Manggarai Barat Postpones Two Draft Regulations Amid Earthquake Recovery

Labuan Bajo — Manggarai Barat’s district government and local council postponed deliberations on two draft regional regulations on Friday, 18 September 2026, as the regency continued focusing on recovery from the Flores earthquake of 15 August, according to local government reporting and national disaster updates.

The two drafts are a regulation on regional taxes and levies and an amendment to Regional Regulation No. 11 of 2017 on the management of regional government property. Local government reporting said both items will be carried over to the next legislative session.

Deputy Regent Yulianus Weng announced the decision during the closing plenary of the district legislative council, or DPRD, in Labuan Bajo, according to the district government’s news service. The session marked the end of the council’s third sitting period for the 2025-2026 legislative year.

Officials said the postponement reflected a joint executive-legislative decision to prioritise emergency response, assistance and recovery work after the quake. The district government’s reporting said the administration and council had already been active in affected areas during the emergency phase.

Recovery effort shapes local agenda

The Flores quake on 15 August was updated by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, or BMKG, to magnitude 7.7, and BMKG said it triggered damage and tsunami impacts across several parts of eastern Indonesia, including Manggarai Barat. BMKG later said survey teams found the strongest shaking in parts of Manggarai Barat among other districts affected by the disaster.

BMKG has also reported thousands of aftershocks following the main quake, underscoring the continued emergency and recovery burden facing local governments on Flores. In one update, the agency said its field survey covered Manggarai Barat and six other affected districts as part of mitigation and reconstruction planning.

The district government’s report said the third session still completed several other strategic items, including approval of the 2025 budget implementation accountability report, discussion and approval of revised 2026 budget-planning documents, and discussion of the 2027 budget framework.

No new timetable for the two deferred draft regulations was announced beyond the reference to the next session. The reporting did not give a resolution number or detail any changes to implementation schedules for the tax, levy or asset-management rules.

What the two drafts would cover

The first draft concerns local taxes and levies, which would affect the district’s revenue framework if adopted. The second is an amendment to the 2017 rule governing regional government assets, a set of regulations that would update how public property is managed.

The postponement means the two measures remain pending rather than cancelled. Their return to the council’s agenda will depend on when the next legislative sitting is scheduled.

The district government said the decision was taken as officials maintained coordination on rehabilitation and reconstruction work. In parallel, BMKG has continued to issue updates on the quake sequence and its wider impact across Flores.

Sources

• BMKG — Gempa Flores Meluruh, BMKG Ungkap Hasil Survei Lapangan sebagai Basis Mitigasi dan Rekonstruksi
• Okebajo.com