DESPITE conflicting opinions on various issues, the government forged a partnership with the church for transparency and good governance.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, Risa Hontiveros, City Mayor Oscar Moreno, and Archbishop Antonio Ledesma together with the other government officials signed a Memorandum of Agreement at a hotel here on October 11 to support the "Ugnayan ng Barangay at Simbahan" (Ubas) implementation in the city.
The late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo and Bishop Antonio Tobias initiated this transparency and good governance campaign in January 2011.
This partnership between barangays and parishes had been done to encourage active community participation among residents to be watchdogs for good governance.
“Ubas is intended for you and the citizens, you are going to be the watchdog to make sure that the projects in this folder are being implemented properly,” Roxas said, while requesting Moreno to show the folder that contains the scheduled projects, and each respective funding.
During the press conference, Roxas urged the public to check on the projects and services of the city and province, and also, to monitor compliance with anti-corruption measures in the implementation of projects and delivery of basic services.
The projects that the communities should watch out for are Lumbia to Pagalungan road project, food terminal, school repairs, and sustainable programs for People with Disabilities, and among others all from the Grassroots Participatory Budget of DILG.
Roxas is confident the program will be sustained.
Archbishop Ledesma, on behalf of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and one of the key speakers during the Ubas launching, shared his reflection on the said project.
“Ubas in the biblical context is a vineyard where the Lord has tasked us to take care of as his stewards. For a vineyard to succeed, its stewards must be honest and hardworking because we are tasked to make this fruitful. I am glad of this forged partnership between the church and the state because it has been proven in this city that the joint forces of the government and the religious groups showed positive results. We have seen it in every calamity that struck the city, Sendong, Yolanda. We have worked together to make this city better and we can do it again,” Ledesma said.
Inspired to continue Robredo’s legacy, Ubas stands as a symbol of community participation of strategic collaboration between government, church and barangays to initiate meaningful change, as one, toward an inclusive and prosperous Philippines.