The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), also known simply as the League of Cities, is a formal organization of all

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. As of September 3, 2022, there are 147 cities which are part of the organization.

Statutory Basis

Its creation and purpose is mandated by Section 499 of the

Republic Act This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Sources of Philippine laws ;Notes : *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not be ...

7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, as amended, which states:

There shall be an organization of all cities to be known as the League of Cities for the primary purpose of ventilating, articulating and crystallizing issues affecting
city government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
administration, and securing, through proper and legal means, solutions thereto.

Mission

The league as the following mission statement:

#To foster unity and cooperation among all cities in the country #To promote the interest and welfare of its members #To provide a cohesive force that embodies the sentiments and aspirations of its members and advocates the principles, among others, of enhanced
devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...
and
decentralization Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...
, integrated development planning, coordination of basic services between the national government and the cities as well as between cities, and
democratization Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a full ...
of participation, representation and resources in local governance #To serve as a forum of discussion and a feedback mechanism on policies affecting city governments #To collaborate with national and other local government agencies in attaining efficient and effective inter-government relations to provide development programs that will enrich and upgrade the capabilities of city governments #Develop and implement both as bodies of governance and development entities

Vision

Meanwhile, the league has the following vision statement:

An organization of cities united and committed to genuine and effective local
autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one' ...
and development, with democratic access to all available resources.

Representation

Each city is represented in the League by their city

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. In case of his absence or incapacity, the

vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected depu ...

or a '' sanggunian'' member of the city shall be its representative after being elected for this purpose by its members.

Chapters

The League is organized into provincial and national chapters. Highly urbanized cities also form their own distinct chapter. Every chapter has the following set of officers: * President *

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

The board of directors has the power to create any other position needed to properly manage their respective chapter. A

secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

is chosen from among the national league members and is tasked to manage the daily activities of the national league.

Powers, Functions, and Duties

Section 501 of the Local Government Code of 1991 outlines the following powers, functions and duties of the League:

*Assist the national government in the formulation and implementation of the
policies Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...
, programs and projects affecting cities as a whole; *Promote local autonomy at the city level; *Adopt measures for the promotion of the
welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
of all cities and its officials and employees; *Encourage people's participation in local government administration in order to promote united and concerted action for the attainment of country-wide development goals; *Supplement the efforts of the national government in creating opportunities for gainful employment the cities; *Give priority to programs designed for the total development of cities in consonance with the policies, programs and projects of the national government; *Serve as a forum for crystallizing and expressing ideas, seeking the necessary assistance of the national government and providing the
private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...
avenues for cooperation in the promotion of the welfare of the cities; and *Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as the league may prescribe for the welfare of the cities.

Funding

The league is funded by contributions of its member local government units and/or by any

fund raising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

activity that they organize. These funds shall be deposited to the treasurer as trust funds and is subjected to pertinent

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

and

auditing An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon.” Auditing ...

rules. Chapter

funds Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...

are considered separated and distinct from national funds.

References

{{Authority control Philippine local government unit leagues