Barangay Leaders Learn Good Governance Fundamentals

PARTICIPATION is the key to good governance.

This was the chief message of Zamboanga-Basilan Integrated Development Alliance, Inc. (ZABIDA) president Fr. Angel Calvo, CMF as he closed today, January 25, a three-day training on good governance for barangay officials and community leaders. The training held on January 23 – 25 at Marcian Business Hotel in downtown Zamboanga City is part of a grant by the Australian Assistance for International Development (Ausaid) to ZABIDA called Ausaid Integrated Social Empowerment for Marginalized Sectors in Zamboanga and Basilan Program.

If you have barangay governance that is responsive to the needs of your marginalized residents, then you can change for the better your communities, Fr. Calvo told the over 30 community officials and leaders representing 20 barangays of Basilan and the city. This is the dream and commitment in the partnership between your communities and ZABIDA, he said. The barangays receive continuing encapacitation assistance from the development consortium since the past year.

In the seminar, the officials learned skills in “Adult Learning and Module Making”, barangay development planning and implementation, and social scanning. A resource person from the Department of Interior and Local Government briefed them on “Governance: Empowerment and Participation of Citizenry”. They were also updated on the poverty situation in the region by National Statistical Coordinating Board regional chief MewchunPamaran and on the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro by Dr. Grace Rebollos.

In the forums and group discussions, the participants acknowledged the need for strong communication among stakeholders in their community, learn how to engage them in development planning and activities, community organizing and practices in good governance. They also tackled subjects such as disaster management and solid waste disposal.

Under ZABIDA’s integrated community development approach, participating communities and individuals are trained into becoming self-active program and project cooperators imbued with principles in transparency and accountability to one another, to partner government and non-government organizations, and especially to their constituents.

This is a demanding effort, Fr. Calvo acknowledged to the participants. By sacrificing your precious time to attend this training, your commitment will ensure that this effort will flourish, he assured them.

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