By Florence Santos and Melissa Alexandra Pal
The municipalities of La Libertad, Sibulan and Dauin, attended a two-day course on financing, localizing, and monitoring Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in barangay Mangnao, Dumaguete City, last week.
The three municipalities have been selected by the European Union as champions in the implementation of MDGs.
“The local government officials and the civil society groups of these municipalities are working together and the EU has found this a useful experience and hopefully, we can replicate this to other municipalities,” said Prof. Leonor Briones of Social Watch Philippines, who was also national treasurer during the Estrada presidency.
According to Prof. Carlos Magtolis, Social Watch Visayas representative, La Libertad has generated jobs and revenues to the municipality; Sibulan relies on its own economic programs; and Dauin has been given the Galing Pook Award for their coastal resource management program.
Magtolis said these municipalities are focusing on the goals of poverty, health, education and environment.
“We commend them for their willingness to cooperate and support this project. Hopefully, they will show ways to other municipalities in achieving MDGs,” Magtolis added.
Briones added that Negros Oriental is ranked 21st among poor provinces in terms of income. “We would like to show that even the so-called ‘poor province’ can take care of its own people.”
Meanwhile, Deputy House Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III, main guest at the EU-sponsored activity, explained his proposed House Bill 219 which mandates the budget process to be open to society organizations in the LGUs and national government.
This bill, he said, is in relation to Article 13, Section 16 of the Constitution, which recognizes the rights of people and organizations to effective participation at all levels of social, political and economic decision-making.
The workshop is under the project Cementing Pathways to Financing MDGs implemented by Social Watch Philippines and the Legal Policy Institute funded by Europe and the UN MDG Achievement Fund.
