TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Representatives of various civil society organizations (CSO) here attended the one-day capability development program organized by the City Barangay Affairs and Community Relations Office (CBACRO).
According to Gemma Bawanta, City Local Government Operations Officer, the activity’s goal is to give CSOs the knowledge and skills they need to be effective members of local special bodies (LSB) and to help them define their responsibilities in that capacity.
City Councilor Atty. Kristian Wandag, Committee Chairman on Planning, Research and Development, emphasized that CSO operations should be in line with the goals and strategies of the national government.
Different topics were provided for conversations in order to level the playing field for CSO participation in decision-making as a measure of empowerment.
These topics are the capacity development program for CSO in Local School Board by Jeremias Ammakiw of the City Vice Mayor’s Office; training content for Local Health Board by Jandelle Taguiam, nurse of the City Health Services Office; and capacity development for CSO in Local Development Council (LDC) by Maricel Kiley, City Planning and Development Officer.
Enrique Baliang, who spoke on behalf of City Mayor Darwin Estrañero, stated that CSOs help the city government improve by contributing their abilities to the well-being of the community. He continued by saying that as collaborators in nation-building, the local administration supports all of the CSOs’ initiatives.
CSOs are partners with the government in the formulation and execution of plans and projects, according to City Barangay Affairs and Community Relations Officer Reamcy Mar Adong. In order to join the LDC, he advised all CSOs to obtain accreditation from the Sangunian Panlungsod.