Local governments have 20-yr-old law to thank for development, says Robredo

Provinces, towns and cities have made great strides in delivering good governance at the local level, thanks mainly to the autonomy they were granted 20 years ago, said Interior Secretary Jesse M. Robredo.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) this month will lead in the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Local Government Code, the law that gave local government units (LGUs) the independence to manage much of their own affairs.

With the theme “Local Government Code: 20 Years of Gains Toward a Meaningful Autonomy,” the celebration “aims to reflect on the two decades of accomplishments made possible by the Code, as well as the continuing challenges in local governance,” Robredo said in a statement.

“Over the years, we witnessed the emergence of good local governance practices, a remarkable change in local government leadership, and wider citizen engagement and participation in local governance which, to a certain degree, can be attributed to the implementation of the Code,” he said.

Enacted in 1991, the Local Government Code is a landmark piece of legislation that places emphasis on local autonomy and decentralization of national government functions.

Led by the DILG and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, the celebration will kick off with a bike run dubbed “Filipinos in Motion: Bicycle Revolution” on October 9 at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

The activity will “symbolically showcase unity and participation among Filipinos from different sectors in advocating good governance,” Robredo said.

On October 10, a local governance policy forum titled “Pagsulyap sa Maunlad na Hinaharap” will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City to discuss the current state of local governance autonomy, he said.

“A major highlight of this forum is the engagement of multi-stakeholders in identifying common strategies and local governance policy agenda to support the Philippine Development Plan which will be presented to the President,” Robredo said.

On October 11, President Aquino will deliver his “Tugon ng Pangulo sa Pamahalaang Lokal” (The President’s Response to Local Government),” which will address local governments’ key issues and actions.

“At the core of this celebration are the LGUs and their continuing journey towards good governance under the department’s over-arching theme of ‘Biyaheng Pinoy: Tapat na Palakad, Bayang Maunlad,’” said Robredo.