“The Local Government Code provides the local government units the responsibility of providing projects and programs for the Filipino people. We are at the frontlines of development. Over the years, we have shown that we, the LGUs, have the firm resolve and an ever-growing capacity to implement basic services for our communities,” said Governor Alfonso Umali, Jr., President of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), in one of the Regional Dialogues of the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” advocacy, organized by ULAP, the umbrella organization of all the leagues and elected officials in the country.
ULAP convened local government officials among its member leagues, particularly the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (LNB), League of Vice Governors of the Philippines (LVGP), Philippine Councilor’s League (PCL) and National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL) for the Regional Dialogues of the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” advocacy in regions MIMAROPA, Central Visayas and the newly formed Negros Region, CARAGA, Central Luzon, CAR and Ilocos Region.
#ParaSaBayan was launched on December 2, 2015 during the ULAP National Executive Board (NEB) meeting and has since conducted dialogues and consultation in the following regions: Puerto Prinsesa City on November 22, 2015 for MIMAROPA, Cebu City on December 11, 2015 for Central Visayas and Negros Regions, Butuan City on December 16, 2015 for CARAGA, Tarlac City on January 25, 2016 for Central Luzon, Baguio City on January 26, 2016 for CAR and Vigan City on January 28, 2016 for Ilocos.
The #ParaSaBayan advocacy, through gathering commitments of the local government officials, pushes for a set of key reforms that empower local governance actors – LGUs and civil society organizations alike – such as direct access and downloads to local government shares in national wealth, performance measurements and incentives, improved financing guidelines for basic services, and improvement of inclusive local government platforms. These key local reforms are informed by the spirit of devolution and decentralization of governance and development espoused in the Local Government Code of 1991, which would be celebrating 25 years of passage in October 2016.
“We will be celebrating the 25th anniversary [of the Code] and the conduct of the #ParaSaBayan regional dialogues is a good step towards bringing in the messages of unity as well as the message of collaboration as we also strengthen the capacities of the local governments. We believe that a strong local government unit will also be a foundation of a strong republic,” said Governor Edgardo Chatto of Bohol during the Regional Dialogues in Cebu.
ULAP developed the #ParaSaBayan advocacy to open spaces for consensus-building and collaboration among local governance champions. The gains of the advocacy will inform the continuing agenda of the local governments beyond the Code anniversary.
According to Governor Albert Garcia of Bataan during the Region 3 dialogue held in Tarlac on January 25, 2016, the local governments are the face of the whole government because they are more accessible to the people. There is a need to be more responsive to the growing needs of Filipino people, and both national and local governments must recognize policy reforms that strengthen the capacities of local governance actors.
The #ParaSaBayan advocacy is being conducted in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Philippine Open Government Partnership (OGP) Steering Committee, United Nation’s RePubliko advocacy, and Microsoft Philippines.
Sustainability and Institutionalization of Performance-based Incentive Programs
According to DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero, after the passage of the Code, the national government has provided capacity building and trainings to the local governments to provide guidance on how to perform their functions. In 2000s, it started to measure the capacities of the local governments by setting-up and creating performance indicators based on what is in the Code through the Local Government Performance Management System (LGPMS).
While in the 2010 up to today, further performance measurements were developed – such as the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH), which is the award for transparency and disclosure, and the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG), which is the upgraded, expanded version of the SGH which includes service delivery indicators. Moreover, these performance measurements are now tied to access to financing facilities, such as the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF), the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BuB), and the newly-started Konkreto at Ayos na Lansangan at Daan Tungo sa Pangkalahatang Kaunlaran (KALSADA) for provincial road maintenance and rehabilitation.
These said programs have provided incentives through downloading of funds to the local governments, who passed certain governance criteria such as transparency and accountability, for the implementation of projects and programs in their communities.
“What is good right now is that we are not looking at personality-based but policy-based, which means the (programs) are looking at our capacities and commitment to good governance. The partnership of the local governments and the national government looks at how to make the resources more felt at the grassroots level,” said Governor Garcia.
During the regional dialogue in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) on January 26, 2016, Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan said, “Local government units are feeling that they are being consulted and their needs are being met by the national government (through these performance-based incentive programs).”
