THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA OF RAMON GUICO

In a country undergoing a difficult process of nation-building and democratic consolidation, nothing is more important than to build prosperous communities with local chief executives (LCEs) at the frontline of leadership. Since the restoration of Philippine democracy in 1986, people’s participation in governance has been the guiding principle of a true leader urging to facilitate enormous change at the grassroots and making a great difference in the lives of ordinary Filipino people. With the passage of the Local Government Code in 1991, the Philippines has finally broke the wall of centralism that has marked the authoritarian rule of Martial Law. The Code allowed the blossoming of grassroots democracy in the Philippines through the principle of local autonomy. Armed with local autonomy, local government units (LGUs) have aptly demonstrated their embedded power to innovate and excel in governance in order to improve the quality of life of their constituents.

At the turn of the 21st century, the Philippines witnessed the dramatic rise of performing leaders at the local levels asserting innovations and excellence in local governance. Embracing the principle of local autonomy guaranteed by the 1991 Local Government Code, LGUs have brought out the best in them in order to elevate the quality of governance in the Philippines to a higher plane. With the proliferation of performing local leaders disseminating their exemplary practices nationwide, the Philippines has taken a quantum leap towards the achievement of an effective governance that the Filipino people truly deserves.

Thus, the cornerstone of the legislative agenda of Ramon Guico as the embodiment of frontline leadership in the Philippine Senate is to sustain all the exemplary practices for effective local governance by vigorously asserting local autonomy in pertinent national legislations. Faster and more effective delivery of services to the broad Filipino masses can be further achieved if we continue to empower LGUs, which serve at the frontline of governance in the entire Philippines.

Frontline Leadership for Genuine National Transformation

Transformational leadership shall occur at the local levels in order to reach the politics of everyday lives of the broad Filipino people. Ordinary Filipinos can fully enjoy prosperous communities because of creative local leaders who uphold innovation and excellence in governance.

Local leaders are at the frontline of service delivery to the people. Thus, there is an urgent need for transformation leadership at the local levels, which shall serve as the driving force of genuine national transformation.

National legislations shall therefore facilitate local transformational leadership that empowers not only local chief executives but also individuals and their organizations at the grassroots. Local transformational leadership builds and enhances the capacity of LGUs to effectively perform devolved functions from the national government. Local transformational leadership is the kind of frontline leadership that the Philippines needs for genuine national transformation for the 21st century.

Change From Below Can Drive Change From Above

There is no doubt that Filipinos are crying out loud for change. Many national leaders have, in fact, joined the bandwagon for change.

But genuine change shall occur first from below as small change from below can drive gargantuan change from above.

Change from below is easier to manage and faster to implement as it directly involves the people on the ground. Risks associated from change are easier to handle from below. Because change is taken from below, establishing social ownership for change is more viable and accountable.

Local governments represent the driving force of change from below. Because local governments are closer to the people they serve, any change from below can provide credible social ownership for any change above. It is therefore imperative to enact national legislations that will sustain the empowerment of local governments to in order to champion genuine change and transformation in the Philippines.

Vision for the Philippines

A prosperous and harmonious Philippines grounded on the exemplary and innovative practices of local governments.

Mission Statement

To pass national laws that encourage fast delivery of services to the Filipino people by mobilizing the power of highly performing local chief executives and their constituents based on the innovative and exemplary practices in governance.

Platform of Governance

Economic Development

In a country of more than 7,100 islands and population of around 92 million in a predominantly agrarian and coastal economy where almost 30% of Filipinos are mired in poverty, pursuing national economic development is truly a gargantuan challenge. Under this situation, there is a need to implement a bottom-up promotion of development where local governments serve as the core. The centerpiece of Ramon Guico’s legislative agenda, therefore, is to pass concomitant laws that will uphold local economic development in the Philippines.

