Details

The launching of the guidepost authored by Dr. Sosmeña proved to be serendipitous as affirmed by the keynote speaker former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimintel, Jr., especially in the light of the recently concluded May 2010 elections in the Philippines. The intimate affair was attended by local government federations, members of the academe, international foundations, media practitioner, officers and members of the Centrist Democratic Movement – Manila (CDM Manila).

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Peter Koeppinger underscored the significance of good governance being local governance. After winning an election, the more important task of governing begins. It is at this crucial juncture where the local official is put to task as he or she faces innumerable challenges during his or her administration. The book establishes guideposts for local officials to meet these challenges head on.

Former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. affirmed the necessity for the book not only for the Philippines but also for other Southeast Asian countries and other developing nations. Agreeing with the author’s emphasis on the need for public accountability, Sen. Pimentel furthered the analysis by highlighting the role of an empowered citizenry in exacting accountability from local officials, securing the delivery of basic services, and persistently fighting corruption. He further praised the book’s effort at elaborating on concrete and practical performance measures that local government units can adopt in order to assess the quality of service that they deliver.

Dr. Sosmeña expressed his gratitude for the warm reception of his book. He explained that the book seeks to aid local chief executives and other local government personnel in effectively governing their respective local government units and at the same time promote the principles of good governance. Written as a guidepost, he sees the book as a guide for newly elected local officials on one hand and a take-off point for veteran local administrators for further enrichment on the other hand.

Mr. Roderico Dumaug, Jr., Chairperson of the LAMBIGIT – Centrist Democratic Movement of Northern Mindanao, expressed his praises for the book of Dr. Sosmeña. Mr. Dumaug shared his experiences as a barangay (smallest political unit of local governance structure that is nearest to the people) captain and a local councilor in his municipality in Iligan City in Mindanao (Southern Philippines). He laments that even though his municipality is bustling with commercial activity, his constituents do not benefit from the revenue generated because the taxes collected are highly centralized. On this score, he praised the book for clearly outlining the operationalization of the principle of subsidiarity and the empowerment of the people. As chairperson of LAMBIGIT (local dialect Cebuano meaning “to be actively involved”), he is heeding the challenge posed by the book on calling for active participation from the citizens. Through the Centrist Democratic Movement (CDM), such empowerment and active involvement by the citizens in local governance can easily become a reality.