The DILG Las Piñas Field Office, headed by City Director Mary Anne B. Planas, CESO V, hosted the DILG-NCR Regional Team Conference (RTC) held on April 25, 2023 at the Excelsior Hotel.

Attended by all 16 City Directors and lone Municipal Local Government Operations Officer in the National Capital Region, as well as the Division Chiefs of DILG-NCR’s operating units, the RTC serves as the platform in which pressing concerns are taken up and updates given regarding the implementation of various programs, projects, and activities being handled by the Regional and Field Offices.

The Las Piñas City Tourism Office, represented by Ms. Lea M. Rodriguez, Head of the City’s Human Resource Management Department, led a tour of the City’s Tourism Governance sites and related initiatives.

The delegation was shown the City’s Bamboo Organ Museum and Botanical Garden and Nursery. They also visited the Las Piñas City Community Garden, part of DILG’s Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG) sa Barangay Project, which aims to boost food security in local communities. The Community Garden also teaches households various ways to grow herbs and vegetables in an urban setting by demonstrating: container gardening, vertical gardening, and hydroponics. The HAPAG project is undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture.

Representing Las Piñas City Mayor Hon. Imelda T. Aguilar, City Administrator Reynaldo C. Balagulan thanked DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin, CESO III, for the support given to the city. Mr. Balagulan also remarked that the tours conducted for the delegation showcase the City’s Best Practices in Tourism Governance, and are part of the City’s ongoing efforts to address poverty and food security issues affecting Las Piñas residents. At the same time, these projects boost local tourism by drawing visitors to local agricultural attractions, like HAPAG, and to traditional tourist sites like the Bamboo Organ Museum.

In her message during the conference, RD Agustin expressed the need to provide support for LGUs undergoing various performance audits, saying, “…we need to intensify our efforts to help NCR LGUs not only meet minimum standards of performance but excel in the various audits so as to qualify them for national recognition and honors.”

The proceedings concluded with the summation of working arrangements made between and among the conferees in the RTC.