The attainment of the SDGs requires concerted, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder efforts both at the national and local levels. The implementation strategies required to achieve the SDGs which are found in the PDP and the subsequent sectoral plans are mainstreamed and localized through the Regional Development Plans (RDP) and Comprehensive Development Plans (CDP) at the regional and local level.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) takes the lead in localizing the SDGs and has already conducted a series of regional and provincial workshops to strengthen the functionality of the local government units (LGUs) in increasing the awareness and support for both the AmBisyon Natin 2040 and the SDGs, and ensuring that they integrate such in their respective plans and programs.
As of March 2018, the planned workshops (excluding those located in ARMM) have been conducted in all the regions, 76 provinces, and 1,373 municipalities. In addition, NEDA, in collaboration with PSA and DILG, are looking into the inclusion of an assessment criteria or checklist related to SDG implementation in conferring the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) to local government units. Through the DILG, we also aim to localize the national and regional indicators by identifying provincial and municipal-level indicators that would operationalize and contribute to the attainment of the goals and outcome areas articulated in the Philippine Development Plan, 2017 to 2022 and the SDGs.
In November 26, 2018, Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 1 s. 2018 was signed between the Department of the Interior and Local Government and NEDA entitled “Guidelines on the Localization of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 Results Matrices and the Sustainable Development Goals”
The guidelines are being issued to ensure that PPAs implemented by local governments would contribute to the achievement of targets of PDP priority sectors and areas. The formulation of RMs at the regional, provincial and city/municipal levels reflective and/or consistent with the targeted outcomes of the PDP and budgeting of PPAs that would contribute to the achievement of the RM targets are seen to ensure vertical linkage of national, regional, and local priorities.
The series of activities under the JMC upholds the principle of decentralization in the Local Government Code and strengthens the vertical linkages across the different levels of government in development planning and budgeting. This JMC highlights the following: adoption of a geographic-based perspective in planning and investment programming by provinces that encompasses cities and municipalities within its administrative boundaries to include highly urbanized cities (HUCs) and independent component cities (ICCs) within its periphery; exercise of provincial oversight vis-a-vis planning, implementation, and monitoring; strengthening of provincial-city/municipality interface and dialogue; and, strengthening province, city, and municipality database management system.
