DILG to LGUs: Include disaster management, sectoral concerns in local plans

Depart of Interior and Local Government

PASIG CITY, Aug. 25 – Secretary Ismael “Mike” D. Sueno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is enjoining local government units (LGUs) to integrate disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and other sectoral concerns in their respective local plans.

In a directive, Sueno said LGUs should take into account DRRM and climate change adaptation, conflict sensitivity and the concerns of marginalized sectors such as women, persons with special needs, indigenous peoples and senior citizens in the preparation and updating of their land use and development plans.

“Disaster risk reduction should now be a norm and integral part of local plans bearing in mind that people’s lives and properties are at stake. Disaster preparedness can curtail devastation to local economies. At the same time, LGUs must espouse inclusive good local governance. No sectors must be left out,” said Sueno. Among the plans to be prepared or updated by LGUs are the Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plans (PDPFP), Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).

The PDPFP is a document which identifies strategies and corresponding programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) that serve as primary input to the provincial investment programming process. It further serves as a key vertical influence in linking development objectives with local, regional and national policies and priorities.

The CLUP is the plan for the long-term management of the local territory, which identifies areas where development can and cannot be located and directs public and private investments accordingly. On the other hand, CDP is the document that pertains to the multi-sectoral plan formulated at the city or municipal level, which embodies the vision, sectoral goals, objectives, development strategies and policies within the term of LGU officials and the medium-term.

To ensure that the resulting plans integrate sectoral concerns, Sueno said LGUs may expand the sectoral committee membership of the Local Development Council (LDC) to allow participation of more LGU officials, national line agency representatives and other stakeholders with functions and advocacies addressing the concerns of a particular sector such as women or indigenous peoples. He likewise said LGUs may coordinate with national government agencies to provide technical inputs and guidance in the preparation of sectoral targets in the CDP. (DILG)