Quezon City is batting for a participatory government through the creation of a People’s Council to promote citizen engagement in governance.
The People’s Council of Quezon City projected to serve as the umbrella arm of 2,232 city-accredited civil society organizations would work with the local government to ensure that every program or policy is indeed responsive to the needs of the QCitizens.
Mayor Joy Belmonte recently led the oath-taking of the interim executive committee officers of the council.
She signed the implementing rules and regulations of City Ordinance SP-1942 of 2009 or the Participation, Accountability and Transparency (PAT) Ordinance that strengthens and institutionalizes the system of partnership of the local government and its constituents.
After its ratification in 2009, the PAT ordinance was fully enacted.
Under the IRRs of the ordinance, the PCQC could sit in the city’s local special bodies (task force, committees, etc.) through their elected representative whose expertise is in line with the bodies’ target sector, and could participate in all the committee’s deliberation, conceptualization and evaluation of projects.
According to Barangay and Community Relations Department chief Ricardo Corpuz, the city has already been working with CSOs for years as they are members of the City Development Council, the planning body of the local government unit.
With the creation of PCQC, all members of local boards and councils should be accredited by the BCRD.
The institutionalization of the People’s Council is aligned with Belmonte’s 14-point agenda, specifically agenda no. 14 which is to “Listen to our citizens and understand what they need.”