LED stands for local economic development. On this concern, DILG is on the right track, and hopefully, it will push its energies and logistics on this to help local government units (LGUs) in taking lead and active role in recovering and igniting local economic development, rather than sway to the myopic agenda against terrorism and red witch-hunting.
The Constitution and the Local Government Code of 1991 clearly provide principles and guidelines for the LGUs to play a lead and active role in providing a wide range of opportunities for the people to grow gainfully and sustainably.
It is the role of the state, from national to the barangays to ensure that the people's needs, rights, hopes and aspirations are upheld, promoted and guaranteed.
The DILG plays a lead role, with support of other government agencies, to provide the LGUs with the necessary capacity-building, orientation and skills trainings, and appropriate infrastructures and systems in helping people help themselves build sustainable livelihood, get access to basic social services, and propel them to ensure their internal peace and security environment.
The LGUs must be taught well and programmatically, not only with the usual dependency-oriented dole out services and coercive militaristic peace and order and anti-illegal drugs operations, but with real good governance standards and conduct, from profiling their barangays' issues and needs, land use updating, to planning their LGU/barangay development goals, programs, projects and activities with corresponding indicators of success per sector and cross sectors, community enterprise development and management, enhancement of leadership and participatory governance, tax mapping and collections, enforcement and regulatory functions, and peace and order, to effective delivery of basic services, including mainstreaming the climate change adaptation and disaster risks reduction.
These alone are huge tasks for DILG especially for its front line LGOOs. The LGUs will also have a hard time to consolidate all these given their respective local economic and political dynamics, notwithstanding political dynasties behind the seats of power.
The DILG national, regional and provincial offices should pool their best people, including tapping experts from the State Colleges and Universities (SUCs), Local Government Academy (LGA), Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and even the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), to come up with comprehensive, yet practical and doable framework and guiding modules to prepare LGUs for the great challenge of LED and institutionalizing participatory governance.
The DILG, especially its national leadership from key offices must leave no assumptions unaddressed in dealing with LGUs because the latter are not only a hodgepodge of conflicting local interests but are also driven by local ruling powers and dynasties which often make it difficult for nationally-driven reforms to take effect.
Nonetheless, it is timely and right for DILG to focus all itself in next 2-3 years in truly pushing LGUs to be lead mover in LED and participatory governance that transform lives and communities -- rather on anything that only weaken, divide and destroy families and communities through anti terrorism and witch hunting.
Time for DILG to redeem itself from the morass of long history trapo patronage and puppet politics and become the true center of good leadership and participatory governance that changes lives, transforms communities, and builds the nation.
I believe DILG has enough leaders and followers honed for this challenge. It is just a matter for them to be given a chance and seize opportunities to take active part in meeting the challenge. Kudos buddies!