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Alaminos-led alliance of LGUs to receive Canadian funding support
The One Pangasinan Alliance of Local Government Units (OPAL), an alliance of Local Government Units (LGUs) in Western Pangasinan, has been identified as a project beneficiary of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
OPAL, together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will act as the local partner of the Canadian Executing Agency (CEA) in implementing the Local Level Component Activities of the Local Government Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) for the first 15 months.
LGSP-LED is an eight-year collaborative project between the governments of Canada and the Philippines aimed at reducing poverty by strengthening local governance and supporting sustainable local economic development.
The project which is funded by the CIDA and implemented through the DILG will be launched in the city on June 10, according to Mayor Hernani A. Braganza, OPAL’s lead LGU coordinator.
OPAL is an economic alliance of seven LGUs in Western Pangasinan composed of the municipalities of Agno, Anda, Bani, Burgos, Mabini, Sual and City of Alaminos as lead convenor.
Braganza disclosed that from among the 22 applicants entire the country, OPAL, is one of the four (4) LGU Alliances selected by the LSGP-LED Project Steering Committee for the Phase 1 of said project.
“We are very grateful that our ardent and collective prayers were answered,” noted the former Agrarian Reform and Press Secretary of the foreign grant that will be awarded to OPAL.
“This landmark initiative is expected reduce poverty by creating business, livelihood and employment in the OPAL area, added the hardworking and visionary mayor. It has far-reaching impact to the member-LGUs and will likely foster continued growth of our district.”
Chief executives of said towns came together early last year and agreed to pool their resources, combine capacities and complement comparative advantages, share lessons and experiences for local economic development.
The said alliance was formally organized last February with the following objectives: (1) promoting the creation of business and job opportunities, (2) economic growth and sustainable sources of incomes, (3) attracting investments in tourism, agriculture and agro processing and (4) improvement of the quality of life their constituents.
Historically, the member-LGUs of OPAL started working together in 1995 for the Bayanihan 2020 Program for Sustainable Agriculture, another brainchild of the mayor, then first-termer congressman of the first district of the province.
This was followed by LGU-NGO partnership project for the “Save the Lingayen Gulf” advocating for Sustainable Coastal Resource Management and NGA-LGU-NGO-PO partnership project for the Go Organic Campaign for Sustainable Organic Agriculture.
Providing OPAL the much needed technical assistance and support to implement the LGSP-LED project is the La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI), a non government organization organized in 2000 by a group of social reformers with extensive experience in government, civil society and private sector.
The scope of the partnership and collaboration between CEA, DILG and OPAL include (1) Capacity Development and Leadership (2) LGU Corporate Management (3) Strategic Planning and Implementation for Local Economic Development (4) Knowledge Management and (5) Cross Cutting Themes which include poverty reduction, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
Pundits in the province say that the alliance conceived by Braganza is a giant step toward creating a strong union of LGUs, which they hope, will succeed in the long battle against poverty in the countryside, improved the people’s standard of living and ultimately generate a model LED projects than be replicated in other parts of the country. (CIO)
