Executive Secretary Ralph Recto led the distribution of Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) to municipalities in Luzon at the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Luzon National Congress.
Addressing local chief executives from Luzon, Recto emphasized that local recommendations submitted to the National Government will not serve as mere souvenirs, but will be directly converted into an operational work checklist to strengthen LGU-national government coordination.
He highlighted that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s principle is simple, “it is not enough for the government to listen, it must act quickly to bridge national resources directly to grassroots communities without political bias.”
“It is not enough for the government to listen, it must act quickly to bridge national resources directly to grassroots communities without political bias.”
To back this directive with substantial fiscal policy, Recto announced landmark financial support figures for Local Government Units. The projected 2027 National Tax Allotment (NTA) will reach a historic P1.4 trillion nationwide, an 11 percent double-digit surge from current levels, with Luzon LGUs alone receiving P676.9 billion.
Additionally, this year’s LGSF allocation reached a record P57 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 P58.53 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,” he 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. Documentation requirements have been drastically streamlined, enabling local chief executives to complete and track requests online via the Ugnayang Bayan portal for rapid fund release.
Adding to the list of firsts, every barangay nationwide will receive a direct allocation of P200,000 from the Presidential Socio-Civic Projects Fund, half of which is to assist five graduating college students and the other half to support local development projects.
“Iyan po ang Bagong Pilipinas. Bawat bayan at bawat Pilipino ay ramdam ang pakinabang sa pondo ng bayan,” Recto stressed.
Beyond infrastructure, he detailed how the LGSF directly powers major social welfare and food security initiatives, notably the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, which provides 10 kilograms of free rice every two months to nearly 8 million families.
“Kayo ang katuwang namin, kakampi namin, at kamay ng gobyerno sa bawat komunidad.”
“Hindi po kakumpitensya ng national government ang LGU. Magka-team tayo. Kayo ang katuwang namin, kakampi namin, at kamay ng gobyerno sa bawat komunidad,” Recto said.
He also urged LGUs to utilize their NTA and LGSF allocations for climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and solid waste management, emphasizing that prevention is far more cost-effective than rehabilitation.
