CSO partners capacitated on local sectoral representation

23-27 October 2023, Pasig City: PLCPD hosted a four-day orientation and capacity building activity aimed at equipping partner civil society organizations (CSO) to maximize existing mechanisms for meaningful participation in local governance by providing them with knowledge on the composition and functions of local sectoral representatives (LSR) and local special bodies (LSB) as mandated by the Local Government Code and provided by the 1987 Constitution.

The activity was organized in partnership with We Effect, with the support of the European Union, as part of the DISCERN project or “Developing and Strengthening Civil Society Organizations for Empowered Representation.” DISCERN is primarily designed to stimulate an inclusive and responsive local governance, social change as well as inclusive policy-making in the Philippines while strengthening the capacity of CSOs.

Participating CSOs from across the country include Zone One Tondo, Inc. (SM-ZOTO, Inc.), Davao Federation of Farmers’ Integrated Services Cooperatives, Inc. (DAFISCO, Inc.), Federation of Multi-Sectoral Alliance for Development (MUAD) – Negros, Foundation for Agrarian Reform Cooperatives in Mindanao (FARMCOOP), Institute for Philippine Cooperative & Social Enterprise Development (IPCSED), Pambansang Tagapag-ugnay ng Manggagawa sa Bahay (PATAMABA), Circle Forge, Inc., Concern, Inc., LUPA and Sarilaya.

Former Rep. Teddy Baguilat and Former Rep. Tom Villarin shared key knowledge and their experiences as former local chief executive and Undersecretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, respectively, on LSBs, LDC, and updates on LSR Bill to further equip the participants with the ways by which they can extend their engagements in local governance. The training also included a session on data mining and analysis centered on discussing efficient and lawful processes in retrieving information from government sources. The training concluded with the preparation and presentation of CSO partners’ LSR advocacy plans targeted to be implemented by their respective organizations within the remaining quarter of this year until June 2024.