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Besides Mr. Bernhard Kaster, a member of the German parliament and Whip of the CDU/CSU parliamentary Group, the other guests were several prominent current and former officials of national and local government, officials of the academe, as well as members of non-governmental organizations.
By serving as an arena of exchange of the different experiences of the participants and of various studies of the academe,the event should determine the state of the progress of decentralization in the Philippines and the political work on the local level. Issues and deficits, as well as positive results evolved. Furthermore, the participants had the chance to exchange their opinions, visions, and ideas about models and project that could develop decentralization.
The event started on the 11th of February 2015 with a Welcome Dinner. The Vice-President of the Philippines, the Honorable Jejomar Binay gave an inspirational message that evening. The conference proper on the 12th February 2015 started in the morning and was divided into three sessions: “Review of the State of Decentralization,” “Moving Forward,”and “Impact of ASEAN Integration to Local Governance and Decentralization.” After every session, the participants had the opportunity to ask the resource persons questions or to offer their comments.
Summarizing the results of the conference, there is a strong need for further empowerment of the local government units, an appropriate share of the internal revenue allotment, self-governance of local agencies and a reformation in the field of education, health and environment. Political patronage is a problem in Philippines politics even in the local level. However, visions and the right way of leadership are critical for local governance as well. Further decentralization has to be the future of the Philippines to stay competitive on the international level.
In the evening, the conference ended with an inspirational message of from Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV and closing remarks from Austere Panadero, Undersecretary of Local Government of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Subsequently, all guests were invited to join the Concluding Dinner to further discuss the results of the conference and to celebrate the 26th anniversary of KAS and LOGODEF, as well as the success of the conference proper.
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