CITY EXECUTIVES, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WELCOME CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AS PART OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE

October 2, 2022 Metro BLISTT

The city government moves closer to having private sector involved in governance after accrediting 38 civil society organization and having them as partner in the direction the city will take for the current term. During a public consultation Tuesday at the Venus Parkview Hotel, the city council and the city interior and
local government welcomed the 38 accredited CSOs who provided inputs in the legislative body’s proposed resolutions and ordinances.

“We welcome you as this time we will now have the private sectors in crafting measures that will serve our city and citizens unlike in the past when it was mostly the government,” said councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, one of the eight city council members present during the public consultation for the executive
legislative agenda for 2022 to 2025 consultative meeting. The CSOs will also be part of the special bodies earlier created to help the executive offices, some of them reconstituted including the city development council, the city school and health board which are chaired by the city mayor and chairmen of specific
committees in the city council.

Representatives from the city council research office and the city interior and local government office said that the CSOs will all be part of the development council but with only a representative to join the city mayor, the vice mayor, the chair of the barangay affairs office in a biennial meeting. Other CSOs can join the special committee including sports and recreations, health and others. Five CSOs including Rescue 911 and BB-PCAG, among others have been identified to member of the health board and again join the mayor and the city council committee chair, in this case councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda.

Other special bodies include the anti-drug abuse council or CADAC, the City Tourism Council, pricing, among others. The research and CILG representatives said that allowing CSOs to be part in governance is
mandated by Department of Interior and Local Government memorandum circular 2022-05. They are also still in the process of accrediting CSOs including a group with concerns in Family Planning which is eager in joining the City Health Board.

They added that they have until October 9 to process the remaining registrants or 100 days after the new set of city officials were inducted into office. Vice mayor Faustino Olowan has also drafted a resolution creating the CSO desk. The accredited CSOs include group of micro, small and medium enterprises, a
religious group, market and other cooperatives as well as a sport media organization.

Pigeon Lobien