The Department of the Interior and Local Government National Capital Region conducted the Building the Builders: Strengthening the Capacity of the Pasig City CSO Academy (PCCA) to Promote Participatory Governance at Privato Hotel Ortigas, City of Pasig on November 21, 2024. The workshop aims to assist PCCA in crafting its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Framework to analyze, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of PCCA’s programs, sustainability plan, and capacity development interventions.

In the opening remarks, DILG Pasig City Director Visitacion C. Martinez, CESO V lauds the efforts of the Academy in building the capacities of CSOs, promoting meaningful participatory governance through developing modules and knowledge products for CSOs. CD Martinez urged the Academy to continue its initiatives to ensure that the CSOs in its localities are sustainable and have a greater impact on the development of the region.

With 30 years of experience as a social worker, Professor Anna Kristinna Palomo, LMSW underscored the importance of locally led leadership in ensuring that CSOs will have sustainable operations and can pinpoint the right solution to local challenges. In her lecture, Professor Palomo discussed the relevant tools for crafting the PCCA’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Framework to set clear goals and strategies for measuring and evaluating the impact of the Academy’s capacity development interventions.

In his closing remarks, the Local Government Capacity Development Division Acting Chief Luigi D.C. Pilarta urged the PCCA and CSO representatives to join the initiatives and projects toward a transparent, accountable, responsive, and inclusive local government.

“The future of our country is not dependent on the shoulders of a few, but instead on all of us. Let us work together to promote meaningful participatory governance, open government partnership, and locally led developments to uphold our democratic processes and contribute to improving local government’s public service delivery,” said LGCDD Chief Pilarta.

As a reliable partner of CSOs, the DILG-NCR adheres to its commitment to building collaboration and forging partnerships between the local government and the citizens. The Pillars of PCCA, City of Pasig CSO desk officers, DILG Pasig field officers, and DILG-NCR personnel graced the activity.