Francis N. Tolentino
Equally important in achieving local development is local legislation. Good governance cannot be realized without enabling legislation which empowers local leaders and ensures that policy decisions on the local level result from democratic procedures.
We make such statements as the Philippine Councilors League gathered for its 11th National Convention and election of officers. As partners of local chief executives in forging community growth and development, and as instruments for check and balance of power and autonomy, local councils are critical elements in determining participatory local administration. Elected by the people to safeguard and advance their welfare, local councils are thus duty bound to enact policies and regulations that reflect the will of the people, guarantee their rights and welfare, and promote solidarity, peace, justice, and development in the community.
On a similar note, local legislation plays a pivotal role in the work that we do as national legislators. Particularly important to this representation as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government is understanding the needs, issues, and concerns of local government units, most especially those in remote rural areas where health services, water and sanitation facilities, electrification, and education, among others, remain scarce if not in total absence. Our national issues are generalized statements of local problems, and hence, should be approached from a perspective that takes into account the realities present in local communities. Local legislation is a powerful tool for community building and upon which our work for nation building through effective national legislation will begin.
I challenge the members of the Philippine Councilors League to transcend the traditional work of local legislation and engage themselves in proactive law-making. Local sanggunians should not be confined to the creation of ordinances that merely comply with what national laws dictate. You are strategically positioned to determine the development path that your community will take, and how to advance along this line. As local leaders, you are the national government’s face in the local level, so to speak. This face should be the kind that reflects empathy, compassion, sincerity in public service, and the genuine desire to improve community life.