The City Government of Pasig signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Action for Economic Reforms (AER) on July 28, 2021 for the implementation of the Data-Driven Development in the Philippines or PH3D project.
The project aims to assist Pasig City with its Freedom of Information (FOI) initiative as well as its health investment planning through the application of evidence-based approaches and strategies.
Mayor Victor Ma. Regis “Vico” Sotto believes that transparency, citizen engagement, and data-driven policy-making are the three crucial elements in the effective implementation of reforms towards development.
“We are really very excited for the implementation of this project. This is a landmark agreement for our city as we are trying to implement a lot of changes… a lot of reforms in the city and our local government,” said Mayor Sotto.
“This is a step forward in the right direction towards becoming more evidence-based and data- driven in how we decide. This will help us become more open and transparent, and for us to find out what our weaknesses are and strengths. We are inclusive and participatory in doing this, and we are including civil society as well,” he added.
The PH3D team will continue working with Pasig City’s technical working group led by Mr. Rechie Tugawin until December 2022.
__
Action for Economic Reforms (AER) was established in 1996 and is a policy research, advocacy, and action group by publicly-engaged political economists with focus on various sectors from fiscal policy, food and agriculture, industrial policy, governance, interface, and data-driven development.
PH3D, a component of AER’s data-driven development focus and co-funded by the European Union (EU), helps Local Government Units (LGU) deliver their priority projects using data and technology, and community alliances. Using this framework, LGUs will have access to actionable evidence that will empower them to view macro and micro data, prioritize programs, manage resources, enhance capacity, and get support from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).