Mayor Ronaldo Y. Corvera from the City of San Luis, Agusan del Sur also mentioned the importance of “giving the communities the opportunity to identify their needs and receive the corresponding programs/projects in line with these needs” during the CARAGA regional dialogue on December 16, 2015.
Moreover, Apayao Governor Elias Bulut, Jr. mentioned that they want these programs to be institutionalized in the future and hope that the next administration will continue these incentives for the local governments.
Atty. Edmund Abesamis, LNB National President and Secretary-General of ULAP, added that the national government and the next administration must not disregard the efforts of the local governments and the next set of elected officials must push for institutionalizing these programs.
As Mayor Lucilo Bayron from Puerto Princesa City mentioned during the MIMAROPA dialogue on November 22, 2015 “BuB is free from politics in a way. If you do not have the seal and are not qualified, you won’t get the money. If you cannot implement and liquidate, you won’t be downloaded more money. So it’s very performance based”.
As per Agusan Del Sur Governor Edward Adolph Plaza, “it is about time that the national government should acknowledge that local government units play an important part in helping for the progress and development of our country.”
Pursuing Meaningful Agenda for Local Governance Reforms
The regional dialogues also focus on other local governance reforms in strengthening the roles of the local governments in achieving development that will trickle down to the people. These reforms seek to further empower while uphold accountability among LGUs in their mandate of delivering services in the frontlines of the development agenda.
During the dialogue in Ilocos Region, Governor Ryan Singson of Ilocos Sur noted that current programs of the national government provides additional support and capacity for the local governments, however, systems reform must be introduced to speed up the processes of releasing local shares from the national wealth, particularly on excise taxes on tobacco and mining.
The local government officials also discuss the review of the Local Government Code, particularly on increasing the share of the local governments in Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and revisiting the computation and distribution, to address issues of inequity among the local governments.
Moreover, the local governments are seeking to improve health financing guidelines and co-sharing of expenditures between the national government and local governments to enhance local health systems. They are also keen on developing performance-based mechanisms for local education financing that will empower local governments to more effectively respond to local education needs. The same policy approach is pushed for reforms in the National Disaster Fund and People’s Survival Fund to allow local governments to be more responsive during natural disasters.
Lastly, to ensure that the programs and projects are more targeted and evidence-based, the local governments want the national government to develop an ICT Policy Framework to assist LGUs in financing and investing on ICT infrastructure and programs that will make local data more transparent and efficient. This will allow innovations in technologies that can open spaces for greater and wider participation of more sectors in the governance agenda.
The #ParaSaBayan advocacy will continue on with consensus-building and agenda-setting activities, such as policy workshops and dialogues with potential champions of the local government agenda both in the local and national levels.
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For further partnerships and details on the advocacy, please contact:
UNION OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES Secretariat
(c/o Czarina Medina-Guce, Executive Director)
Tel: (02) 5346787, 5346789 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), in partnership with Making All Voice Count (MAVC) and HIVOS, conducted the 1st of a series of 3 monitoring visits in Surigao del Norte, Abra and Cebu on December 14-17, 2015, January 20-23, 2016 and January 26-28, 2016. The monitoring visits aimed to (a) vet the BuB 911 hotline prototype that will be housed in the provincial government, (b) identify next steps to realize the prototype, and (c) strengthen buy-in from the provincial and municipal governments and CSOs.
The monitoring team, composed of Plans, Programs and Policy Manager Crystal Eunice T. Dela Cruz, Technical Officer Norbert Peter R. Indunan and Project Officer Irish O. Generoso, visited the municipalities of San Isidro and Malimono for Surigao Del Norte, San Isidro and Langiden for Abra and San Remigio for Cebu to conduct the prototype planning with municipal officers and CSO representatives. The team also took time to touch base with the BuB projects’ community beneficiaries. More so, the same planning meeting was also conducted with representatives from the provincial government in order to identify next steps in testing the prototypes.
Prototypes from the three projects are very distinct from one another. Surigao del Norte plans to create a BuB Office under the Office of the Provincial Engineer to provide a multi-platform (website, landline, mobile) monitoring and reporting mechanism between the CSOs, municipalities, provincial government and other BuB stakeholders. Abra, on the other hand, agreed to have representatives from different provincial offices to comprise the BuB 911 team for info-mediation. Abra is looking at mobile and radio as modes of communication given the lack of internet infrastructure in the province. Lastly, Cebu assigned PPDO to head the BuB 911 team with the assignment of 2 monitoring and evaluation documentation officers per NGA to handle on the ground monitoring, reporting and coordination work. They are looking at a multi-platform mode of communication for the BuB 911 hotline.

