Decentralization and Local Government Trust Fund

Results achieved as of the end of the project (June 2014) include: The Fund supported five main activities: (1) the Newly Elected Officials Orientation Program in 2010 which improved the ability of 389 newly-elected local officials to prepare and monitor development plans focused on local development needs and national development goals; (2) building the Full Disclosure Web Portal of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) which aimed at fully disclosing local financial reports of local governments to the public for increased transparency and accountability. Over 19 000 financial reports from more than 660 local government units (representing 33% of total local governments) have been uploaded on the Full Disclosure web portal. This activity also improved the ability of 92 civil society regional representatives (58% women) to use the disclosed local financial reports to engage in local governance through advocacy meaningful participation in local special bodies and monitoring of local government fiscal performance for increased expenditures in service delivery; (3) it supported the Bureau of Local Government Finance in increasing the capacity of 1 153 local treasurers and fiscal officers (66% women) from 136 cities and 77 provinces across the country in adopting the new harmonized online system for the statement of receipts and expenditures; (4) strengthening national government's monitoring systems and regulatory framework on local government debt borrowing for increased fiscal oversight; and (5) supporting the Philippine government in institutionalizing policies and performance-based instruments for increased transparency and accountability. These have contributed to strengthening the effectiveness transparency and accountability of local governments and to improve revenue generation and service delivery at the local level.