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We may or may not notice it but a paradigm shift in governance is continuously taking place in various communities, in different countries. The Philippines is one of the countries experiencing spirited transition propelled by an idea called participatory governance. Though some progress is limited in scope, there is no denying that the practice of participatory governance is steadily yielding positive results. Success stories of several local communities (Naga City is one example) have been recorded and can be readily validated to support this claim.
But what is participatory governance? Basically, it is meaningful citizen participation in governance. It implies that citizens are able to sufficiently participate in the processes by which they can influence and take ample control of the resources and decisions that directly affect them and the community as a whole. The rationale behind is it is the people themselves who know what is best for them. This idea has been slowly but consistently refined over the years to help smaller communities govern themselves and set their own development strategy with less interference from the national government. The result so far shows that the specter of this concept is proving to be a real force in stirring local communities towards development and good governance.
This shift in thinking about the direct involvement of citizens in public affairs took many years to evolve, and now its practice is legally mandated in our country. The Local Government Code of the Philippines was enacted in 1991 for the purpose of promoting the concept of participatory governance. Said law essentially devolves power and authority to local government units with the aim of facilitating development in their respective areas. With the advent of rapid globalization during that period, it was timely that the national government recognized the significance of participatory governance in relation to community development.
Presently, active participation of citizens is now widely considered as a requisite to revolutionize socio-economic and political conditions that have caused the underdevelopment of communities. What then makes this concept significant to Nabua? Is there really a need for participatory governance in our town to attain development? Humbly, I posit the following grounds why participatory governance is vital to Nabua’s development:
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Our local officials cannot possibly know all the needs of their constituents. No government is all-knowing. Our officials, no matter how intelligent they are, cannot be able to fully understand the needs of all the residents. To offset this predicament, our municipal government must therefore engage the residents in shared governance. Local officials in the municipal and barangay level must see to it that thorough public consultation meetings must be done prior to any project they wish to pursue. Residents are in the best position to determine their needs and recommend solutions. Community members of known integrity and expertise could even be asked to take active part in various committees of different projects such as Flood Control, Waste Management, Farm-To-Market Roads, Agri-Business Initiatives, Entrepreneurship, etc. By directly involving the residents, our officials are doing a great service to the community because they are ensuring the continuous monitoring, evaluation and improvement of projects by the recipients themselves. But most significant of all is the likelihood that such shared responsibility will nurture better relationship between the residents and the municipal government which could evolve into improved-partnership in development.
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Any government, with its vast powers at their disposal, needs to be checked and be made accountable. No government is beyond accountability. Traditionally, people elect officials thinking that the latter will represent the community’s best interest but unfortunately, this is not the case most often. Citizen participation in public affairs does not end after election. They must be perpetually watchful on the conduct of their officials and government to ensure good governance. Vigilance is the key because politics and governance is too dangerous to be left alone to the whims of our politicians. Moreover, it is wrong to think that citizens are mere pathetic beneficiaries of whatever government programs their officials may decide to grant them. Citizens are “stakeholders” in the government and are equal “partners” of their officials in governance. It is therefore appropriate for public officials to treat their constituents as “partners in development” and never as someone below their level. Citizen inputs are valuable for good governance. Likewise, it must be understood and never forgotten that without the people, there can be no government to speak of in the first place. The power of the government emanates from the people and there is no public official who is above the interest of the community. In our situation, the welfare of Nabua is supreme to anybody’s benefit and to ensure this, we need active and constructive participation of the majority.
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Citizen participation provides legitimacy and credibility to the incumbent. Any government that is supported by the people creates an aura of legitimacy, credibility and stability. No government will succeed without the support of the people because the former's legitimacy will constantly be in question thereby making it inutile in the community of co-equal entities and the people in general. Hypothetically, who would want to deal with an illegitimate administration? Who would respect Nabua as a community if we, as residents, are apathetic to our own local government? On the other hand, our officials must generate support from the populace and start leading up front with utmost integrity. I believe Nabuenos will support any worthy program initiated by our local government.
How can we then practice participatory governance in particular? In Philippine context, the Barangay Development Council (BDC), as provided for in the Local Government Code of 1991, is one of the excellent means to carry out participatory governance. It is a very good opportunity where residents can have direct influence in crafting and implementing their own development plan. Under the law, the BDC has the following functions:
> Mobilize citizens’ participation in local development efforts,
> Prepare barangay development plan based on local requirements,
> Monitor and evaluate program and project implementation; and,
> Perform such other functions as may be provided for by law or competent authority.
From the foregoing, it is clear that the BDC is designed to be a potent force in local development because it is through it that barangay constituents can freely and directly express in plain terms their respective aspirations for their purok/barangay and eventually for the entire town. In Nabua, I assume that every barangay has its own BDC. But are they operational? Are they really functioning according to its mandated purpose? The answer lies in all of us… This writer firmly believe that if the BDC will be used true to its spirit, the Nabuenos’ innate ingenuity and boundless skills will be unleashed and consequently thrust our town to the next higher level. Say, a vibrant Nabua City in the near future?
"Nabua is our home and nowhere else" 
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