“The national government, especially the DILG and DBM, with the help of Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), have worked for the strengthening of the local governments through different programs such as BuB for cities and municipalities and KALSADA. And we, the LGUs, must do something to sustain these programs and it is within our hands to make these successful,” said Governor Alfonso Umali, Jr., ULAP President, during one of the Regional Dialogues of the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” advocacy, organized by ULAP, the umbrella organization of all the leagues and elected officials in the country.
The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) convened the governors and heads of the leagues for the Regional Dialogues of the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” advocacy in regions MIMAROPA, Central Visayas and the newly formed Negros Region, and CARAGA.
The #ParaSaBayan regional dialogues were conducted in the following cities: Puerto Prinsesa City on November 22 for MIMAROPA, Cebu City on December 11 for Central Visayas and Negros Regions, and Butuan City on December 16 for CARAGA.
Provincial Governors, and heads representing League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and the Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB) gathered and attended the dialogue for the policy and program advocacies that draws national and local action towards realizing the principles of the Local Government Code.
The Code, passed in 1991, provided for local government autonomy, decentralization, meaningful devolution, and empowerment of local governments and their communities. In preparation for the 25th year anniversary of the Code in 2016, ULAP developed the #ParaSaBayan advocacy to open spaces for consensus-building and collaboration among local governance champions.
Present during the MIMAROPA Regional Dialogue are:
• Governor Mario Gene J. Mendiola of Occidental Mindoro
• Governor and ULAP President Alfonso Umali, Jr. of Oriental Mindoro
• Governor Eduardo Firmalo of Romblon
• Acting Governor Romulo Bacorro of Marinduque
• Mayor Lucilo Bayron of Puerto Princesa City
• OIC James Fadrilan of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IV-B, and
• Atty. Jefrie Sahagun, representative of Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez.
For Central Visayas and Negros Regions, present during the dialogue are:
• Governor Alfonso Umali Jr. of Oriental Mindoro – President of ULAP
• Governor Edgar Chatto of Bohol
• Governor Ruel Degamo of Negros Oriental
• Governor Zaldy Villa of Siquijor
• Mayor Mei Ling Quezon – LMP Siquijor, Siquijor
• Mayor Dean Villa – LMP Larena, Siquijor
• Mayor Bentham Dela Cruz – LMP President of Negros Oriental
• Board Member Romulo Cepedoza – LNB President of Bohol
• Engr. Ernie Mapa (representing Governor Alfredo Maranon, Jr. of Negros Occidental) and,
• Mr. Benigno Christopher Lucero (representing Governor Hilario Davide III of Cebu)
Also present are Assistant Secretary Maxine Tanya Hamada and Director for Meaningful Devolution Karen Villanueva of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 7.
Meanwhile, present during the CARAGA Regional Dialogue are:
• Gov. Edward Adolf Plaza of Agusan del Sur
• Councilor Kirk Asis - ULAP Assistant Secretary General and President of National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL)
• Czarina Medina-Guce – ULAP Executive Director
• Mayor Enrico Corvera of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte
• BM Benjamin Lim - LNB President of Agusan del Norte
• Regional Director Lilibeth Famacion of DILG CARAGA
• PPDC Merlinda Baure of Surigao del Sur (representing Governor Johnny Pimentel)
• Mr. CPDC Aprodecio Alba of Bislig City, Surigao del Sur (representing Mayor Librado Navarro) and,
• Asst. City Budget Officer Mila Busico of Butuan City (representing Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr.).
The #ParaSaBayan advocacy, through gathering commitments of the local government heads, pushes for the principle of performance measurements coupled with incentives and capacity-building; local fiscal reforms in key service delivery areas such as health, education, local economic development, and evidence-based policy making through technologies; and participatory governance.
The dialogue and consultation was followed by a ceremonial signing of the commitment to the #ParaSaBayan advocacy. The commitment, which is signed by the Governors and other participants, pushes for sustainable and institutionalized policies of the current administration on performance measurements and incentive system for local government units. Moreover, the local governments commit to conduct information dissemination of the advocacy down to their barangays, provide policy lobbying to the national government agencies and foster program partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector.
The dialogue is a series of consultations led by ULAP. The activities will cover all regions in the country, with the objective of translating the advocacy to commitments from the local governments, and response from national government agencies. The gains of the advocacy will be reported in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Local Government Code in October 2016.
The #ParaSaBayan dialogues is in partnership with Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Budget and Management, Philippine Open Government Partnership (OGP) Steering Committee, United Nation’s RePubliko programme, and Microsoft Philippines.

