June 17, 2011 , Manila Bulletin
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Friday urged all local government units (LGUs) to forge public-private partnerships (PPPs) in order to boost the local economy.
Speaking at the two-day forum held at the A-Venue Hotel in Manila tackling Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED), and the Regional Economic Development of the German Cooperation Agency (RED STEER), Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Austere Panadero explained the PPP is “not just a financing instrument, but a tool for regional and local economic development.”
“Local governments should take on the challenge posed by President Noynoy Aquino to explore mutually-beneficial partnership agreements with the private sector for the implementation of programs and projects that will push local economic development,” he said.
The objective of the forum, Panadero said, is to enhance the knowledge of participants on the fundamentals, principles, and benefits of PPPs, as well as on the various modes of PPP agreements.
“We are looking into ways by which PPP can be made more digestible to local governments including developing needed policies to help guide local PPPs,” he said.
The activity also allowed LGUs and national government agencies to learn from the presentations on successful PPPs such as those in Cebu, Bohol, and Mandaluyong.
