Written By: Yanna Gabrielle I. Nasol | Photos By: Daryne T. Mayol

Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay – In a decisive step toward strengthening local governance, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IX convened the 1st Regional Consultation on the Local Government Code of 1991 Review and Amendment Program (RevAmP) on December 15, 2025, creating a vital space for in-depth consultation on long-standing governance gaps and emerging local development realities. The activity underscored the urgency of recalibrating the Code to better respond to the fiscal, administrative, and service delivery demands faced by local governments today.

The consultation opened with a message from Engr. Carmelo Enrique B. Libot, CESO V, Assistant Regional Director and Officer-in-Charge of DILG Region IX, who emphasized that meaningful reform begins with listening to those at the frontlines of governance. This was followed by an overview of the RevAmP framework by LGOO IV Yanna Gabrielle I. Nasol, setting the direction for the proceedings. A thought-provoking session by Edmund S. Tayao challenged participants to confront structural weaknesses in decentralization, while Atty. Lisanie O. Carpio, Legal Officer IV of DILG Region IX, anchored the consultation within the legal and institutional implications of reform.

Deliberations during the consultation focused on four critical reform areas—financial and fiscal management, service delivery, local autonomy, and administrative and operational concerns—with participants actively surfacing concrete issues and reform proposals grounded in practice. The consolidated regional inputs generated from the consultation will feed into the national review process, reinforcing Region IX’s role in shaping a more responsive, empowered, and future-ready Local Government Code.