Fiscal Decentralization in the Philippines after the 1991 Code: Intergovernmental Fiscal Relationships and the Roles of Fiscal Transfers

Abstract

The current fiscal decentralization in the Philippines is based on the Local Government Code, Republic Act 7160, enacted in 1991. Philippine decentralization represents the vanguard of decentralization in developing countries in East Asia (White and Smoke 2005; Balisacan and Hill 2006). The decentralization transferred various responsibilities and authorities held by the central government to local governments. This study focuses on the changes in the intergovernmental fiscal relationship between central and local governments in the Philippines after the decentralization based on the 1991 Local Government Code (the 1991 Code).