USAID’s Ethan Takahashi and City Mayor Jane Yap, together with the 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod led by Vice-Mayor Atty. Adam Jala led the ribbon-cutting of the new CSO hub inside the City Hall Building. The newest hub will serve as the focal point of civil society engagement in local governance. CSO Head Alvin Acuzar will man the office in collaboration with the Tagbilaran City People’s Council.
To capacitate the CSO in its engagement with the local government, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Cities for Enhanced Governance and Engagement (CHANGE) Project conducted a two-day training on Social Accountability Training on Dialogue and Power Dynamics.
Accredited civil society organizations in Tagbilaran, representatives from the academe, local government employees, and the entire members of the 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod attended the training. The workshop focused on the principles of local good governance such as Transparency, Accountability, and Participation.
Vice-Mayor Atty. Adam Jala gave the opening remarks and stressed that Participatory Governance is important.
“Our synergy in this advocacy is a testament of a strong political will to be inclusive in our quest to advance the ideals of our beloved Tagbilaran. We are all here to learn and adapt this revolutionary approach,” Vice-Mayor Jala said.
USAID CHANGE Project Chief of Party Sergio Andal, Jr. said they want to make local governance responsive thru decentralization, capacitated service delivery, and increased participation of the private sector. The trainings are geared to equip the participants with the necessary skills to make engagement in the local government effective and productive. The interactive workshop provided the participants with engaging activities that discussed the social accountability process, enabling conditions, effective interface techniques, and the feedback process. (Jeanette Busano)
