With President Duterte himself pushing for a shift to a federal form of government, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is enjoining local government units (LGUs) to enrich the discourse on federalism at the grassroots level as the country celebrates the Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) this September.
Spearheaded by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), this year’s DPRM will focus on the theme, “Pagpapatibay ng Desentralisasyon Tungo sa Kaunlarang Panrehiyon” or “Strengthening Decentralization for Regional Development”.
In a directive, the DILG says that DPRM is one way by which LGUs can highlight the need for in-depth reflections and analyses on federalism and the bigger umbrella encompassing decentralization reforms.
For the whole month of September, LGUs are encouraged to take part in the celebration by prominently displaying the DPRM banner/streamer – both in English and Tagalog – within their office premises, feature various DPRM announcements and its theme in their respective publications, websites, social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.) and other dissemination outlets.
The month-long celebration that will be led by PIDS will focus on the importance of critical thinking and formulation of appropriate policy interventions to advance development in the regions.
PIDS will also be organizing a number of fora and other activities slated for the whole month of September which will be posted on the DPRM website, http://dprm.pids.gov.ph.
The month of September has been declared as DPRM pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 247 to promote and draw nationwide awareness on the importance of policy research in nation-building.
As the lead agency tasked to head the shift to federalism campaign, the DILG has been going around communities to bring the advocacy campaign down to the grassroots or barangay level for a deeper appreciation for the proposed new form of government.
Since jump starting the federalism campaign last June 2016, the DILG has partnered with various groups and sectors for a more intensified information drive nationwide.
Various fora and orientations are also organized as a form of promotional activity attended by local leaders such as local chief executives, barangay leaders, members of the academe, faith-based communities, business sectors and students, among others. | DILG-pr
