Timely call
“THE time for decisive action is now.”
As well-meaning Filipinos, we cannot overemphasize the importance of the country’s local executives heeding this call of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DILG Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. has called on the city and municipal mayors to align their local initiatives with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In a speech during last week’s Philippine Mayors’ Forum held at the Crown Plaza Manila in Quezon City, the highly-effective Abalos pointed out that “the time for decisive action is now.”
We share the view of Abalos, former chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, that local governments play a pivotal role in achieving the UN’s development goals.
He said town and city mayors are well-positioned to drive changes in their respective communities, adding the Mandanas-Garcia ruling provides greater resources to local governments.
Abalos said the ruling “presents better opportunities for localities to plan, finance and implement more… effective climate-sensitive SDG-aligned local development endeavors.”
The DILG top executive said these goals could be attained by implementing appropriate strategies to address the new challenges faced by their respective communities.
The UN crafted the SDGs in 2015 as an urgent call to action by all countries to tackle global challenges, such as poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental decline.
The DILG, in the view of many quarters, is in a position to shepherd the country’s local government units towards achieving the UN sustainable development goals.
Tiyak ‘yon.
