The ambassadors of the Netherlands and Germany and representatives from the World Bank, International Union of Local Authorities, Association of Netherlands Municipalities and the International County Management Association also joined LMP President Jinggoy Estrada, Mayor of San Juan, at the opening of the three-day event in the Manila Hotel. Malinowski, who spoke on the Role of Local Government Associations in the Age of Globalization, said that never has there been a better time for local leaders to find out what their colleagues around the world have been doing to solve similar problems. The Internet is a fantastic source of information, he said.
Chances are that the answer is, no.
He added that this is where association of local bodies, like the LMP, can play an important role. Peer to peer learning among equals is a valuable exercise, but in order to be effective and sustainable, it needs to be well organized. Local government associations are uniquely designed to assist in this. Working together through organizations like the LMP improves the locality s chances of staying ahead of the changes to come, Malinowski said, and it is up to alliances such as LMP to directly assist their members to advocate policy changes, to interpret the resulting policies to their members, and most importantly, to provide them with the capacity to carry them out. Established in 1986 in honor of the late Antique Governor Evelio B. Javier, the foundation provides training and technical assistance to executives and local government units, citizen leaders and people's organizations to empower them towards public service, local autonomy and participatory democracy.