QUEZON CITY -- The results matrices (RMs) being used to monitor the contributions of local government units (LGUs) in achieving the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017–2022 and the Sustainable Development Goals are effective and “well-received” by local officials.
 
This was according to Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Research Fellow Charlotte Justine Diokno-Sicat at a recent webinar that featured a paper she coauthored with PIDS Research Analysts Angel Faye Castillo and Ricxie Maddawin.
 
Under Executive Order 27 Series of 2017, all government agencies and instrumentalities, including LGUs, are mandated to implement the PDP and the Public Investment Program for 2017-2022.  The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Economic and Development Authority oversee the government's PDP localization efforts. 
 
To ensure that local development plans are aligned with the PDP, the national government developed the results matrices. These are used in provinces and the National Capital Region (NCR) to show how LGUs contribute to national development, monitor their progress, and inform oversight agencies of their priorities and needs.
 
The study assessed the effectiveness of the RMs in the government's localization efforts. It also examined how government efforts fared in ensuring that plans in the provincial and NCR levels stay aligned with national development goals.

“As national government agencies [prepare] for strengthened devolution and oversight with the Mandanas ruling, this study can contribute to these efforts,” Diokno-Sicat said.
 
The results showed high compliance among LGUs, with 97.4 percent for provinces and 94.1 percent for NCR.
 
It also revealed that different provinces, and consequently, regions, have different priority areas.
 
For instance, Region 1’s top priority is human capital development, while Region 10 focuses on vulnerable individuals and families. Both regions identified agriculture and fisheries as their top 3 priority.
 
Overall, the study found that most key respondents from the DILG and LGUs believe in the relevance of the matrices and their usefulness in identifying priority areas for investment and in monitoring and evaluating progress.
 
However, several respondents from the LGUs said their limited human resource is a major concern in the conduct of the localization exercise. Another issue they identified is the lack of technical capacity to take on this “additional task”.
 
Moving forward, Diokno-Sicat urged the national government to institutionalize the drafting of RMs with the local development planning process.
 
“The RMs could show areas [where] technical [or] capacity building and budgetary support could be given to local governments. [However,] there is a need to ensure the correct completion of the RMs to have correct assessments,” Diokno-Sicat explained.
 
Diokno-Sicat also said that it is important to create an information system to easily monitor the progress of LGUs in the localization of the PDP and other national development goals. She added that there are ongoing efforts to implement an electronic local development investment program system where data will be inputted and summarized. (PIDS)