The Department of the Interior and Local Government – National Capital Region (DILG-NCR) together with all its regional office operating units and field offices conducted the Planning Conference for Calendar Year 2022 on March 1, 2022 via Zoom Teleconference.
DILG-NCR Assistant Regional Director Atty. Ana Lyn R. Baltazar-Cortez, in her opening remarks, highlighted the importance of teamwork in addressing outstanding concerns from the seventeen (17) field offices – laying down solutions, plans and directions of the entire DILG-NCR based on the 2022 DILG-NCR Annual Operations Plan and Budget (AOPB), and at the same time involving and engaging the field offices in ensuring the efficient implementation of all programs, projects and activities (PPAs) contained in the AOPB.
For the first item on the agenda, LGOO V Jonathan Garbo presented the output of the 2020 Strategic Planning activity held in Baguio City from January 13-16, 2019. LGOO V Garbo discussed the results the DILG-NCR has achieved for each objective, to wit: ensuring peaceful, orderly and safe communities, building environment-protective, climate change-adaptive and disaster-resilient cities, developing vibrant and productive local economies, creating high-performing and corruption-free LGUs, delivering effective, responsive, and resilient social protection services, and finally, strengthening internal capacity.
Moving forward, LGOO III and Planning Officer Mary Rose Bernadette Mabato discussed the consolidated pre-work templates of the field offices as agreed upon during the pre-planning activity. The Field Offices have raised various concerns which the Regional Planning Unit classified into four (4) capacity pillars, namely: Structure, Management Systems, Enabling Policies, and Knowledge and Learning. Each area of concern was addressed beginning with a status report and the corresponding action plans to be taken up by the respective operating unit.
Further, CAO Ana Jury H. Castillo, RN, EnP provided updates on the status of the regular funds for field offices, the allocation thereof to each field office as well as the status of centrally-managed funds and continuing funds as of March 1, 2022.
Four rounds of breakout sessions followed, facilitated by the four operating units of the DILG-NCR Regional Office, namely: the Finance and Administrative Division (FAD), Local Government Capability Development Division (LGCDD), Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division (LGMED), and Office of the Regional Director (ORD). These sessions were attended by all conference participants organized by cluster.
LGOO V Garbo also presented the first semester Office Performance & Commitment Review (OPCR) for FY 2022 as well as updates on the continuing appropriations and targets carried over from FY 2021. For her part, Section Chief of Personnel Section Rachelle Gail Lopez provided updates on the Performance Online Monitoring System (POMS).
The highlights of the discussion that took place during the breakout sessions were presented by LGOO III-Planning Officer Designate Mabato.
DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin, CESO III, in her closing remarks, thanked the planning unit for organizing the successful planning conference, noting that the activity serves as the venue by which the DILG-NCR may determine where the institution should go and how to get there. RD Agustin further emphasized the value of teamwork and to apply the reciprocity principle – “one must give before taking.” RD Agustin envisioned “dapat walang maiiwan na LGUs” in building something better for the NCR.