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DILG orders LGUs: Make local governance more inclusive, transparent, accountable

Philippines | National

DILG orders LGUs: Make local governance more inclusive, transparent, accountable

By Chito Chavez

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) directed local government units (LGUs) nationwide to enforce good governance principles in a bid to strengthen transparency, accountability, and citizen participation.

In compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the DILG issued Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2025-065 which instructs LGUs to embed open government principles in their local policies and programs.

“These include adopting anti-corruption safeguards, ensuring budget transparency through accessible financial reporting, mainstreaming disaster resilience in development plans, and advancing digitalization to improve public service delivery," the DILG said.

To institutionalize open governance practices at the local level, the DILG urged LGUs to also foster inclusive partnerships and adopt participatory approaches in decision-making to create a more responsive and accountable local government system.

The DILG plays a key role in the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP), the national platform for promoting open governance, established under Executive Order No. 31, series of 2023.

At the 2025 OGP Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting, DILG Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla reaffirmed the department’s commitment to the OGP, encouraging LGUs to actively engage civil society, the academe, and the private sector in building stronger, more transparent institutions.

Currently, the DILG has trained over 24,000 civil society organizations (CSOs) for formal participation in local special bodies, designated 1,451 CSO desk officers in LGUs, and assisted in establishing 464 local people’s councils nationwide.

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