Workshops and Seminars

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is currently preparing the ground to implement the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) in its next wave of projects covering nine (9) provinces. This wave, referred to as Batch 3, essentially supports the efforts of Local Government Units (LGUs) and their private sector partners to improve the local business climate, advance sustainable tourism development, and recover local industry in disaster-affected sites.

In partnership with LGUs, DILG has recently concluded a series of writeshops that developed tourism circuit maps/plans for Batch 3 sites. These maps/plans serve as tools for LGUs in implementing the LED projects on the ground. Specifically, it will serve as decision tool:

• For LGUs: on identifying investment opportunities and priority projects within their tourism circuit;
• For National Government Agencies: on identifying enabling programs and services to support Batch 3 sites; and,
• For Private Sector, on the ‘quick-win’ investment opportunities, particularly in terms of business expansion and creating emploment along key attraction sites of their respective tourism corridors.

The important next step is to mobilize support around these tourism circuits to achieve envisioned results. The creation of economic transformation teams (ETTs) at the national and local levels has been an effective strategy to encourage various national government agencies, the private sector as well as other stakeholders such as the academe and civil society organizations to support LED initiatives on the ground in terms of policy, programs, and services.

This is an opportune time for the National Economic Transformation Team (NETT) for Tourism, composed of various national government agencies, to come together in a meeting and formulate concrete action plans on how it can bundle its programs and services to support the local projects and activities for the Batch 3 sites.

Joining the meeting are the Provincial Governors, DILG Bureau and Regional Directors and LED Focals as a show of commitment and leadership in pushing for the convergence efforts on the ground to achieve desired local economic development results.