“Next year we will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Local Government Code and the launching of this dialogue is a good step towards bringing in the messages of unity, as well as the message of collaboration as we also strengthen the capacities of the local governments, in due time more programs and projects will be implemented in the local level,” said Bohol Governor Edgardo Chatto in the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” dialogue attended by governors and heads of the local government leagues from the regions of Central Visayas and the newly formed Negros Region.

The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), the umbrella organization of all the leagues and elected officials in the country, convened the local government heads, for the Regional Dialogues of the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” advocacy in Quest Hotel, Cebu City on December 11, 2015.

Provincial Governors, and heads representing League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and the Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB) gathered and attended the dialogue for the policy and program advocacies that draws national and local action towards realizing the principles of the Local Government Code.

The Code, passed in 1991, provided for local government autonomy, decentralization, meaningful devolution, and empowerment of local governments and their communities. In preparation for the 25th year anniversary of the Code in 2016, ULAP developed the #ParaSaBayan advocacy to open spaces for consensus-building and collaboration among local governance champions.

The #ParaSaBayan advocacy, through gathering commitments of the local government heads, pushes for the principle of performance measurements coupled with incentives and capacity-building; local fiscal reforms in key service delivery areas such as health, education, local economic development, and evidence-based policy making through technologies; and participatory governance.

Present during the dialogue are Governor Alfonso Umali Jr. of Oriental Mindoro – President of ULAP, Governor Edgar Chatto of Bohol, Governor Ruel Degamo of Negros Oriental, Governor Zaldy Villa of Siquijor, Mayor Mei Ling Quezon – LMP Siquijor, Siquijor, Mayor Dean Villa – LMP Larena, Siquijor, Mayor Bentham Dela Cruz – LMP President of Negros Oriental, Board Member Romulo Cepedoza – LNB President of Bohol, Engr. Ernie Mapa (representing Governor Alfredo Maranon, Jr. of Negros Occidental) and Mr. Benigno Christopher Lucero (representing Governor Hilario Davide III of Cebu).

Also present are ULAP Executive Director Czarina Medina-Guce, Assistant Secretary Maxine Tanya Hamada and Director for Meaningful Devolution Karen Villanueva of Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 7 and Mr. George Parilla, Public Sector Lead of Microsoft Philippines.

The dialogue and consultation was followed by a ceremonial signing of the commitment to the #ParaSaBayan advocacy. The commitment, which is signed by the Governors and other participants, pushes for sustainable and institutionalized policies of the current administration on performance measurements and incentive system for local government units. Moreover, the local governments commit to conduct information dissemination of the advocacy down to their barangays, provide policy lobbying to the national government agencies and foster program partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector.
Governor Umali thanked all the Governors, Mayors and Barangay Captains who attended the said dialogue and reiterated that the support and commitment from the local governments must be done to achieve the goal of the advocacy.

Mayor Villa also thanked ULAP for conducting the #ParaSaBayan dialogue. “We would like to thank ULAP for really pushing for a meaning devolution. Without ULAP, the local governments will do not have a voice, so definitely all the stakeholders will be supporting and committed to come up with this meaningful devolution, “said Mayor Villa. (translated from Bisaya)

Lastly, Governor Chatto recognized the efforts of the current administration and all the players, especially in the national level, for capacitating the local governments.

The dialogue is the second of a series of consultations led by ULAP. The activities will cover all regions in the country, with the objective of translating the advocacy to commitments from the local governments, and response from national government agencies. The gains of the advocacy will be reported in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Local Government Code in October 2016.

