Duties and Functions

The sangguniang bayan, the legislative body of the municipality, shall be composed of the municipal vice mayor as the presiding officer, the regular sanggunian members, the president of the municipal chapter of the liga ng mga barangay, the president of the pambayang pederasyon ng mga sangguniang kabataan, and the sectoral representatives, as members.

In addition thereto, there shall be three (3) sectoral representatives: one (1) from the women; and as shall be determined by the sanggunian concerned within ninety (90) days prior to the holding of local elections, one (1) from the agricultural or industrial workers, and one (1) from other sectors, including the urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, or disabled persons.

The regular members of the sangguniang bayan and the sectoral representatives shall be elected in the manner as may be provided for by law.

The sangguniang bayan, as the legislative body of the municipality, shall enact ordinances, approve resolutions and appropriate funds for the general welfare of the municipality and its inhabitants pursuant to Section 16 of this Code and in the proper exercise of the corporate powers of the municipality as provided for under Section 22 of this Code, and shall:

Approve ordinances and pass resolutions necessary for an efficient and effective municipal government, and in this connection shall:

Review all ordinances approved by the sangguniang barangay and executive orders issued by the punong barangay to determine whether these are within the scope of the prescribed powers of the sanggunian and of the punong barangay;

Maintain peace and order by enacting measures to prevent and suppress lawlessness, disorder, riot, violence, rebellion or sedition and impose penalties for the violation of said ordinances;

Approve ordinances imposing a fine not exceeding Two thousand five hundred pesos (P2,500.00) or an imprisonment for a period not exceeding six (6) months, or both in the discretion of the court, for the violation of a municipal ordinance;

Adopt measures to protect the inhabitants of the municipality from the harmful effects of man-made or natural disasters and calamities and to provide relief services and assistance for victims during and in the aftermath of said disasters or calamities and their return to productive livelihood following said events;

Enact ordinances intended to prevent, suppress and impose appropriate penalties for habitual drunkenness in public places, vagrancy, mendicancy, prostitution, establishment and maintenance of houses of ill repute, gambling and other prohibited games of chance, fraudulent devices and ways to obtain money or property, drug addiction, maintenance of drug dens, drug pushing, juvenile delinquency, the printing, distribution or exhibition of obscene or pornographic materials or publications, and such other activities inimical to the welfare and morals of the inhabitants of the municipality;

Protect the environment and impose appropriate penalties for acts which endanger the environment, such as dynamite fishing and other forms of destructive fishing, illegal logging and smuggling of logs, smuggling of natural resources products and of endangered species of flora and fauna, slash and burn farming, and such other activities which result in pollution, acceleration of eutrophication of rivers and lakes, or of ecological imbalance;

Subject to the provisions of this Code and pertinent laws, determine the powers and duties of officials and employees of the municipality;

Determine the positions and salaries, wages, allowances and other emoluments and benefits of officials and employees paid wholly or mainly from municipal funds and provide for expenditures necessary for the proper conduct of programs. projects, services, and activities of the municipal government;

Authorize the payment of compensation to a qualified person not in the government service who fills up a temporary vacancy or grant honorarium to any qualified official or employee designated to fill a temporary vacancy in a concurrent capacity, at the rate authorized by law;

Provide a mechanism and the appropriate funds therefor, to ensure the safety and protection of all municipal government property, public documents, or records such as those relating to property inventory, land ownership, records of births, marriages, deaths, assessments, taxation, accounts, business permits, and such other records and documents of public interest in the offices and departments of the municipal government;

When the finances of the municipal government allow, provide for additional allowances and other benefits to judges, prosecutors, public elementary and high school teachers, and other national government officials stationed in or assigned to the municipality;

Provide for legal assistance to barangay officials who, in the performance of their official duties or on the occasion thereof, have to initiate judicial proceedings or defend themselves against legal action; and

Provide for group insurance or additional insurance coverage for barangay officials, including members of barangay tanod brigades and other service units, with public or private insurance companies, when the finances of the municipal government allow said coverage.

