Pursuant to Section 496 of the Republic Act 7160, the Local Government Code of 1991, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) was established as an organization of municipalities in the country primarily to ventilate, articulate and crystallize issues affecting municipal government administration.

Each municipality is represented in the LMP by its mayor or, in his absence, the vice mayor or a duly elected Sanggunian member. As an organization, the LMP focuses its activities on pursuing active members’ participation and capability development, effecting innovative organizational structures, systems, processes, and networks, and aggressively mobilizing resources and other support for local government unit (LGU) programs.

The LMP provides periodic opportunities for its members to gather together and share their experiences, with the end in view of replicating best practices in the many dimensions of local governance. One such venue for sharing is the annual General Assembly of the LMP, which this year will be held on October 26-28, 2009, at the historic landmark Manila Hotel.

The theme for the General Assembly describes what the LMP has accomplished and wishes to maintain in the long term – “Sustaining Exemplary Practices for Effective Local Governance.’’ The General Assembly will be an occasion to celebrate the successes of many of the LMP members who by 2010, will have served their communities for nine years.

The three-day General Assembly will have several sessions that highlight new or innovative practices in local governance and take up issues that have been discussed in prior Island Clusters conferences. The bylaws of the LMP mandated the establishment of the Island Clusters in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and the holding of their respective annual conferences to discuss local governance issues and concerns.

The LMP has institutionalized the Island Clusters to promote greater inter-municipality cooperation and to address specific governance challenges and opportunities requiring appropriate actions from the LMP, the national government, the private sector, civil society and other sectors of local governance.

We congratulate the League of Municipalities of the Philippines headed by National President, Mayor Ramon N. Guico Jr., Officers and Members, on the occasion of its 2009 Annual General Assembly and wish them success in all their endeavors.