A CALL FOR A CABINET CLUSTER FOR MULTILATERAL GOVERNANCE

A CALL FOR A CABINET CLUSTER FOR MULTILATERAL GOVERNANCE

In the realm of public administration and inter-agency cooperation, protocol is not just about form—it is about function. When multiple stakeholders gather around a single issue, whether from government, business, civil society, or foreign agencies, clarity in who sits where and how they relate to each other often determines whether progress happens—or stalls.

Back in 1996, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum faced a conundrum. The "Three Chinas"—the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Hong Kong—couldn’t sit together, let alone agree on terminology. A solution emerged: treat APEC as a forum of economies, not countries. Hence, “Chinese Taipei” was born, and diplomacy triumphed through smart protocol.

That lesson remains powerful today. If protocol could unite historically antagonistic actors on the global stage, why do we continue to struggle with coordination among our own government agencies?

A New Cabinet Cluster for Multilateral Coordination

I propose the establishment of a Cabinet Cluster for Multilateral Governance and Interagency Protocols, under the Office of the President. This cluster would serve as the central mechanism for harmonizing the activities, meetings, and collaborative engagements across departments, sectors, and levels of government, particularly in multistakeholder environments such as:

• Climate resilience and disaster risk reduction
• Environment and natural resources management
• Sustainable urban and rural development
• Local autonomy and regional cooperation
• Public-private partnerships in service delivery

Too often, progress is stalled not for lack of resources or will, but due to ambiguities in agency roles, competition over jurisdiction, or simple protocol confusion—from seating arrangements to who speaks first. These may seem like mundane details, but they can derail agendas before they begin.

Lessons from the Global Stage

In APEC and ASEAN, a sequenced protocol framework ensures that ideas and agreements mature through stages—from Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to Senior Officials Meetings (SOMs), to Ministerial Meetings (MMs), and finally to Leaders’ Meetings (LMs). This allows sensitive issues to be debated without losing face or leverage at the higher levels.

Locally, we can replicate this model. We already have the Regional Development Councils (RDCs) and Local Development Councils (LDCs), but no unifying structure that standardizes inter-municipal and inter-agency meetings across functions. We need a protocol architecture—a ladder where inputs from barangays and LGUs are escalated smoothly to national clusters, with clear rules on who leads, who supports, and how agreements are validated.

Why a Cabinet Cluster?

Because coordination cannot be ad hoc anymore. In this administration, we've seen renewed emphasis on clusters—Infrastructure, Digital Transformation, Human Development. But there is no cluster solely focused on how to coordinate the clusters themselves. A Multilateral Governance Cluster would provide that meta-level support.

Its responsibilities would include:

• Setting standard protocols for inter-agency and inter-sectoral meetings
• Coordinating multi-level government engagement (barangay to national)
• Overseeing data sharing and reporting protocols between agencies
• Managing foreign-funded, multi-agency projects to reduce redundancy
• Harmonizing communication protocols in disaster response, peacebuilding, and environmental action

It can even coordinate with Congress and LGU leagues, to make sure executive-legislative relations at the local level follow consistent frameworks.

The Need for a Cultural Shift

Let’s face it. Too many meetings fail not due to the big disagreements, but because of the small frictions. Who chairs the meeting? Whose name is missing from the nameplate? Who was not invited? These seemingly petty issues break down trust and momentum. That’s where protocol comes in—not as bureaucracy, but as an enabler of collaboration.

This is particularly important in environmental and climate-related governance, where NGOs, academic institutions, Indigenous Peoples, and foreign development partners must work together with agencies like DENR, DOST, DILG, DOH, and NDRRMC. Without protocol, these meetings become turf battles. With protocol, they become platforms for progress.

Moving Forward

Mr. President, your administration has a golden opportunity to institutionalize multilateralism in governance. Let’s stop treating meetings as one-off events and start building a national coordination infrastructure.

Let’s give the country a Cabinet Cluster that doesn’t just focus on what agencies do, but how they work together.

Because in governance—as in diplomacy—protocol is power.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

09-02-2025