For more information and further details about the advocacy, please contact:

UNION OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES c/o Executive Director Czarina Medina- Guce
Unit 2803 Summit One Tower, 530 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City
Tel: (02)718-1812, 717-1810, 534-6787
Fax: (02)534-6789
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ulap.org.ph
Website: www.ulap.net.ph

“If the barangays are doing okay, there is no reason that the municipalities and cities will be okay. If the municipalities and cities are okay, definitely the provincial governments will be okay. We have 81 provinces right now, and I think at least 70 provinces are doing okay, definitely the national government will be okay. It is about time that the national government should acknowledge that local government units play an important part in helping for the progress and development of our country,” said Agusan Del Sur Governor Edward Adolph Plaza in the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” dialogue attended by governors and heads of the local government leagues from the CARAGA region.
The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), the umbrella organization of all the leagues and elected officials in the country, convened the governors and heads of the leagues in CARAGA Region, for the Regional Dialogues of the “#ParaSaBayan: Pagtataguyod ng Makabuluhang Adhikain ng Pamamahalang Lokal” advocacy in Almont Inland Resort, Butuan City on December 16, 2015.
Provincial Governors, and heads representing League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and the Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB) gathered and attended the dialogue for the policy and program advocacies that draws national and local action towards realizing the principles of the Local Government Code.
The Code, passed in 1991, provided for local government autonomy, decentralization, meaningful devolution, and empowerment of local governments and their communities. In preparation for the 25th year anniversary of the Code in 2016, ULAP developed the #ParaSaBayan advocacy to open spaces for consensus-building and collaboration among local governance champions.
The #ParaSaBayan advocacy, through gathering commitments of the local government heads, pushes for the principle of performance measurements coupled with incentives and capacity-building; local fiscal reforms in key service delivery areas such as health, education, local economic development, and evidence-based policy making through technologies; and participatory governance.
Present during the dialogue are Gov. Edward Adolf Plaza of Agusan del Sur, Councilor Kirk Asis - ULAP Assistant Secretary General and President of National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL), Czarina Medina-Guce – ULAP Executive Director, Mayor Enrico Corvera of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, BM Benjamin Lim - LNB President of Agusan del Norte, Regional Director Lilibeth Famacion of DILG CARAGA, PPDC Merlinda Baure of Surigao del Sur (representing Governor Johnny Pimentel), Mr. CPDC Aprodecio Alba of Bislig City, Surigao del Sur (representing Mayor Librado Navarro) and Asst. City Budget Officer Mila Busico of Butuan City (representing Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr.).
The dialogue and consultation was followed by a ceremonial signing of the commitment to the #ParaSaBayan advocacy. The commitment, which is signed by the Governors and other participants, pushes for sustainable and institutionalized policies of the current administration on performance measurements and incentive system for local government units. Moreover, the local governments commit to conduct information dissemination of the advocacy down to their barangays, provide policy lobbying to the national government agencies and foster program partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector.
During the press conference, Councilor Asis recognized the active role of the leagues, especially ULAP, and the local government units to conduct dialogues and consultations that will make sure that the voices of the LGUs will be heard, and the issues and concerns will be addressed. DILG Regional Director Famacion also expressed here support to ULAP in concretizing and giving meaning to the decentralization and devolution, after the 25 years of passage of the Code, from barangays to provinces. “This is the idea of the inclusive growth that we are advocating that even barangays, the smallest political unit of our country, will be also participating on this,” said Regional Director Famacion.
Mayor Corvera also said that the dialogue is a good avenue for the LGUs to help them deliver all the needs of their constituents and the communities. “We should give them what is the right program that they really need. And ULAP empowers us to have the right policies to help us with our duty of responding to these needs,” said Mayor Corvera.
The dialogue is the third of a series of consultations led by ULAP. The activities will cover all regions in the country, with the objective of translating the advocacy to commitments from the local governments, and response from national government agencies. The gains of the advocacy will be reported in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Local Government Code in October 2016.
For more information and further details about the advocacy, please contact:
UNION OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES
c/o Executive Director Czarina Medina- Guce
Unit 2803 Summit One Tower, 530 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City
Tel: (02)718-1812, 717-1810, 534-6787
Fax: (02)534-6789
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ulap.net.ph
Website: www.ulap.net.ph