Robredo to LGUs: Post transaction reports in public places

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo on Tuesday instructed all local government units (LGUs) to post their transaction reports in public places, local newspapers, or websites. At a press conference at the DILG office in Quezon City on Tuesday, Robredo and the heads of leagues of local government officials signed the "Circular on the Full Disclosure of Local Budget and Finances, and Bids and Public Offerings."

The DILG has crafted new features on its website to ensure transparency in the agency, as well as to make feedback gathering from the public more efficient.

The circular complies with the provisions under the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 and Republic Act (RA) 9184. Section 354 of the LGC requires the monthly posting of an LGU's revenues and collections, while RA 9184 requires LGUs to make public all bids, notices of awards, and other procurements. Robredo admitted that making LGUs more transparent would be a difficult task. However, he said he just wanted to implement at a national level what he had long been practicing in his home city of Naga, where he served as mayor before becoming the DILG chief. "We need to set standards that are difficult because that's the only way to keep the government on its toes," Robredo said. Robredo recounted that as the Naga City mayor, he also shortened the period for approving building permits, from 15 days to only three days. He said he hoped that the DILG's program for transparency and honesty in governance would set an example not only for other government agencies, but also for the public. "Ang mahusay na pamahalaan ay sinusundan ng mahusay na nasasakupan. "We get the kind of officials we deserve and we elect in office. This [order] is one step to make them more accountable," the DILG chief said. Like Robredo, Transparency and Accountability Network head Vince Lazatin, who partnered with the DILG in its program, shared Robredo's sentiments. "We urge other agencies to follow the example of full public disclosure," said Lazatin, who were among the non-government organization representatives who showed support for the DILG program. Those who witnessed the signing of the new DILG circular and the manifesto of support for it were leaders from the League of Province of the Philippines, League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, and the League of Vice-Governors of the Philippines. Voluntary Robredo admitted that LGUs were not required to strictly observe the DILG circular on public disclosures, saying it was only "voluntary" for now. "But we will have a mechanism [to check which LGUs are complying]. Magkakaroon kami ng programa para ma-define namin ang qualifications," he said. For now, Robredo said they would first observe how the circular would affect LGU operations for about "a month or a month and a half" before possibly making it mandatory. "If you do not participate in the full disclosure [policy], hindi ka na rin kasali sa ibang programa ng DILG. Hindi puwedeng hindi ka kabahagi sa hirap, pero kabahagi ka sa ginhawa," he said. Ever since he assumed office at the DILG, Robredo said he has always made it a point to have department circulars posted on their website a week before the actual signing, giving the public time to send feedback on them. "We want everything we do to be a two-way process. We don't impose anything to anyone," he said. Public Assistance Center Robredo promised to make public the salaries of all chiefs of police by early September as part of the DILG's transparency program. This will be done either through LGU websites or through public announcements. Through its Public Assistance Center, a new feature on its reconstructed website, the DILG has not only started allowing the public to send comments and complaints to the agency, but has also devised a way to track the progress of the resolution of the complaints. He said complainants would be assigned cellphone numbers from where they could follow up whether their complaints have already been resolved. "We don't want to just receive complaints and that's it. We want to close the loop by resolving it in any way possible," Robredo said. The DILG has also set up a text hotline where people can send in their complaints, by texting "DILG " and sending it to 2256. Robredo said the resolution of the complaints they receive would depend on their gravity, adding that "simple" complaints could be resolved in just one day. –VVP, GMANews.TV