Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc.

Kaangayan, Kalambuan, Kalinaw ... sa Mindanaw, sa Pilipinas, sa Kalibutan

19th Anniversary Celebration of the Local Government Code of 1991
Strengthening Local Autonomy through Transparent, Accountable Governance and Peacebuilding
Posted 7 October 2010

In partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the 5 regions of Mindanao, Balay Mindanaw Group, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and other civil society organizations celebrate the 19th anniversary of the Local Government Code of 1991 on October 8, 2010 at Pryce Plaza, Cagayan de Oro City.

With the theme, “Strengthening Local Autonomy through Transparent, Accountable Governance and Peacebuilding,” the celebration highlights the launching of the Regional Peace and Order Council led by DILG Region 10 and an afternoon forum among local chief executives and stakeholders of local governance and development from Regions 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, together with DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo.

The forum showcases various initiatives of the different regions that work effectively and at best in the local level, namely, the Solid Waste Management Program of Region 10, Patrol 911 and Tax Reform Program of Region 11, Inter-local Cooperation of Region 12 and Micro-Finance Project of Region 13 or CARAGA, among others.

The celebration also starts the 365-day countdown to the 20th Anniversary of LGC -- October 10, 2011.

The Local Government Code of 1991 was enacted as Republic Act 7160 by the Philippine Congress in October 10, 1991. It embraces the principles of a “more responsive and accountable local government structure through a system of decentralization with effective mechanisms” where the local chief executives are key in its implementation.

Balay Mindanaw sees the code to enhance the role of private sectors in governance, thus it encourages the active participation of people’s organizations in local development councils to ensure that genuine peacebuilding and sustainable development will be provided for the people.

Since 1996, Balay Mindanaw has been promoting the Code and the avenues of local participation through the Local Governance Seminar (LGS) it provides to local leaders, especially at the barangay level. With the aim of developing capacities of council leaders and members on planning, resource accessing, project implementation, monitoring and project evaluations, LGS is coupled with the conduct of Local Peace and Development Planning and Budgeting (LPDPB) through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). This complete package of capacity building for local government units, especially at the barangay, helps produce a comprehensive barangay peace and development plan and budget.