Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento has directed all Provincial Governors and City/ Municipal Mayors to create a Local Governance Transition Team before but not later than April 8, 2016.

Sec. Sarmiento signed DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2016-21 regarding Local Governance Transition in view of the forthcoming national and local elections. The MC ensures an effective turnover to the incoming officials on June 30, 2016.

The team is composed of the Local Chief Executive as Chairperson; and all Department Heads, DILG representative, Non-Governmental Organization or Private Organization representative as members. Vice Chairperson will be selected from among the members.

The team shall conduct an inventory of all Local Government Units; assemble all local government documents or records; turn-over accountabilities using prescribed forms; organize a turn-over ceremony to include a briefing on the Governance Assessment Report and Key Challenges to the incoming set of officials on June 30, 2016; and ensure the accomplishment and submission of Elective Local Official Personnel Data Sheet (ELOPDS) by the incoming officials. The ELOPDS shall be submitted not later than July 8, 2016 to the LGU's Human Resource Management Office, Office of the Sanggunian and DILG field office.

Likewise, all DILG Regional Directors and ARMM Regional Governor are directed to cause the widest dissemination of the said Memorandum and submit Local Governance Transition Reports to the Secretary of Interior and Local Government not later than July 15, 2016.