The DILG-NCR, through the Manila Bay Clean-Up, Rehabilitation, and Preservation Program Management Team (MBCRP-PMT), conducted the Geographic Information System (GIS) Training in collaboration with DENR-NCR and the Manila Bay Site Coordinating and Management Office (MBSCMO). 

The five-day training held on June 24 to 28, 2024 at Privato Hotel, Quezon City, was an important intervention for the DILG-NCR Manila Bay Program Development Officers in their continuing efforts to sustain the cleanliness of Manila Bay. The training covered both basic and advanced features of the software and the fundamentals of mapping through the DENR’s standard sessions and workshops.

Revolving around the ArcGIS Pro, a modern mapping tool that provides utilities for information management related to geography, several exercises were conducted, including the identification of illegal structures along waterways and the actual creation of a map layout for public reference; both of which are applicable to the components of the Department’s Manila Bay Program, specifically the Informal Settler Families (ISF) Cluster, as well as the DILG’s monitoring of LGUs.

The GIS training course also touched upon determining the condition and patterns of a particular Region or City, making the knowledge gained essential for the MBCRP Program since environmental protection is lodged under the Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division (LGMED) of the DILG-NCR.

Technical courses such as these enable the DILG-NCR Manila Bay Program Development Officers to further enhance the delivery of public service to the citizens through accurate tracking of changes in the environment, which helps in maintaining cleanliness within our communities, our waters, and Manila Bay. The DILG’s strides toward the restoration and conservation of Manila Bay will certainly be enhanced through the effective use of technology.

The DILG-NCR MBCRPP will be able to work more closely with DENR-EMB-NCR and the MBSCMO, equipped with the necessary geographical knowledge to protect and restore Manila Bay. 

The Department, with the support of the relevant partner agencies, will strive to further enhance program implementation through continuing capacity development.