a good Secretary who listens, so I hope those leaders will be kept, because they know the situation on the ground,” Mayor Bernos of La Paz, Abra who recently won as that province’s congressman during the May 11, 2025 elections. “If Cabinet officials are not attuned to the needs of the local government units, how can we expect them to craft sound policies that address issues?

How can the President know what his constituents need?” Bernos raised. Despite the sensitive nature of the review, Bernos is confident that the process will ultimately lead to stronger alignment within the administration. “As the President himself said, this is not about
personalities. It’s about performance—and I believe that by factoring in LGU collaboration, we can move closer to meeting the people’s
expectations,” the incoming Abra lawmaker stressed.

Artemio A. Dumlao/ABN