THE City Government of Tagbilaran, through the City Civil Society Organization (CSO) Desk and the Tagbilaran City People’s Council successfully concluded the CSO Empowerment Week 2025 on October 25, 2025 marking a week of learning, collaboration, and celebration that highlighted the vital role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in participatory governance.
The weeklong celebration, held from October 20 to 25, 2025, opened with a Thanksgiving Mass, a motorcade around the city’s major thoroughfares, and a Binisaya Singing Contest at the Tagbilaran City Hall Atrium.
The opening program featured messages from Mayor Jane Yap represented by City Administrator Alvin Luis Acuzar, Vice Mayor Adam Relson Jala, Councilor Jose Floro Ringca, TCPC Chairperson Ms. Marietta Gasatan and TCPC Vice Chairperson Francis Bernard Batoy.
In her inspirational message, Mayor Jane Yap reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to empowering CSOs as vital partners in local governance. “Tagbilaran City continues to uphold transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness by ensuring that our CSOs are not just observers but active participants in shaping our city’s future,” Mayor Yap said.
Throughout the week, various activities were held to strengthen CSO capacity and promote civic engagement. On October 21, 2025, CSO members participated in skills training sessions covering fundamentals of writing minutes of meetings, financial literacy, and gender sensitivity, aimed at improving organizational effectiveness and inclusiveness
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Environmental stewardship took center stage on October 22 with a Mangrove Planting Activity, where CSO members joined city officials in contributing to Tagbilaran’s coastal protection and sustainability efforts.
On October 24, participants engaged in livelihood training workshops that included siomai making, pandesal making, and organic fertilizer production, thus, support local entrepreneurship and food security.
The celebration culminated on October 25 with the CSO Olympics, a day filled with fun, teamwork, and friendly competition among participating organizations, fostering unity and camaraderie across diverse community groups.
CSO Desk Officer Kim Anub expressed gratitude to all participating organizations and city departments for their active involvement throughout the week, emphasizing that the activities reflect the city’s continuing effort to advance the principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) — transparency, accountability, and civic participation.
The CSO Empowerment Week 2025 stands as another milestone in the city’s pursuit of inclusive governance under the leadership of Mayor Yap and Vice Mayor Jala, demonstrating how a government and its citizens can work hand in hand toward a more responsive, participatory, and progressive Tagbilaran City.
