The Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC) of Buenavista town got elected as the national president of the League of Local Planning and Development Coordinators of the Philippines Inc. (LLPDCPI) during its 32nd annual national convention on Dec. 5 to 9, 2022 at Cebu City.
Efren Logroño of Buenavista, Bohol won as the national president by defeating the CPDC of Talisay City, Cebu.
Prior to his election, Logroño served as the national executive vice president of the group. It is for this reason that he is trusted and perceived to have a full grasp of the issues affecting the local planning and development coordinators in the country.
He will be serving as national president until 2024 and is eligible for re-election, Logroño said in an interview over Newsmakers ug Uban Pa on Dec. 16, 2022, hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Dave Albarado.
Logroño explained that his leadership faces great challenges as he pointed out financial matters of the league as one of the key issues he needs to focus on.
“Daghang angay lig-onon sa among national organization bahin pod sa rights sa local planning and development coordinators,” he said during the interview.
In the interview, Logroño explained the job description of a local planning and development coordinator. He said that the local planning and development coordinator is given a crucial role in a local government unit (LGU) as he or she is the one who collects the plans and programs from different barangays.
He/she also consolidates these programs and plans into a development plan. A local planning and development coordinator acts as the “right hand” or trusted officer of a local chief executive. Thus, often times, even the local planning and development coordinator is a career official, he/she gets impacted in the changing political landscape of the area.
“Actually, mao nay problema namo kay ang MPDC is a career position – permanent na. Ang problema lang kay there are local executives nga ug newly-elected sila unya ug di sila moangay sa MPDC, ilang i-floating. Usa na sa among gelantaw in my term that we drafted the Magna Carta for Local Planners para maproteksyonan ang rights sa MPDC nga dili sya ma apektohan sa dili nindot nga epekto sa politika,” he explained.
He revealed that there are local planning and development officers thrown into the backburner after a change in administration and these things happen in other parts of the country, too.
There have been instances when the MPDC was terminated from the position by the new local chief executive due to politics.
“Usahay seloso man gud ning politika nga dudahan ka nga didto ka sa pikas ug nga lain imong gilabanan. So, looy ang role sa MPDC nga kon dili i-floating pangitaan ug paagi ug unsa among violation nga mahimong madismiss,” he quipped.
He also bared that a future convention of the said league will be held in Bohol.
Meanwhile, he added that he is also a member of the board of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners. In this connection, he received some hints that the officials of the league of environmental planners wish to conduct their next convention in November 2023 in Panglao, Bohol, Logroño said in the interview.