Performance of Sulu Lgus on Governance

The constituents of Sulu (Lupah Sug) have been experiencing different prominent problems and it is the Local Government Units that are mandated to create and provide remedies or solutions to address these problems. Tausugs are disappointed and dissatisfied with the performance of their local leaders/officials especially on Governance. LGUs failed to deliver effective governance that resulted to numerous issues and grievances from the people. The LGUs’ shortcomings towards its citizenry have betrayed the true essence of their slogan “Public office is a Public Trust.” Sulu Local Government Units have always been ‘poor’ and ‘weak’ in governance when evaluated by its people and they are always inadequate to reach their topmost echelon. Poor Governance aggravates the Poverty in the province. In this essay, the author concentrated on giving critical analysis about the performance of Sulu LGUs on Good Governance. The performance indicators that fall under Good Governance cover the financial accountability, transparency, citizen participation and Equity (Gender and Development). The author is prompted to write this paper with the viewpoint that unless the Local Government Units in Sulu will improve their performance on Good Governance; the citizenry will still continue to suffer the consequences that different perennial problems have brought up. In 1991, the Philippines initiated a historic process that resulted in the devolution of significant authority, responsibility, and government personnel to the local levels. The Local Government Code of 1991 mandates the establishment in every local government unit of an accountable, efficient and dynamic organizational structure and operating mechanisms that meet the priority needs and service requirements of the communities. The local officials in Sulu are highly dependent on the IRA or Internal Revenue Allotment not solely for the purpose of delivering vital services but coupled with gerrymandering of LGUs to accommodate