Enhancing local governance (1)

Cotabato City—Here in the heart of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), several local government units are providing good governance templates for replication in other local government units (LGUs) in the region and perhaps outside of it through innovative practices that enhance local governance functions, bringing government closer to their respective constituencies. This is the program on LGU Grant Assistance for Innovative Practices (LGAIP) that was conceptualized at the inception of the new regional government. To recall, the creation of the BARMM was the main outcome of the peace process between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine government after the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

Under the LGAIP program, 10 small municipalities presented documentation on their innovative practices that awarded them a package of incentives, starting with a cash prize of P2.5 million plus citations and other tokens acknowledging local “best innovative practices” that made them stand out from among hundreds of LGUs in the region.

To help promote and publicize this regional initiative, the Support to Bangsamoro Transition (Subatra) program, through a grant from the European Union and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID), funded the documentation of the innovative practices in 10 municipalities in three provinces—Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, and Lanao del Sur. These municipalities include Buadiposo Buntong, Taraka, Pagayawan, and Wao in Lanao del Sur; Paglat, and Datu Abdullah Sangki in Maguindanao del Sur; and Buldon, Parang, Upi, and Sultan Mastura, all in Maguindanao del Norte. The 10 municipal government awardees implemented their innovative governance practices from 2020 to 2023.

Among others, these LGUs managed to promote close relationships between local chief executives, their functionaries, and their respective constituencies by not only making their presence felt in the barangays but more importantly, by instilling the values of people participation in local governance. This is supposed to be the essence of governance, but sadly is absent in many LGUs, not only in the fledgling BARMM but in other parts of the Philippines where constituents only feel the government’s presence during elections. This is when candidates for local government positions become literal beggars for the votes of their constituents. Unfortunately, this begging mode is changed drastically into an imperious mode when the erstwhile “beggars” are elected and are bent on preserving their positions at all costs. This has become a regular feature of Philippine elections, both local and national.

The compendium of Bangsamoro LGU Best Practices was presented yesterday in a meeting at the office of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) at the Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City. It was attended by the top officials of MILG who conceptualized and implemented this initiative in 2020, and by members of Subatra’s Technical Assistance Team on Public Administration Reforms.

One of the LGU innovative practices included in the compendium is the cost-effective alternative for settling communal conflicts popularly known as “rido,” (loosely translated as clan conflicts), like the Serbisyong may Puso para sa Pangkapayapaan Program of the Buadiposo Buntong, Lanao del Sur. For more than four decades, violent communal conflicts have wreaked havoc in the lives of Lanao del Sur communities, particularly in Buadiposo Buntong. In the past, rido cases were resolved through expensive mediation practices of giving “blood money” from the families of the perpetrator. This can be costly and ranges from a hundred thousand pesos to millions depending on the socioeconomic status of the victims. This local initiative broke the traditional, costly, and ineffective conflict mediation approach by organizing an expanded conciliation team to include traditional and religious leaders, as well as heads of barangay-based institutions and influential members of the local government. Through this expanded and more inclusive team of mediators, the municipal program promoted an organized, efficient, and effective method of resolving rido and other disputes among the communities in the municipality. Blood money was then removed from the options for resolving conflicts, and instead, both parties were enticed to jointly come up with a community “kanduli” (thanksgiving feast) to conclude the conflict mediation process.

(To be concluded next week.)

Comments to [email protected]