BAGUIO CITY (PIA) –The Cordillera region marked the 33rd Local Government Month commemorating the enactment of the 1991 Local Government Code empowering local government units (LGUs) on October 28, 2024, highlighted with the regional awarding ceremony for local government units with exemplary performance in delivering essential services and promoting good governance.
The event led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government(DILG) brought together hundreds of stakeholders from across the region such as local chief executives and officials from the provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays, as well as heads and representatives of national government agencies, civil society organizations, academe, and other developmental partners in Baguio City.
The celebration, which has adopted this this year’s theme, “We Amplify! Weaving Excellence Through Amplified Partnership, Leveraging Innovative Frameworks, and Yielding-Results! highlights the collaborative and innovative spirit of local governance.
DILG Assistant Secretary for Community Participation Elizabeth Lopez De Leon emphasized that for the past years, the DILG stood strong as a key pillar in ensuring that stakeholders remain capacitated, supported, enabled, and empowered in response to the changing dynamics that governance demands.
De Leon shared that the common denominator in the national and global approach that contributed to the reshaping of governance landscape is community participation.
“Dapat po talaga kasama natin lahat ng miyembro ng ating komunidad, lahat po ng sektor, at dapat nga isabuhay natin lalo na ang ating environment, napakaganda po ng bayan natin, napakaswerte po natin sa marami nating magagandang bagay,” she said.
The Cordillera region’s unique icon includes its colorful and meaningful tapestry.
The “bahag” and the “Tapis” for instance are common cultural elements in almost all significant community celebrations in CAR. These attires composed of various colors and threads are carefully weaved to become an expression of the region’s unique identity. Just like this icon, the new governance landscape is composed of various threads and the colors that represent a variety of stakeholders, she added.
She mentioned that the DILG Strategic Plan targets that by year 2028, 100 percent of LGUs in the country must have active participatory mechanism in local governance.
“This is aligned with the outcomes of the PDP 2023-2028 that seeks to deepen citizens participation at the local level to promote good local governance. Our very own institutions provide for spaces of citizen participation while we are fortunate that the constitution supported by Local Government Code guarantee spaces for citizen engagement.”
She added that in promoting citizen participation in local governance, it does not in any way diminish the power and influence of elective officials. Rather, it complements, it empowers, and it strengthens their capacity to lead and make sound and informed decisions.
“I would like to highlight the accomplishments of Cordillera LGUs in recent years. In the Seal of Good Local Governance alone, we have observed a steady increase in the number of national passers. From 13 passers in 2022 to 23 passers in 2023, now we have 33 potential passers for 2024 in CAR. I was also made aware that there is a notable improvement in the performance of our LGUs in the region across various performance audit and assessments,” she said.
Meanwhile, DILG-CAR Regional Director Araceli San Jose shared that as co-stewards and overseers of local governments in order to remain relevant, we recognize synergy as a fundamental component of organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
“Nananatili tayong haligi sa pagpapasigla at pagpapahusay ng ating collaborasyon kasama ang mga lokal na pamahalaan, civil society at pati na rin ang iba’t ibang sangay at opisina ng pamahalaan. Eto ay dahil kinikilala po natin ang kahalagahan ng pagtutulongan at pagsusulong ng mga reporma upang makamit ang tapat at mahusay na pamamahala o good local governance.”
Our pursuit of a Bagong Pilipinas calls for what we can call as the 3Cs. We need collaborators, cohorts, and champions. It calls for a whole of government and a whole of society effort to demonstrate our willingness to synergize towards a collective and common goal, San Jose said. (JDP/MAWC-PIA-CAR)
