Imoduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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. 92-1 11 1 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 ofice.” 
It is believed that the Secretary to the (Sunggunian is the head of the office of the 
Sanggunian, as a sepamte department of the !oca1 government, the Vice-Governor or Vice- 
Mayor being the second highest-ranking o€fi.cer 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 relate to a department 
head lowers his morale as it constitutes a virtual sourcc of discrimination. This bill restitutes the 
position of Secretary to the Sangggurzlan to local goverrment department head.”‘ 
* This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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 
assem bled: 
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) o€ a head of department or office.” 
SECTION 2. Republic Act No. ‘7160, Rook 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, highly-urbanized cities 
and municipalities, and other (elective) officials of local govermnent 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. 
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SECTION 4. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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