Philippines Development Forum

On August 2010, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued the Full Disclosure Policy (Memorandum Circular 2010-83), which mandates LGUs to publicly disclose 12 key reports on local government budgeting, planning, procurement, and gender and development. The Full Disclosure Policy has strengthened the environment for LGU transparency and is a direct response to the increasing civil society demand for improved local governance. However, civil society organizations (CSOs) have expressed the need to strengthen their capacity to understand and utilize the disclosed reports. This need has also been recognized by the DILG, which has actively engaged CSOs in its efforts to strengthen local governance.

In response, the World Bank has mobilized a technical assistance and capacity building program entitled Building on the Full Disclosure Policy: Strengthening Citizen Demand for Local Governance to support the DILG and CSOs. This program includes the piloting of capacity building workshops for CSOs on the utilization of the disclosed LGU reports. In preparation for the training design of the workshops, the World Bank is organizing a conference to surface existing tools and learning materials, especially those that are less known or are not publicly available, for the analysis of the disclosed reports.

On January 25, 2012, the World Bank conducted a Conference on Tools for Utilizing LGU Reports under the Full Disclosure Policy, at the SEAMEO-INNOTECH in Quezon City. The said conference brought together CSOs that have developed and applied tools and materials for LGU fiscal monitoring and management, with other CSOs that need these tools for their work in strengthening demand for accountability.

The activity was supported by the Philippine Decentralization and Local Government (DIALOG) Trust Fund, which was established in January 2010 to serve as a catalyst for furthering reform action under the agenda of the PDF Working Group on Decentralization and Local Government. The DIALOG Trust Fund is managed by the World Bank with contributions from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). (See conference materials)

The Sub-Working Group on Inter-Local Cooperation of the Working Group on Decentralization and Local Government, in cooperation with the Negros Occidental Provincial Environment Management Office, is holding the 3rd National Summit on Inter-Local Cooperation, on 26-28 September 2011 at the L’Fisher Hotel, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

This is a live-in conference that aims to build the capacity of LGUs on inter-local cooperation mechanisms through:

1) sharing of experiences of specific initiatives of alliances and inter-local cooperation (ILCs);

2) plenary presentations and discussions on (a) consolidated gains of ILCs in the context of development and (b) national policies and guidelines on existing financial structures/arrangements of ILCs;

3) workshops focusing on specific sectors/ themes on the (a) environment, (b) interlocal health zone, (c) local economic development, and (d) urban city concerns, for purposes of knowledge management; and

4) poster sessions of participating alliances and exhibits of non-government organizations and development partners

The Summit is designed for local chief executives and directors/managers of LGU alliances. Travel costs shall be borne by the participants.

Should you wish to attend please confirm to the Communications Committee (Ms. Jilet Lam or Grace Ginete of PEMO) telefax no. (034) 434-5396 or send an email to pmdpemo@gmail.com and/or gginete@yahoo.com on/or before 14 September 2011.