In this podcast (#6) we interview Francis García, Mayor of Balanga City, Bataan, The Philippines. For VNG International, the DEALS programme, he visited The Netherlands twice this year to accompany intergovernmental delegations from the Philippines involved in the development of the Master Plan for the Sustainable Development of Manila Bay. In the catchment area of Manila Bay, over a 100 Local Government Units are daily providing public services like waste collection and access to safe water to millions of people. The population in the area is rapidly growing. In this podcast he reflects on how it is decisive that people know each other to manage the whole cycle of water and how all these LGUs rely on each other for social, economic and environmental development.

In a series of podcasts the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, VNG International, interviews people involved in the programme Governance of Inclusive Green Growth in Cities (DEALS). Our main question is: what or who makes the key difference at the local level?

VNG International is an expert in strengthening local government in developing and transitional countries. DEALS is a programme to support fast-growing cities in the transition to inclusive and sustainable development. For this transition new forms of cooperation are needed between local government, companies, social organizations, knowledge institutions and funding institutions.

The DEALS programme is financed by the Netherlands ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Inclusive Green Growth department.