President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday urged local chief executives to explore potential international partnerships and other strategies to improve the delivery of public service in their respective localities.

“We are now in the 21st century. There are new challenges in both the local and national levels, issues that were not conceived of by the code’s framework 30 years ago that require us now to discover, to explore, to employ better ways of capacitating our localities,” he said during the Philippine Mayors Forum at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.

“That way, we are able to achieve more. So, we must also explore international partnerships, such as that of your counterparts not only in the Philippines but in other countries, and that way we will learn the best practices in improving public service delivery,” he added.

Marcos said the event reaffirms his administration’s commitment to making the government “more transparent, more responsive, and more accessible” to the public.

He also challenged the mayors to make good use of the forum, saying it is a “very effective multiplier” in terms of their efforts to accelerate the capacity-building of local government units (LGUs).

He expressed optimism that the discussions in the forum would result in “the wider adoption of multi-level governance; the rise of smarter, more sustainable communities; (and) the emergence of stronger, more resilient local institutions.”

“So, I welcome this forum which seeks to harness the power of innovation, digital governance, resiliency-building to ensure that the government can better respond to the demands of the times. And when I speak of government, I speak of government at every level,” Marcos said.

“It is in most opportune time for our national government agencies and LGUs to come together with the support of international partners to augment our strategies and approaches towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).”

The Philippine Mayors Forum was organized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator’s Office and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

With the theme ‘Philippine Mayors Forum: Innovation, Digital Governance, and Resiliency Building towards Accelerated Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the Philippines,” the event highlights the LGUs’ crucial role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for SDGs of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).

The DILG also underscored that the localization of the SDGs is vital as it is the core of the administration’s Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, which serves as the country’s overall economic blueprint in development planning for the next six years.

Marcos said the holding of the forum is an indication that the UN acknowledges that it needs the assistance of local governments.

He also vowed to provide continued assistance to LGUs to make them “‘more efficient, more empowered and more self-sustaining.”

“I assure you, the mayors, our mayors, that this administration will remain your leading partner in enhancing your capacities, our sustainable development goals in Ambisyon Natin 2040,” Marcos said. (PNA)