Robredo to tap private sector, NGOs for DILG projects

Heeding President Benigno Aquino III’s call for more public-private partnerships, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said on Wednesday that he will give priority to tapping the help of the private sector and non-government organizations for his department’s projects. Robredo said that he will come up with a scheme to “institutionalize" partnerships among local government units, civil society groups and the private sector for local development projects during his term. “We should continuously harness the role that the people and the different sectors can play in governance," he said in a speech at a conference in Makati City on Wednesday. He also cited his experience as mayor in Naga City, where he established a People’s Council to tap the involvement of civil society and private groups. Robredo, a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for Government Service, added that leadership should be a “shared responsibility" of all sectors and not just the government. During his first State of the Nation Address last Monday, President Aquino called for more harmony between the private and the public sector to attract more investments for economic growth. (See: Aquino underscores private, public sector harmony in SONA) In the same speech, Aquino also encouraged local government units to find ways to lessen bureaucratic red tape in their respective offices.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV