Baguio on joining ‘open government partnership’

   EDITORIAL

Since the Baguio City government signified it is willing to be among models of Philippine Open Government Partnership in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Executive Order No. 31 on June 20, 2023 institutionalizing co-creation of collaborative solutions to public problems, it could now start to be a model and address issues by involving the citizenry in monitoring projects, addressing rampant illegal gambling, among others.     
    The Dept. of Interior and Local Government, Dept. of Budget and Management and the Philippine Information Agency launched the OG Pinas last Tuesday in Baguio clustering participants from government, academe, civil society organizations and other groups from Regions I, II, III and CAR.
    The PIA reported that OGP seeks to raise awareness about PH-OGP, especially at the local level. It seeks to provide avenues and more channels of communication for government-civil society partnerships and strengthen public participation in policy-making and governance in the country.
    Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said his administration has always been supportive of inclusive and sustainable development, thus encouraging youth groups and civil society organizations in committees and decision-making bodies of the city as part of his Good Governance campaign.
    He said utilization of social media platforms in information dissemination has also been a catalyst in the city government’s transparency of projects and plans therefore boosts citizen participation.
    According to Magalong, his administration's seven-point development agenda is also in line with OGP's direction to promote integrity, accountability and social innovation, enabled by the use of new technologies.
    Being an OGP model provides LGUs verifiable means of reform credentials with incentivized training in the development of local action plans that address local and national issues.
OGP has been launched simultaneously in other parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
    It was formed by 76 countries, 104 local governments and more than 3000 civil society organizations since 2011 aimed at developing and implementing concrete commitments to advance open government.