The two-day national conference on the localization of the Millennium Development Goals through teaching and governance ended yesterday with high hopes that results will be adopted by the different participating local government units.

The conference was conducted with the national convention of the Association of Public Administrators of the Philippines held at the Luce Auditorium of Silliman University, in Dumaguete City. It took up the impact of MDGs in local governance, the role of public administration schools in local governance, and the innovative learning techniques for MDG localization, among others.

The scheduled keynote speaker was United Nations representative, Dr. Zahidul Huque, but his message was read by Silliman University Board of Trustees chairman Prof. Leonor Briones in his absence.

In his message Huque encouraged local government units to put their money where their mouth is.

Briones said she believes that the best commitment is for LGUs to spend for the millennium development goals.

Also cited in the keynote address were the initiatives undertaken by the city of Dumaguete and the province of Oriental Negros.

Dumaguete Vice Mayor William Ablong told guests and participants that, even before the setting of the millennium development goals, Dumaguete had implemented programs aimed at alleviating the plight of the poor and marginalized sector of the community.

They started it upon their assumption into office by drafting an ordinance that created the sectoral desk in Dumaguete, he said, and the marginalized groups were trained.*JG

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