Generate and maximize the use of resources and revenues for the development plans, program objectives and priorities of the municipality as provided for under Section 18 of this Code with particular attention to agro-industrial development and countryside growth and progress, and relative thereto, shall:

Approve the annual and supplemental budgets of the municipal government and appropriate funds for specific programs, projects, services and activities of the municipality, or for other purposes not contrary to law, in order to promote the general welfare of the municipality and its inhabitants;

Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code and applicable laws and upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang bayan, enact ordinances levying taxes, fees and charges, prescribing the rates thereof for general and specific purposes, and granting tax exemptions, incentives or reliefs;

Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code and upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang bayan, authorize the municipal mayor to negotiate and contract loans and other forms of indebtedness;

Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code and applicable laws and upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang bayan, enact ordinances authorizing the floating of bonds or other instruments of indebtedness, for the purpose of raising funds to finance development projects;

Appropriate funds for the construction and maintenance or the rental of buildings for the use of the municipality and, upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang bayan, authorize the municipal mayor to lease to private parties such public buildings held in a proprietary capacity, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations;

Prescribe reasonable limits and restraints on the use of property within the jurisdiction of the municipality:

Adopt a comprehensive land use plan for the municipality: Provided, That the formulation, adoption, or modification of said plan shall be in coordination with the approved provincial comprehensive land use plan;

Reclassify land within the jurisdiction of the municipality, subject to the pertinent provisions of this Code;

Enact integrated zoning ordinances in consonance with the approved comprehensive land use plan, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations; established fire limits or zones, particularly in populous centers; and regulate the construction, repair or modification of buildings within said fire limits or zones in accordance with the provisions of this Code;

Subject to national law, process and approve subdivision plans for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes and other development purposes, and collect processing fees and other charges the proceeds of which shall accrue entirely to the municipality: Provided, however, That, where approval by a national agency or office is required, said approval shall not be withheld for more than thirty (30) days from receipt of the application. Failure to act on the application within the period stated above shall be deemed as approval thereof;

Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code, grant the exclusive privilege of constructing fish corrals or fish pens, or the taking or catching of bangus fry, prawn fry or kawag-kawag of fry of any species or fish within the municipal waters;

With the concurrence of at least two-thirds (2/3) of all the members of the sangguniang bayan, grant tax exemptions, incentives or reliefs to entities engaged in community growth-inducing industries, subject to the provisions of Chapter 5, Title I, Book II of this Code.

Grant loans or provide grants to other local government units or to national, provincial and municipal charitable, benevolent or educational institutions: Provided, That said institutions are operated and maintained within the municipality;

Regulate the numbering of residential, commercial and other buildings; and

Regulate the inspection, weighing and measuring of articles of commerce.

Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code, grant franchises, enact ordinances authorizing the issuance of permits or licenses, or enact ordinances levying taxes, fees and charges upon such conditions and for such purposes intended to promote the general welfare of the inhabitants of the municipality, and pursuant to this legislative authority shall:

Fix and impose reasonable fees and charges for all services rendered by the municipal government to private persons or entities;

Regulate any business, occupation, or practice of profession or calling which does not require government examination within the municipality and the conditions under which the license for said business or practice of profession may be issued or revoked;

Prescribe the terms and conditions under which public utilities owned by the municipality shall be operated by the municipal government or leased to private persons or entities, preferably cooperatives;

Regulate the display of and fix the license fees for signs, signboards, or billboards at the place or places where the profession or business advertised thereby is, in whole or in part, conducted;

Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, authorize and license the establishment, operation, and maintenance of cockpits, and regulate cockfighting and commercial breeding of gamecocks: Provided, That existing rights should not be prejudiced;

Subject to the guidelines prescribed by the Department of Transportation and Communications, regulate the operation of tricycles and grant franchises for the operation thereof within the territorial jurisdiction of the municipality;

Upon approval by a majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang bayan, grant a franchise to any person, partnership, corporation, or cooperative to establish, construct, operate and maintain ferries, wharves, markets or slaughterhouses, or such other similar activities within the municipality as may be allowed by applicable laws: Provided, That, cooperatives shall be given preference in the grant of such a franchise.

Regulate activities relative to the use of land, buildings and structures within the municipality in order to promote the general welfare and for said purpose shall:

Declare, prevent or abate any nuisance;

Require that buildings and the premises thereof and any land within the municipality be kept and maintained in a sanitary condition; impose penalties for any violation thereof, or upon failure to comply with said requirement, have the work done and require the owner, administrator or tenant concerned to pay the expenses of the same; or require the filling up of any land or premises to a grade necessary for proper sanitation;

Regulate the disposal of clinical and other wastes from hospitals, clinics and other similar establishments;

Regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of cafes, restaurants, beerhouses, hotels, motels, inns, pension houses, lodging houses, and other similar establishments, including tourist guides and transports;

Regulate the sale, giving away or dispensing of any intoxicating malt, vino, mixed or fermented liquors at any retail outlet;

Regulate the establishment and provide for the inspection of steam boilers or any heating device in buildings and the storage of inflammable and highly combustible materials within the municipality;

Regulate the establishment, operation, and maintenance of entertainment or amusement facilities, including theatrical performances, circuses, billiards pools, public dancing schools, public dance halls, sauna baths, massage parlors, and other places of entertainment or amusement; regulate such other events or activities for amusement or entertainment, particularly those which tend to disturb the community or annoy the inhabitants, or require the suspension or suppression of the same; or, prohibit certain forms of amusement or entertainment in order to protect the social and moral welfare of the community;

Provide for the impounding of stray animals; regulate the keeping of animals in homes or as part of a business, and the slaughter, sale or disposition of the same; and adopt measures to prevent and penalize cruelty to animals; and

Regulate the establishment, operation, and maintenance of funeral parlors and the burial or cremation of the dead, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.

