MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has reorganized the oversight panel responsible for managing the country’s Local Governance Reform Project (LGRP), aiming to accelerate improvements in real property assessment, digital tax administration, and local capacity development.
Through Administrative Order No. 49 signed on September 28, the Chief Executive reconstituted the Inter-Agency Governing Board (IGB) to direct policy, resolve implementation bottlenecks, and maintain administrative oversight over national local governance programs.
Led by the Secretary of Finance, the restructured board brings together key Cabinet officials, including the leadership of economic planning, budget management, interior and local government, and information technology. The panel also incorporates leadership from the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), alongside leaders from provincial, city, and municipal leagues, as well as delegates from non-governmental organizations and private industry.
Serving as the board’s technical and administrative secretariat, the BLGF is tasked with driving efforts to modernize property valuation frameworks and build integrated digital tax databases.
The initiatives directly complement Republic Act No. 12001, also known as the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act, which mandates the full digital automation of municipal real property tax systems across the nation.
Jointly supported by the Philippine government and the Asian Development Bank, the LGRP focuses on upgrading local property tax administration, professionalizing assessors, and enhancing overall revenue management for local government units.
Under the new order, the IGB must meet at least twice each year to monitor implementation progress and ensure strategy alignment with broader national policies.
Before its eventual dissolution upon project completion, the board is required to submit a comprehensive final performance and budget utilization report directly to the President via the Office of the Executive Secretary.