A Reality Check on the Naga City Experience (Part 6)

B. Empowerment is key to participatory governance.
Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. The word “people” is not replaceable with the name Arroyo, Villafuerte or Robredo. Or even Tria. Therefore, we can never say that democracy is the government of Tria, by Tria and for Tria. In a democratic country like ours, there are three golden rules to follow to ensure that it is the government of the people, by the people and for the people, namely: honest elections, the separation of powers, and transparency. All these must be in place to ensure participatory governance.