The Bacolod City leg of the Open Government and Participatory Governance Regional Dialogue, which gathers representatives from national and local government agencies, civil society, academe, public sector unions, business groups, media, among other partners, opens today, January 30, at the SMX Convention Center at SM City Bacolod.

The dialogue seeks to formulate the content for a Participatory Governance Cluster Roadmap, provide an avenue for dialogue between local government units and civil society organizations, and to raise awareness of the 2018 national budget and the proposed second tax reform package.

Among the agencies expected to participate in the program include the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Finance (DOF), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others.

Bacolod City is the first of six legs for the dialogue event./WDJ