FOR MANY Filipinos, the power of the people best manifests when they fill their ballots to elect public officials. But after the die is cast, ordinary citizens often have limited opportunities to influence the decisions of the leaders they placed in office.
An Artlets undergraduate thesis argues that this gap may be addressed by giving civil society groups and sectoral representatives a formal space in local governance.
The thesis titled “Local People’s Councils as Mechanisms for Participatory Governance Amid Sub‑National Democratic Backsliding: The Case of the Naga City People’s Council towards the Adaptation of the 9R Evaluative Framework” by Political Science graduates Yzellah Ira Policarpio, Lance Johann Sajenes and former The Flame Culture editor Valerie Peralta was among the 13 outstanding theses recognized during the 2026 Faculty of Arts and Letters solemn investiture rites.
According to Peralta, local people’s councils serve as the “last line of defense” once traditional checks against corrupt activities become less effective. As the ones at the receiving end of government decisions, the citizens should be involved in governing their area to make democracy more resilient, the research said.
“We argue [in the study] that the people should have a say in the democratic processes and the decision-making processes of their own localities. In that way, if the people are active participants, the citizens, there will be co-decision-making, there will be shared governance,” Peralta told The Flame.
The researchers examined how democratic institutions gradually weaken or experience democratic backsliding. This phenomenon is manifested by declining public participation and weaker government accountability in a setting where democratic institutions are in place.
The thesis described democratic backsliding as a national and local problem, especially when the highest official in the government often has the final say in deciding for the government.
Democratic backsliding in the country can come in three forms: the most common is democratic erosion, which refers to the internal and slow degradation of laws and processes; democratic breakdown, which manifests when sudden law changes are enacted to dismantle and overthrow democracy, which may include the shutdown of media and civic organizations; and autocratic deepening, which refers to power concentration and extinguishing any form of opposition
To test its application at the local level, the researchers focused on the Naga City People’s Council (NCPC), the country’s first and most established local people’s council.
Formed in 1995 during the term of former Naga City mayor Jesus “Jesse” Robredo, the NCPC has since become a reference for how local governments can legalize the participation of civil society organizations, non-government organizations and sectoral representatives in government decisions.
According to the study, the NCPC allows citizens to take part in the plans, policies and budget decisions of the local government as part of the legislature. While most councils act as mere advisory bodies, NCPC has a say in the local government’s plans and budget proposals.
This sets apart the Naga City’s people council from those in Baguio and Quezon cities, which the researchers described as still “raw” as the councils are dependent on the decisions of local officials due to weaker legal foundation.
“That’s why it’s difficult for other local governments to replicate the NCPC, especially if the people fear the LGU (local government unit) or their leader or mayor is too powerful,” Policarpio said.
The researchers said the NCPC’s longevity is not sustained by legislation alone but by years of cooperation between the local government, civil society organizations and local communities.
“Even though it’s not mandated by anyone to institutionalize or formalize the local people’s council [then], they did it. And because they did it, there was sustainability… It is deeply embedded in their local ordinances… to the point that it continues to do its job [30] years later,” Peralta said.
Not a complete solution
While people councils act as the watchdog of local government units, the study noted that the problem of democratic sliding does not stop with its establishment.
If local people’s councils are poorly designed, easily controlled and merely serve as advisory bodies, Peralta said they risk becoming “institutional shells” that fail to perform their purpose.
“Even now, there is still democratic backsliding that is experienced… [Just] because you have a mechanism to counter it, [it does not mean that] it will not happen again,” Policarpio said.
According to the researchers, people’s councils may fail to play their roles if local officials decide which proposals are prioritized, a scenario that may yield another layer of bureaucracy.
Long-term deterioration, informal political manipulation and symbolic participation may also threaten the councils’ role in participatory governance, the researchers added.
Beyond compliance
To evaluate whether local people’s councils are effective, the researchers adapted the 9R Framework, a self-assessment tool that looks at whether participatory mechanisms are functioning.
Under the framework, the NCPC received a perfect score of 30. This means that the council has a legal mandate, diverse sectoral representation, a functioning administration, transparent consultations, participation in budgeting and priority-setting, oversight of project costs and quality, timely implementation and mechanisms for improving programs.
Peralta said the framework could help existing local people’s councils assess their effectiveness, warning that having “too many mechanisms” only creates another problem if they fail to function.
“If there are too many mechanisms, [it] is good, right? But if there are too many mechanisms [and] they fail to do their job, it’s just another problem. We’re just creating another problem,” she said.
The same concern applies to when some government units still treat local people’s councils as optional, even with the national government’s efforts to push for its establishment.
The researchers argued that the current policy and the absence of stronger laws leave the councils’ implementation largely to the discretion of the local government.
Only 464 councils had been established out of 43,735 local government units in the country as of 2024, when the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued Memorandum Circular No. 2021-054 to promote participatory governance.
The researchers encourages local governments to implement laws that establish local people’s councils, arguing that they can be critical avenues for participation.
“If there is a legal framework for it, the rest of its functions will be easily implemented. It becomes more legitimate, it becomes stronger, it forms foundations when there is formalization. And from there, the functions will expand and the local people’s council can do what it needs to do,” Peralta said.
The study authors believe that grassroots-led movements are essential to understanding and changing the communities that local governments serve as it gives grassroots communities a voice in the government.
“If the government is always in the lead, we cannot be sure if their approaches meet the issues of the communities. By complementing each other, the sense of ownership of the people increases and their receptiveness towards the work of the government. Overall, the satisfaction of the society increases,” Sajenes said.
The Political Science thesis was presented at the 2026 Philippine Political Science Association Conference in Dumaguete City last April. F
