Executive Secretary Ralph Recto on Tuesday led the distribution of Special Allotment Release Orders under the Local Government Support Fund to local government units in Luzon.
Addressing local chief executives at the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Luzon’s National Congress. Recto said local recommendations submitted to the national government will be directly converted into an operational work checklist to strengthen LGU-national government coordination.
“It is not enough for the government to listen, it must act quickly to bridge national resources directly to grassroots communities without political bias.”
The projected 2027 National Tax Allotment will reach a historic P 1.4 trillion nationwide, an 11 percent double-digit surge from current levels, with Luzon LGUs alone receiving P 676.9 billion.
This year’s LGSF allocation reached a record P 57 billion to fund critical local infrastructure, water systems, farm-to-market roads, health facilities and multipurpose buildings, with proposed 2027 budget projections raising the LGSF further to P 58.53 billion.
“Ang hiling lang namin sa inyo ay gamitin nang tama. Gamitin nang maayos. At higit sa lahat, gamitin para sa tao ang pondo ng bayan,” Recto said.
The event marked the immediate, on-site distribution of SAROs for LGSF Financial Assistance to LGUs (FALGU), the Growth Equity Fund (GEF) and the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) for Luzon municipalities.
“Hindi po kakumpitensya ng national government ang LGU. Magka-team tayo. Kayo ang katuwang namin, kakampi namin, at kamay ng gobyerno sa bawat komunidad,” the Executive Secretary said.
Recto also urged LGUs to utilize their NTA and LGSF allocations for climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and solid waste management.