The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), together with one of the lead project partner, NEDA Region 4A, conducted a consultation with Gov. Rebecca Ynares of the Provincial Government of Rizal on February 12, 2015 for the implementation of Joint Migration and Development Initiative Phase 2 (SUMMID CALABARZON).
SUMMID Calabarzon aims to strengthen, upscale and mainstream migration and development in the local level through inclusive and sustainable programs that will minimize social cost and maximize gains of overseas migration. This project is funded by the European Union and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme.
ULAP's others partners in JMDI Phase 2 involve the following agencies and organizations: Committee on Migration and Development IV-A (CALABARZON) c/o National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Office IV-A as the main lead partner; and Atikha Overseas Workers and Communities Initiatives Inc, Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO), and Local Government Academy (LGA).

The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), together with its partner Atikha, Inc and the Provincial Government of Tarlac, conducted a Multistakeholders' Orientation in Tarlac Province on February 11, 2015 for the project “Scaling Up Initiatives in Mobilizing Migrant Resources towards Agricultural Development".
Representatives from offices of Tarlac Provincial Government, cooperatives, local colleges, and other sectors actively participated during the MSG orientation workshop.
Tarlac is one of the pilot sites of PINOY WISE (Worldwide Initiative on Investments, Savings, and Entrepreneurship) that ULAP implemented with Atikha in 2012. From 2015 onwards, the migration and development project will be scaled up with the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to concretely mainstream migration in local economic development.

The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, in partnership with Microsoft Philippines, in support of the other private sector and CSOs - National University of Singapore Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS LKYSPP), PLDT, Galing Pook Foundation, Open Data Philippines, Ayala Foundation, Access Health International-Philippines, Civika Foundation, 162 to 52 Coalition for Health and Department of Budget and Management will be having a forum, “Innovative Solutions on Open Government Partnerships ver. 2.0”, on 27 FEBRUARY 2015, Friday, Microsoft Office, 8th Floor, 6750 Office Tower, (Beside Makati Shangrila) Ayala Avenue, Makati City.
This invitation is open to all local government officials, particularly those who are championing Open Government Partnership and reform initiatives in their locality. We also encourage the LGUs to bring their technical staff – i.e., Chief of Staff, Administrative, Planning, and/or IT Officers – those whom we in ULAP and the invited partners can coordinate with to follow through with the partnerships that will be talked about during the networking event.
Participation in the networking forum is free of charge. Because there are limited slots for the event, please confirm your attendance before February 23, 2015, Monday, to the ULAP Secretariat. For submission of your confirmation and more information, you may contact ULAP Project Officer Miriam Padua (+63 92698-62-700) or at ULAP office at (02) 534-67-89 or 534-67-87.
Click the following link to view the Programme Brief: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxN0rGJPlWu3VUZzdkdsOFR2YzdzOXBmTlRDeGJDZ3pDSDlR/view

The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) met with Gov. Ramil Hernandez of the Provincial Government of Laguna to discuss various projects on migration and development, education, and land titling and property rights, on February 9, 2015.
Laguna is one of the pilot sites of PINOY WISE (Worldwide Initiative on Investments, Savings, and Entrepreneurship) that ULAP implemented with Atikha in 2012. From 2015 onwards, the migration and development project will be scaled up with the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to concretely mainstream migration in local economic development.
Laguna is also a target partner to implement K to 12 and last-mile projects of the Department of Education, and the implementation of the Residential Free Patent Act, which are projects supported by ULAP through its partnerships.

The 1st Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI) Country Report was launched last February 3, 2015 at the Sofitel Hotel, Manila. The PH-EITI report contains financial disclosures of 30 large-scale metallic mining companies and six (6) oil and gas companies for the year 2012, covering a total of Php 52.7 billion in revenue. This also includes the shares of 33 local government units from national wealth coming from extractive industries within their localities. Moreover, taxes, royalties, transportation fees, custom duties, mandatory social expenditures and environmental fees, government shares, and payment to local government units were also part of the report.
Governor Alfonso Umali, Jr., the President of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) gave a response to the report, representing the local government units. He congratulated the 15 provinces, 16 municipalities, 2 cities and 1 barangay that submitted to the audit and complied for the report. He encouraged the LGUs to strengthen their goal in attaining full fiscal transparency and reforms in governance of extractive industries. He also urged the “national government to work together to pursue the increase of the share of the local governments and speed up the transfer of the amounts allocated to the LGUs from the excise tax”.
EITI is a global standard ensuring transparency of revenues from natural resources. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative led by the government, industry and civil society representatives. It provides a platform to systematically report on, review, and assesses what is being paid by companies and received by governments through a system of bilateral disclosures.
EITI is one of the nine commitments of the Philippines in its commitments to Open Government Partnership 2013-2015 Action Plan. President Noynoy Aquino signed Executive Order 147 on November 26, 2013 creating the PH-EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), the governing body for EITI implementation in the country. A Technical Working Group (TWG) was also created to help the MSG in the implementation and completion of the report.
The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) is a member of both the MSG and TWG, representing the local government units.