City officials recently requested the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to clarify on whether a church or religious organization can be qualified to be accredited as a civil society organization (CSO) by the local legislative body pursuant to the constitutional provision on the separation of Church and State.
Under Resolution No. 178, series of 2024, local legislators stated that there are various churches and religious groups that take part and engage in civic activities and programs and would like to collaborate with the concerned government agencies and the local government, thus, the aforesaid inquiry.
Article 62, of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines mandated local government units to promote the establishment and operation of people’s organizations (PPOs), non-government organizations (NGOs) and private sectors and make them active partners in the pursuit of local autonomy and establish a harmonious working relationship between the government and NGOs in the city.
Earlier, some religious organizations in the city filed their respective applications for accreditation as NGOs to allow the said groups to actively participate in civic activities to help in cascading to the grassroots level various privately-initiated programs, projects and activities that will help in uplifting the living condition of the people in the city’s barangays.
However, some local legislators raised the issue on whether religious organizations can be accredited as the same might run counter to the constitutional provision on the separation of Church and State that promoted the body to seek the necessary inquiry from the DILG so that whatever issuance will serve as a guide for councils to decide in the applications for accreditations being filed by various groups.
Copies of the approved resolution will be transmitted to the DILG central office for information, guidance, ready reference and further needed action. By Dexter A. See