Local economic development upholds the full utilization and management of local assets and resources for national growth. It encourages local officials to be local economic managers in order to attract local investments, provide decent job opportunities for the people, and thereby alleviate poverty in the countryside. To provide local governments with the required financial resources to propel local economic development, there is a need to increase LGUs share in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) on the basis of exemplary performance and actual local needs.

Social Policy

The people is the center of Ramon Guico’s social policy. Thus, unleashing the highest potential of the country’s human resources is the crux of Ramon’s Guico’s over-all legislative agenda.

Official records indicate that the Philippines has a population estimate of 92 million people in 2009, which is already the 12th largest in the whole world at present. With an annual population growth rate of 2.04% in 2006, which is in fact a lower population growth rate compared to 2.3% in 2000, it has been estimated that the Philippines will reach a population of around 95 million in 2010. Based on this projection, at least two million people are added to the Philippine population every year. If this rate continues unabated, Philippine population will double in 30 years and will reach almost 190 million in 2040.

At present, Philippine population growth rate is already twice that of our Asian neighbors. If not managed effectively, Philippine population will create tremendous stress on national resource allocation, particularly in the areas of food security, health, housing, basic education and other social services. There is, therefore, a need to adopt a sound and socially acceptable population management policy that is sensitive to the religious preferences of people while supporting informed choice on available options. With a population at the manageable level, Filipinos will enjoy more health care services, better education and more decent jobs.

Environment and Climate Change

Protecting and caring for the environment is the best approach to deal with the impact of climate change, which is already causing adverse effects on people including increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, increased intensity of storms, greater frequency of heat waves, floods and droughts, more rapid spread of diseases, and accelerated loss of biodiversity.

To protect the environment and mitigate the impact of climate change on the Filipino people, it is necessary to pass a law that will provide resources for the dissemination of the best practices in sustainable upland development, coastal resource management, community-based-and-locally-sanctioned disaster management, and socially responsible mining development.

Internal Security, Peace and Order

The Philippines is faced with a multitude of peace and order concerns as well internal security threats. The country confronts the longest running communist armed insurgency in the world through the New People’s Army (NPA) while dealing with Muslim rebellion through the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Though the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) already had peace deals with the government in 1996, the MNLF still has a break-away faction that continues the armed Muslim rebellion. The security situation is exacerbated by the terrorist threat posed by the Al-Qaeda linked Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). These armed groups have complex relationship with ordinary criminal groups engaged in kidnap-for-ransom activities, arms smuggling, drug trafficking, illegal gambling and human trafficking.

When these armed groups strike, the first victims are people in the local levels. Thus, it is crucial to empower local governments to deal with the many sources of internal security threats as well as peace and order concerns. Towards this end, it is very important to pass national laws that will enhance the Local Peace and Order Councils and will broaden the power of local governments for conflict management. It is also necessary to pass a law institutionalizing the Local Crisis Committee in an area torn by internal armed conflicts.

Defense and Foreign Policy

The centerpiece of Ramon Guico’s defense policy is the protection of the Municipality of Kalayaan in the Province of Palawaan facing the South China Sea. Kalayaan is the only municipality in the Philippines that looms large in the defense and foreign policy of the Philippines. There is a need to pass a law defining the status of the Municipality of Kalayaan in the light of the passage of Republic Act 9522 or the New Philippine Baselines Law.

It is also in the legislative agenda of Ramon Guico to pass legislations that will strengthen Philippine-American security alliance while at the same time broadening constructive strategic engagement with China, India, and other major powers of the world. Since the Philippines is a Southeast Asian nation, the Philippines shall assert a regional foreign policy that puts high value on the role of the Philippines in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through ASEAN, the Philippines can have a better voice in dealing with the European Union (EU), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and even the United Nations (UN).

Coming from the ranks of local officials, Ramon Guico will also encourage strong participation of the Philippines in the United Cities and Local Governments in order to promote and enhance the role of local governments in Philippine defense and foreign policy.