Local Legislators' Toolkit - The Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng ...

public policy action. Viewed in the context of legislative agenda formulation, locallegislation becomes both predictive and strategic.Phase 2. Crafting of Ordinances and Resolutions<strong>The</strong> second stage is the crafting of ordinances and resolutions. This involves twomajor steps:1) identifying and analyzing a policy problem to be addressed by legislation2) gathering research-based information, and3) drafting the legislative proposal.A good analysis is informed by a sufficient knowledge of the development issues thatshould be addressed by ordinances: poverty reduction, gender equality,environmental protection, peace and unity, accountability and transparency, andcitizen participation.Drafting a legislative proposal requires knowledge of its parts or elements, rules ofconstruction such as grammar and usage, form and style. Civil society groups in thelocal government can influence this phase of the cycle by drafting the language of alegislative proposal and giving it to a local legislator for sponsorship or through apeople’s legislative initiative.Phase 3. Enactment of Ordinances and Codes of OrdinancesThis stage involves the process of deliberation, consultation, codification andconsideration that a draft ordinance or resolution undergoes before it is adopted orenacted. Without executive approval, an ordinance passed by the sangguniancannot be implemented. <strong>The</strong> executive branch and the civil society groups caninfluence this stage by participating in committee activities and other stages of thelegislative process from first reading to approval of the measure by the local chiefexecutive (LCE).11