One of the recent incarnations of good governance is decentralization and democratic governance. In the Philippines, this was given strong institutional support when the Congress passed the Local Government Code (LGC) in 1991. This development effectively breathed life to democratic decentralization enshrined in the Constitution. An important provision of the code that is making profound changes in the way local affairs are managed is the introduction of mechanisms that, on one hand, enable the people to have a role in the process of governance and, on the other, help ensure the responsiveness and accountability of local institutions. This study explores experiences of selected local government units in democratic decentralization in the context of the LGC. The cases show that people's participation in governance brings a new meaning and dimension in public accountability. The engagement between government and citizens in local governance suggests that the burden of making accountability work can be shared between the governor and the governed.
