COTABATO CITY – The local government of Kidapawan has launched an Oct. 3–5 a seminar on governance and accountability aimed at ensuring its youth leaders and newly-elected village officials know the essentials of good governance.
Dubbed “Basic Orientation for the Newly Elected Officials Towards Grassroots Renewal and Empowerment for Accountable and Transparent Barangays (BNEO GREAT),” the training started on Wednesday at the Department of Education convention hall in Kidapawan City.
It is being held in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista and DILG-Kidapawan Director Ging Kionisala led the orientation for the first batch of trainees, with the topics centering on public accountability, decentralization and governance, orientation on federalism, barangay government administration, development planning, financial administration, budgeting, auditing, procurement, solid waste management, legislation, and barangay justice system.
“Empowering the local leaders and the youth will help ensure effective and sustained good governance at the grassroots level,” Evangelista said in the vernacular.
Kionisala said that when local elected leaders manage the local governments effectively and with accountability, “the people will truly feel the government really exists and care for them”.
She said the DILG is ensuring that President Rodrigo Duterte’s thrust on good governance is fully implemented down to the barangay level.
Kionisala said succeeding batches of village officials for the BNEO GREAT orientation are set on Oct. 9-11, 17-19 and 22-24. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
