The Department of the Interior and Local Government – National Capital Region (DILG-NCR), through the Project Development and Management Unit (PDMU), successfully carried out the Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) Exit Conference 2025, held last December 9, 2025 at the City Garden Suites in Ermita, Manila.

Together with the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, Inc. and DILG Field Offices, the conference highlighted the Third-Party Monitoring Rollout Program conducted across local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region. The session served as a culminating activity that presented Gawad Kalinga’s results, findings, and recommendations from its independent assessment of locally funded infrastructure projects in the NCR.

PDMU Chief Dennis de Paz commenced the session with welcoming remarks, emphasizing Gawad Kalinga’s vital role in promoting transparency and accountability in infrastructure projects. Through the TPM Program, Chief de Paz affirmed the importance of an independent monitoring body in fostering participative governance and safeguarding public trust. Moreover, the conference provided a valuable platform for discussions that strengthen project delivery in the region.

“May this session serve as a platform to share results, insights, and recommendations, paving the way for a public service that is more transparent, accountable, and trustworthy,” said Chief de Paz.

Engineer III Myza Dialoja of PDMU-NCR provided an overview of the Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) Program in Metro Manila. In her discussion, Engr. Dialoja emphasized the role of Gawad Kalinga, an accredited Civil Society Organization (CSO) with established expertise as a third-party monitoring body in other regions. Engr. Dialoja also outlined the TPM rollout, including key activities conducted and what LGUs can expect from Gawad Kalinga’s assessment.

Subsequently, Gawad Kalinga Area Team Leader Mark Gomez led a detailed discussion of the organization’s overall findings from onsite inspections and evaluations of eligible local projects. The discussion was structured around three key components of project management, namely institutional compliance, process implementation, and impact assessment. Mr. Gomez presented the results from their inspections and stakeholder interviews, along with recommendations for improving project delivery and outcomes. During the presentation, Mr. Gomez also engaged with focal persons from various field offices, who shared their observations and key takeaways from his report.

Capping off the session, Local Government Capability Development Division (LGCDD) Chief Luigi D.C. Pilarta expressed his appreciation to Gawad Kalinga and the DILG Field Offices for their active contributions to the Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) Program in the region. DC Pilarta highlighted how this initiative helped validate project quality, compliance, and outcomes, thereby upholding transparency and accountability in infrastructure governance. He further affirmed that the TPM results are vital in strengthening the Department’s oversight framework and ensuring that the infrastructures assessed genuinely reached the communities they serve.

The Third-Party Monitoring Program is an independent oversight mechanism that engages accredited Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to assess the implementation, quality, and outcomes of locally funded projects across the LGUs in the region. Through its partnership with the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, Inc., the Department fosters meaningful citizen collaboration that actively strengthens infrastructure governance and project implementation in the National Capital Region.