Prospects and Challenges in Creating Metro-Governments: The Case of Metro-Vigan Initiative in the Philippines

Abstract

Local problems that go beyond jurisdictional boundaries such as; traffic congestions, pollution, garbage collection and disposal, environmental degradation, flooding, criminalities, pandemic, and other public health issues are readily seen and felt in urban areas today. To effectively address these inter-local problems, the establishment of metropolitan organizations has become a necessity. One of the primary functions of metro government is to manage the affairs of urban growth particularly in addressing the problems that go beyond the geographical boundaries of local governments. As a developmental strategy among adjacent local government units, metropolization requires a rules-based approach in order to effectively govern and address inter-local government problems and concerns.

The common issues that metro governments deal with include urban growth areas development, controlling urban sprawl and its effects like pollution, solid waste disposal, traffic congestion and others. The rationale behind setting-up a single authority among local government units is to deal with inter-local concerns which cannot be efficiently and effectively addressed by disjointed actions of individual local government.

The study looked into the state of inter-local relations among the eight component-local government units of the Metro Vigan Coordinating Council (MVCC). It identifies the common problems that transcend the geographical boundaries of the local government units as well as the common development potentials that can be optimized through inter-local cooperation. It highlighted the legal, institutional, and financial challenges of the Metro-Vigan initiative, and offers recommendation to deepen and broaden the inter-local cooperation.