MARAWI
CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 15 (PIA) --- More than 50 civil society
organizations (CSOs)) in this province gathered in a general assembly as
part of their commitment to promote good governance at the local level.
The
assembly held recently at the Provincial Capitol was aimed to tackle
Grassroots Participatory Budgeting (GPB), its rationale, and process.
GPB
is one of the mechanisms of the government in realizing transparency
and accountability. It seeks to make the national budget more responsive
to local needs, strengthen the devolution of basic services delivery,
and create a conducive environment for people’s participation in the
budgeting process.
Assistant Secretary Maxine Tanya Hamada
of the Department of Budget and Management said “the Government highly
recognizes the meaningful participation of the community in making the
GPB funds less prone to abuse and corruption.”
Director
Jesusa Rebete of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), on the
other hand, said that “the ultimate goal is to bring genuine equity,
development and empowerment to the poor households and communities to
make growth more inclusive and transparent.”
For his part,
Assistant Secretary Amenodin Cali, Lanao Focal Person for Convergence,
said that “the 1987 Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to
participate in governance.”
He thus encourages all the
CSOs to actively join in local development councils and other special
bodies from the barangay level to the provincial level.
The
general assembly included workshop and plenary sessions to identify
issues and concerns in the implementation of the BuB in Lanao del Sur.
The
results will then be raised to the local governments to formulate
concrete solutions these concerns. (JNY/PIA-10)
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