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

C. PUBLIC OUTREACH TOOLS<strong>The</strong>re are several tools that can be used by a sanggunian to reach out to its constituents,the private sector and civil society groups and to get them involved in legislative decisionmaking.<strong>The</strong>y can help raise public awareness about the work of the sanggunian, andenhance the public image of the sanggunian, and consequently of politics and politicians ingeneral.Tool 1Legislative DigestIn parliamentary language, a “legislative digest” is actually a summary of the legislativemeasures acted upon by a legislative body. <strong>The</strong> Bulacan Provincial Council has adapted thedigest concept to come up with its official sanggunian newsletter “Legislative Digest.” It is afour-page 4 x 5 quarterly newsletter that contains a descriptive list of legislative measuresadopted by the council, clustered according to policy areas, e.g. health and social services,economic development, etc. It also contains a “legislative scoreboard” which publishes thefollowing information:• number of sessions conducted• number of resolutions and ordinances enacted• number of committee reports and indorsements• number of committee hearings conducted by each standing committee• number of committee meetings conducted by each standing committee• salient features of a selected ordinance• profile of a featured member of sanggunianTool 2Sanggunian Brochure<strong>The</strong> sanggunian may publish a simple brochure or pamphlet containing information aboutthe mission of the sanggunian, its members, the legislative agenda, a flowchart of the locallegislative process, schedule of sanggunian sessions, things that citizens can do to help thesanggunian, among others.283