Municipal councils nationwide: Municipal councils nationwide are encouraged to join the e-Legis Reference System, an online portal of the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines (VMLP). VMLP national vice chair and Lambunao Vice Mayor Arvin Losaria, in an interview on Monday, said the e-Legis is a nationwide initiative for municipal councils to help them cope with the challenge of technological advancement.

According to Philippines News Agency, e-Legis is a partnership with the University of the Philippines Center for Local and Regional Governance, aiming to create an efficient archive of all local ordinances nationwide, facilitate more efficient crafting of legislation, and allow the replication of best practices from other local government units. Losaria explained that the system would aid members of the sanggunian (council) and presiding officers in becoming paperless advocates for faster access to existing ordinances from various municipal councils nationwide.

Currently, over 50 percent of municipal councils in Western Visayas have adopted the online platform. Losaria noted the positive reception of this initiative, emphasizing that empowering the citizenry begins with an informed municipal council. He believes that equipping councils with technological tools is essential for their capacity building.

The online portal is set to launch nationwide next month, and Losaria has appealed to municipal council members across Western Visayas and the entire country to support the program. Earlier this month, the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued Memorandum Circular No. 1016-041, urging city and municipal mayors, vice mayors, and Local Sanggunian (city councils) to submit electronic copies of their ordinances, resolutions, and other legislative issuances for inclusion in the e-Legis Reference System.