A legislator on Thursday welcomed the move of the House of Representatives to approve on second reading a bill which seeks to create the Metro Bataan Development Authority.
Rep. Jose Enrique Garcia III of Bataan, principal author of the bill, said the bill’s enactment shall fulfill the State policy to encourage local government units to group themselves to coordinate their efforts, services, and resources for purposes commonly beneficial to their respective constituencies as provided under the Constitution, the Local Government Code of 1991, and other pertinent national laws.
“It has been the policy of the State that the territorial and political subdivisions of the State shall enjoy genuine and meaningful local autonomy to enable the local governments to attain their fullest development as self-reliant communities and make them more effective partners in the attainment of national goals,” said Garcia, vice chairman of the House Committee on Energy.
Garcia’s proposal calls for the creation of the Metro Bataan Development Authority which shall be under the Office of the President of the Philippines.
It mandates the creation of the Metro Bataan Development Council or Council which shall be the governing board and policymaking body of the MBDA.
Under the bill, the Council shall be composed of the Governor of Bataan who shall sit as ex-officio Chairperson of the Council and the Mayors of the City of Balanga, and the Municipalities of Abucay, Bagac, Dinalupihan, Hermosa, Limay, Mariveles, Morong, Orani, Orion, Pilar, and Samal, as ex-officio members.
Furthermore, the provincial directors of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Civil Defense, and the Philippine National Police shall be ex-officio members of the Council without voting rights.
The MBDA as the implementing arm of the Council shall perform the planning and implementation of policies, monitoring, and coordinative functions, and shall exercise regulatory and supervisory authority in the delivery of services to the entire province, or to multiple local government units, or which entail expenditure beyond the capacity of any single LGU in the Province of Bataan.
One of the functions and powers of the MBDA is to formulate and regulate the implementation of approved medium and long-term plans and programs for the delivery of province-wide services, land use and physical development within the province of Bataan, consistent with national development objectives and priorities.
