Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS “NICK” ENCISO VIII 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Republic Act No. 7160, also known as the Local Government Code, Section 469 thereof provides 
that “There shall be a Secretary to the Sanggunian who shall be career official with the rank and 
salary equal to a head of department or office. The Civil Service Commission, in Resolution No. 
92-1111 dated 20 August 1992, interpreted the aforesaid provision to mean that a Secretary to 
the Sanggunian, whether of a municipality, city, or province, is not a department head but only 
occupies a position “equal to a head of department or office.”
It is believed that the Secretary to the Sanggunian is the head of the office of the Sanggunian, as 
a separate department of the local government, the Vice-Governor, or Vice-Mayor being the 
second highest-ranking officer of the entire local government after the Governor or Mayor as the 
case may be. To consider the Vice-Governor or Vice-Mayor as a department head is tantamount 
to demoting him in rank and stature as he is assigned a salary grade higher than that given a 
local government department head and is the acknowledged assistant chief executive of his local 
government unit. 
The relegation of the position of a Secretary to the Sanggunian to a level other than that of a 
department head when all his qualifications, powers, and functions related to a department head 
lowers his morale as it constitutes a virtual source of discrimination. This bill restitutes the 
position of Secretary to the Sangggunian to the local government department head. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE  
TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. HORIBATA 
NICOLAS “NICK” ENCISO VIII 
September 13, 2022
8:00 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS “NICK” ENCISO VIII 
AN ACT 
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7160, ALSO KNOWN AS THE LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT CODE, ON THE LEVEL OF THE POSITION OF SECRETARY TO THE 
SANGGUNIAN  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Republic Act No. 7160, also known as the Local Government Code, Book 3, 
Title V, Article 1, Section 469, is hereby amended to read as follows:  
“Section 469. Qualifications, Powers and Duties. – (a) There shall be a 
secretary to the Sanggunian who shall be a career official with the rank and 
salary (equal to) of a head of department or office.” 
SECTION 2. Republic Act No. 7160, Book 3, Title VI, Chapter 2, Section 508 is hereby 
amended to read as follows: 
“Chapter 2. – Leagues and Federations of Local (Elective) Officials 
 Section 
508. 
Organization. 
– 
(a) 
Vice-governors, 
vice-mayors, 
sanggunian members of barangays, municipalities, component cities, 
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highly-urbanized cities and municipalities, and other (elective) officials of 
local government units, including those of the Metropolitan Manila area and 
any metropolitan political subdivisions, may form their respective leagues 
or federation, subject to applicable provisions of this title and pertinent 
provisions of this Code.”  
 
SECTION 3. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rules or regulations or part thereof, 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or 
amended accordingly. 
 
SECTION 4. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.  
 
Approved,