Approve ordinances which shall ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the basic services and facilities as provided for under Section 17 of this Code, and in addition to said services and facilities, shall:

Provide for the establishment, maintenance, protection, and conservation of communal forests and watersheds, tree parks, greenbelts, mangroves, and other similar forest development projects;

Establish markets, slaughterhouses or animal corrals and authorize the operation thereof, and regulate the construction and operation of private markets, talipapas or other similar buildings and structures;

Authorize the establishment, maintenance and operation of ferries, wharves, and other structures, and marine and seashore or offshore activities intended to accelerate productivity;

Regulate the preparation and sale of meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, fresh dairy products, and other foodstuffs for public consumption;

Regulate the use of streets, avenues, alleys, sidewalks, bridges, parks and other public places and approve the construction, improvement, repair and maintenance of the same; establish bus and vehicle stops and terminals or regulate the use of the same by privately-owned vehicles which serve the public; regulate garages and the operation of conveyances for hire; designate stands to be occupied by public vehicles when not in use; regulate the putting up of signs, signposts, awnings and awning posts on the streets; provide for the lighting, cleaning and sprinkling of streets and public places;

Regulate traffic on all streets and bridges, prohibit the putting up of encroachments or obstacles thereon, and, when necessary in the interest of public welfare, authorize the removal of encroachments and illegal constructions in public places;

Subject to existing laws, provide for the establishment, operation, maintenance, and repair of an efficient waterworks system to supply water for the inhabitants; regulate the construction, maintenance, repair and use of hydrants, pumps, cisterns and reservoirs; protect the purity and quantity of the water supply of the municipality and, for this purpose, extend the coverage of appropriate ordinances over all territory within the drainage area of said water supply and within one hundred (100) meters of the reservoir, conduit, canal, aqueduct, pumping station, or watershed used in connection with the water service; and regulate the consumption, use or wastage of water;

Regulate the drilling and excavation of the ground for laying of water, gas, sewer, and other pipes and the construction, repair and maintenance of public drains, sewers, cesspools, tunnels and similar structures; regulate the placing of poles and the use of crosswalks, curbs, and gutters; adopt measures to ensure public safety against open canals, manholes, live wires and other similar hazards to life and property; and regulate the construction and use of private water closets, privies and other similar structures in buildings and homes;

Regulate the placing, stringing, attaching, installing, repair and construction of all gas mains, electric, telegraph and telephone wires, conduits, meters and other apparatus; and, provide for the correction, condemnation or removal of the same when found to be dangerous, defective or otherwise hazardous to the welfare of the inhabitants;

Subject to the availability of funds and to existing laws, rules and regulations, establish and provide for the operation of vocational and technical schools and similar post-secondary institutions and, with the approval of the Department of Education. Culture and Sports, fix and collect reasonable fees and other school charges on said institutions, subject to existing laws on tuition fees;

Establish a scholarship fund for poor but deserving students residing within the municipality in schools located within its jurisdiction;

Approve measures and adopt quarantine regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases;

Provide for an efficient and effective system of solid waste and garbage collection disposal and prohibit littering and the placing or throwing of garbage, refuse and other filth and wastes;

Provide for the care of paupers, the aged, the sick, persons of unsound mind, disabled persons, abandoned minors, juvenile delinquents, drug dependents, abused children and other needy and disadvantaged persons, particularly children and youth below eighteen (18) years of age and, subject to availability of funds, establish and provide for the operation of centers and facilities for said needy and disadvantaged persons;

Establish and provide for the maintenance and improvement of jails and detention centers, institute sound jail management programs, and appropriate funds for the subsistence of detainees and convicted prisoners in the municipality;

Establish a municipal council whose purpose is the promotion of culture and the arts, coordinate with government agencies and non-governmental organizations and, subject to the availability of funds, appropriate funds for the support and development of the same; and

Establish a municipal council for the orderly which shall formulate policies and adopt measures mutually beneficial to the elderly and to the community; provide incentives for non-governmental agencies and entities and, subject to the availability of funds, appropriate funds to support programs and projects for the benefit of the elderly; and

Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.