The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has vowed to further capacitate local government units (LGUs) in raising the standard of governance and the quality of services to their constituents.

DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. made the assurance at the opening of the Local Governance (LG) Summit 2024 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Thursday, which gathered some 3,000 local officials.

The event, which runs until Friday and co-organized by the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), involves sessions on digital transformation, smart urban infrastructure and design, and climate and disaster resilience.

Abalos said the summit also complies with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s thrust to strengthen the working relationship between the national government and the LGUs.

“Ang LG Summit 2024 ang katuparan ng pangako ng DILG at ULAP na itaas ang antas ng lokal na pamamahala at mapadali ang pagpapalitan ng best practices at innovative solutions sa pagitan ng ating mga pamahalaang lokal (The LG Summit 2024 is the realization of the DILG and ULAP’s pledge to ease the exchange of best practices and innovative solutions among the LGUs),’’ Abalos said in a press conference.

The DILG chief said the event, which carries the theme, “LGUs sa Bagong Pilipinas: Smart. Resilient. Driven”, is not merely a “capacity-building activity’’ but also gathers varying perspectives and outlook of the stakeholders to identify solutions to key issues in the delivery of public service at the local level.

The summit’s sessions will also tackle issues pertaining to social protection, peace and order, transparency and accountability and people’s participation, as well as exchanges on best practices on technology and innovations. (PNA)