The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has been supportive of the decentralization efforts of the Government of the Philippines since the promulgation of the Local Government Code (LGC) or Republic Act. No.7160. In response to the Philippine government’s policies on devolution, the Philippines-Canada Local Government Support Program (LGSP) was conceived on October 11, 1991 with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the governments of Philippines and of Canada thus, making LGSP a key contributor to the critical work on local governance.
LGSP is grounded in CIDA’s Country Development Policy Framework (CDPF). This framework was developed through extensive consultation with Filipino government and non-government partners and outlines the framework for Canada’s assistance to the Philippines. LGSP directly addresses the objectives of the CDPF, which entails promoting efficient, responsible, transparent and accountable governance at all levels in targeted regions in the Philippines.
LGSP Phase I (1991-1998)
Recognizing that some regions did not benefit from much donor assistance, CIDA decided to bring LGSP Phase I initially to Region VI (Western Visayas) and to two regions in Mindanao (Region XI: Southern Mindanao and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or ARMM). In 1996, Regions X (Northern Mindanao) and XIII (Caraga) were added to the coverage of LGSP and in 1997, Region IX (Western Mindanao) and Region XII (Central Mindanao) became part of the program. At the end of 1999, LGSP Phase I had served a total of 315 LGUs consisting of 28 provinces, 24 cities and 263 municipalities.
In August 1997, an end-of-project review and planning mission concluded that LGSP I has been a significant player in the Philippine’s decentralization efforts and recommended continued funding for a second phase of the program to target the LGUs, covering the same regions, and expanding the capacity development activities to include local resource partners (LRP’s) and civil society organizations (CSOs).
LGSP Phase II
In August 1999, LGSP Phase II began through a contract issued by CIDA to the Canadian Executing Agency, Agriteam Canada, to manage and implement the program. The goal of LGSP Phase II is to assist the government of the Philippines in realizing its objectives of equitable growth and poverty reduction through more effective local governance with enhanced multi-stakeholder participation. LGSP aims to develop capacities for effective local governance through a four-by-four-by-four framework. Specifically, the purpose of the program is to strengthen the effectiveness of local governance in four key outcome areas: local government management, service delivery, resource generation and management, and participatory governance. In recognition of the barriers to sustainable development caused by impoverishment, war and violence, discrimination, and environmental degradation, the program has identified four crosscutting themes namely: poverty reduction, peace and unity, gender equality, and environmental soundness. LGSP views the capacity building process in four stages: consensus building, capacity development, application and institutionalization.
LGSP currently establishes a variety of partnerships as part of its implementation strategy. Through its national and seven regional offices, it works with LGUs and civil society organizations to help them identify their capacity development needs, implement capacity development programs, apply new skills and systems, and institutionalize improvements. Progress will be monitored and results tracked at each stage to determine the level and type of LGSP support required. LGSP also works with Local Resource Partners to provide the technical assistance required throughout the various stages of capacity development.
Capacity development activities and projects are LGU-driven and based on the needs of individual LGUs and CSOs, as well as on the development priorities of the respective municipality, province and region. LGSP supports LGUs to form alliances to address common development concerns; helps LGUs to link with community groups, the private sector, the academe, national government agencies and international organizations for mutual benefit; and assists LGUs to mobilize and leverage resources to implement their own development plans.
Exemplary practices will be identified from varied sources in each key outcome area for possible dissemination and replication. An important part of sustainability is sharing lessons learned and exemplary practices that may be replicated in other communities in the Philippines. LGSP, in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and other Philippine partners, is developing a dissemination and replication strategy, which details the most effective method of dissemination and will plan a number of pilot dissemination activities within the Philippine context.
A National Program Steering Committee (NPSC) oversees the program and provides strategic direction and policy guidance. It is made up of representatives of the government of the Philippines (DILG, NEDA), the government of Canada (CIDA), civil society organizations (CSO) and is chaired by the DILG representative. In each region, a Regional Program Steering Committee (RPSC) has been formed to ensure that the LGSP activities support regional development plans and priorities. Each RPSC is made up of representatives of DILG, NEDA, CSOs, CIDA and the NPMO with the DILG representative as Chair.
LGSP II is a PHP 1.0 B, four-year program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in partnership with the NEDA and DILG.