Page 5 - OGA 2016

Outstanding Governorship Award 2016

FOREWORD here seems to be no explicit definition for “governorship” or
to “govern” other than the management, administration, or
Tgeneralship for the office of the governor. A governor, however,
is, in most cases, a public official with the power to govern the executive
branch of a non-sovereign or sub-national level of government. The
governor ranks under the head of state. In federations, governor may
be the title of the politician who governs a constituent state and may
be appointed or elected. Powers of the individual governor can vary
dramatically between political systems, with some governors having
only nominal, largely ceremonial power, while others have complete
power over the entire government.

Provinces of the Philippines (Filipino: Mga Lalawigan ng
Pilipinas) are the primary political and administrative divisions of
the Philippines. There are 81 provinces at present, further subdivided
into component cities and municipalities. That means we have 81
Governors to govern these provinces.

In the Philippines, regions (Filipino: rehiyon, ISO 3166-2:PH) are
administrative divisions that serve primarily to organize the provinces
(lalawigan) of the country for administrative convenience. Currently,
the archipelagic republic of the Philippines is divided into 18 regions
(17 administrative and 1 autonomous). Most government offices are
established by region instead of individual provincial offices, usually
(but not always) in the city designated as the regional center. Regions
were born September 24, 1972, when the Philippine provinces were
organized into 11 regions by Presidential Decree № 1 as part of the
Integrated Reorganization Plan of President Ferdinand Marcos.

Since that time, other regions have been created and some
provinces have been transferred from one region to another.

One might think duplication would have altered the authority
and influence of Governors vis-à-vis Region authorities. Not so. The
office of the Governor stands firm to date with its power, authority,
and responsibility towards its vast provinces and population. The
office of the Governor might be thought the acting President of the
country represented in the provinces. What better way to address
acting Governors to migrate into the Presidency other than Senators.

SMI celebrates the role of the Governors of the Philippines by
bestowing the Outstanding Governorship Award for 2016, placing
center stage their role, their responsibility, and their function as head
of state (in this case province) that is the glue in keeping the country
together administratively.

SMI congratulates the Awarded Governors for 2016 and with
this publication provides a firm testament to their successes and
contributions to the country.

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