By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan, July 30, 2024; Philippine News Agency

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1230048

MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) aims to empower local government units (LGUs) and engage civil society organizations (CSOs) to contribute to good local governance through a five-year roadmap, an official said Tuesday.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas hosted by the Philippine Information Agency, DILG-National Capital Region (NCR) director Maria Lourdes Agustin said the ‘UNITE’ Agenda which spans from 2023 to 2028, outlines a transformative course for the department and its attached agencies.

‘UNITE’ stands for unleashing the maximum potential of good local governance; nourishing the bonds of national and local governments to address key sectoral concerns; intensifying efforts to ensure public order and safety; transforming governance through technology and innovation; and enhancing the capabilities of the department by improving the capabilities of its personnel.

One of the programs under this agenda, Agustin said, is the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) which serves as the primary performance-based assessment program for excellence in local governance.

The SGLG has 10 components — good fiscal or financial administration or financial sustainability; health compliance and responsiveness; disaster preparedness; social protection and sensitivity program; programs for sustainable education; business friendliness and competitiveness; safety, and peace and order; environmental management; tourism, culture, and arts; and youth development programs.

“Aside from the UNITE Agenda, one of the focuses of this program is the DILG’s role in coaching and monitoring the LGUs’ implementation of SGLG incentives fund program. This also includes the program to boost the involvement of CSOs in our local special bodies through giving guidance or developing a policy on the accreditation process for CSOs where they can take part for their advocacies to be given attention,” she said in Filipino.

Agustin said one of the fruits of this collaboration is the creation of the Pasig City CSO Academy.

“The Pasig City CSO Academy is the first NGO (non-government organization)-initiated academy that aims to provide training courses to CSO leaders. The DILG is among those helping the Pasig City LGU in establishing this,” she added.

DILG also initiated the Dagyaw Open Government town hall meetings where LGUs, CSOs, and other government agencies tackle policies and develop measures to address various concerns.

“Dagyaw” is a Hiligaynon term that means togetherness, aimed at a more responsive, more transparent, and accountable government that will take deliberate steps to ensure that all voices are heard in governmental affairs.

The conduct of Dagyaw Town Hall Meetings is a commitment of the DILG to the Philippine National Action Plan under the Open Government Partnership.

Agustin said another outcome area of the DILG is the “peaceful orderly safe and secure communities strengthened”, where it engages LGUs to actively join the implementation of the government’s flagship anti-drug campaign “Buhay Ingatan Droga’y Ayawan” (BIDA).

BIDA engages communities, stakeholders, and partners to raise awareness, promote wellness, and tackle the effects of illegal drug use and trade, in compliance with the Marcos administration’s bloodless drug war.

The BIDA Program is built on three key pillars: prevention; law enforcement, prosecution, and correction; and rehabilitation, wellness, and reintegration.