Decentralization 8: PIPER Forum on Fiscal Decentralization

Fiscal decentralization is an important part of political devolution and decentralization. A local government unit (LGU) that has relative administrative autonomy and independence from the national government (NG) but has no fiscal independence from NG will be less empowered and hence, not really independent from it.

I have written several papers in the past about decentralization but they are more on the level of political philosophy, like the relationship between local governments and civil society, decentralization and privatization. Here are my past papers on the subject:

Decentralization 1: It's Still More Government, July 25, 2007

Decentralization 2: From Local Government to Civil Society, August 30, 2008

Decentralization 3: Challenges to Local Government, November 18, 2008

Decentralization 4: Local Taxes and Provincial Airports, May 30, 2009

Decentralization 5: Privatization and Civil Society, February 22, 2010

Decentralization 6: Local Fees and LGUs' Independence from NG, September 20, 2010

Decentralization 7: From Decentralization to Privatization, January 25, 2011

I still have to explore more specifically on fiscal decentralization. Thus, I was happy to see the forthcoming Philippine Center for Economic Development (PCED) Institute of Public Economics and Regulation (PIPER) (in partnership with GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit)) policy forum on “Fiscal Decentralization after 20 Years: What have we got to show? What have we learned? Where do we go from here?”

The line up of speakers and reactors is impressive. Here's the program.

8:00 – 9:00 am Registration

9:01 – 9:30 am Opening Remarks
Sec. Cayetano W. Paderanga, Jr.* (Director General, NEDA and Chair,PCED Board of Trustees)
Dr. Herwig Mayer (Program Manager , GIZ Decentralization Program)

9:31 – 10:30 am SESSION 1: A 20-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE
Speaker: Dr. Benjamin E. Diokno (Professor, UP School of Economics and Former Secretary, DBM)
Reactors: USec. Austere Panadero (Undersecretary, DILG - Local Government)
USec. Jude Esguerra (Undersecretary, NAPC)
Dr. Milwida Guevara (CEO, Synergeia Foundation)

10:31 – 10:45 am Coffee Break

10:46 – 11:46 am SESSION 2: ASSIGNMENT OF FUNCTIONS AND INTERGOVERMENTAL FISCAL RELATIONS
Speaker: Dr. Gilberto M. Llanto (Senior Research Fellow, PIDS and Former Deputy Director General, NEDA)
Reactors: Hon. Sherwin Gatchalian (Mayor, Valenzuela City)
Dr. Roberto de Vera (Professor, School of Economics, UA&P)

11:47 am – 1:30 pm Lunch Break with a Roundtable Discussion
Host/Moderator: Dr. Andreas Lange (Chief Advisor for Local Planning, GIZ)
Conversationalists: Gov. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda (Governor of Albay)
USec. Mario Relampagos (Undersecretary, DBM – Operations)
Hon. Jesse M. Robredo* (Secretary, DILG)
Dr. Enrique T. Ona* (Secretary, DOH)
Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.* (Chair, Local Government, Senate)
Cong. George P. Arnaiz* (Chair, Local Government, House of Representatives)
Hon. Roque Tiu* (Board Member, Province of Leyte)

1:31 – 2:30 pm SESSION 3: GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Speaker: Dr. Paul Hutchcroft (Professor, Australian National University)
Reactors: Ms. Leonor Briones* (Lead Convenor, Social Watch Philippines)
Ms. Malou Mangahas (Reporter, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism)

2:31 – 3:30 pm SESSION 4: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Speaker: Dr. Jan Werner (Professor, BITS Iserlohn, University of Applied Sciences, Germany)
Reactors: Dir. Janet B. Abuel (Director IV, DBM – Regional Office I)
Dr. Eduardo Gonzalez (Professor, UP Asian Center)

3: 31 – 3:45 pm Coffee Break

3:46 – 4:00 pm Closing Remarks
Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan (Dean, UP School of Economics and Executive Director, PCED)

*To be Confirmed

The Chairperson of PIPER is Dr. Ben Diokno, my former teacher in UPSE, undergrad in the early 80s, and in PDE in 1997-98. I know his bias, generally he is for more government intervention and welfarism ala-UN or WB/ADB style, something which I do not support. But nonetheless, I am attending this forum. It is free and open to the public but has limited capacity. Interested parties may inquire from piper.secretariat@gmail.com, or at tel. (02) 9279686 loc 333, Pam Lomaad.