Election Commissioner Rene Sarmiento will be the guest speaker in today’s Local Sectoral Representation (LSR) forum at the University of Cebu-Banilad Campus.
A champion for people empowerment and progressive electoral reforms, Sarmiento will share his experience as human rights advocate, presidential adviser on the peace process, member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution and of the electoral body since 2006.
Organized by the Kaabag sa Sugbo, UC, UC Law Students Society, Cebu City Council through Councilors Alvin Dizon and Nida Cabrera and the Urban Poor Alliance – Cebu, the “Popularizing and Strengthening Democracy through Local Sectoral Representatives” forum is a springboard for the institutionalization of the constitutionally mandated local sectoral representation at local legislative bodies.
To strengthen the democratic processes, ensure that people have genuine and meaningful participation in local governance for local legislation to be responsive to the special needs or concerns of marginalized and vulnerable sectors, stakeholders are pushing for the implementation of the Local Government Code mechanism for local sectoral representatives in local council by 2013. The Comelec shall promulgate the rules and regulations to effectively provide for the election of such sectoral representatives.”
The Code provides that “there shall be one sectoral representative from the women, one from the workers, and one from any of the following sectors: the urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, disabled persons, or any other sector as may be determined by the sanggunian concerned within 90 days prior to the holding of the next local elections, as may be provided for by law.
The forum is timely as Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes has mulled the creation of a special committee to address all concerns of stakeholders.
“We want total transparency. That’s why we are actively engaging the public. Ang importante ay magka usap-usap tayo,” Brillantes was quoted in the press release posted in its website.