Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals in the Municipal Level: Local legislature Initiatives for Thriving & Sustainable Livelihood

Abstract

Five years into implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development since its inception in 2015, countries like the Philippines have instituted a multi-level approach as a national strategy. It is then imperative to study the municipal councils' efforts to localize the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. The study's main objective is to determine the significant initiatives and measures passed by the Sangguniang Bayan of Bontoc, Mountain Province, to address the thirty-six targets of Sustainable Development Goals 1 (eradicating poverty), 2 (ending hunger), 3 (ensuring health and well-being), and 6 (providing safe water and sanitation) from 2015-2020. The study utilized the qualitative method, employing key informant interviews and documentary analysis. The Sangguniang Bayan enacted thirty-six (36) salient measures. Analyzed in detail, the local legislature's initiatives under SDG 1, 2, 3, and 6 are internally, vertically, and horizontally coherent and synergistic. Under each SDG, there is harmonization and synchronization of initiatives. Moreover, there is coordination, synergy, and contextualization with the laws and regulations by higher authorities. Furthermore, there is horizontal coherence between the measures under one SDG with those of other SDGs. The translation of an international plan like Agenda 30 for Sustainable Development into the local level ensures the sustained improvement of the people's lives.