Disempowering Empowerment?

Abstract

This article provides a critical analysis of the important developments and problematic issues concerning the election of sectoral representatives in local legislative bodies or sanggunians and their implications to the Local Government Code’s vision of empowering the powerless. It discusses pending legislation in the House of Representatives and resolutions passed by local leagues that unconstitutionally deter genuine people’s participation in local governance, as they are veiled attempts to further the dominance of those in power while continuing to disenfranchise the powerless. The country’s elected leaders need to look beyond their hold on power and money; local legislators and politicians must look beyond the financial considerations of sectoral representation, as the dividends of empowerment would eventually create self-reliant communities. This would allow local leaders and their constituents to build a strong partnership and harness capabilities to extract resources for local development.