SYNERGY. XU - Governance and Leadership Institute director Dr Dixon Yasay shares on the importance of local partnerships to Makati City legislators. Supplied photo.
By Wilson J Hormeguera
Xavier University’s Governance and Leadership Institute (GLI) director Dr Dixon Q Yasay recently served as one of the resource speakers in a specialized course on local policymaking for Makati City legislators.
Yasay discussed to the legislators the concepts and groundwork for local policymaking in partnership with the city’s executive departments, highlighting the importance of executive-legislative collaboration towards achieving their common strategic goals and priorities.
“Producing sustainable results require alignment and synergy between the LGU’s executive and legislative branches,” said Yasay during his presentation on public value framework.
The resource persons during the course included local government practitioners, academicians, capability-building specialists, and experts from different fields. Besides Yasay, other speakers included lawyer Benedicto Gonzales, Willie Prilles Jr, Thelma Japzon, lawyer Leila Magda Rivera, lawyer JGE Moreno Jr, Commission on Human Rights commissioner Karen Dumpit, lawyer Mark Gamboa, and Juan Jovian Ingeniero.
STAR-STUDDED. Popular artists-turned-politicians Rico J Puno and Virgilio “Jhong” Hilario Jr participate in the specialized course dubbed “Makati City: Gearing up for Legislative Enhancement and Productivity." Supplied photo.
All eight elected councilors from the first district attended the workshop, namely, Virgilio “Jhong” Hilario Jr, Fedinand T Eusebio, Rico J Puno, Ma Concepcion M Yabut, Marie Alethea Casal-Uy, Romeo C Medina, Ma Arlene M Ortega, and Luis Javier. The councilors from the second district who participated were Nemesio “King” Yabut Jr, Nelson “Doc” Pasia, Mary Ruth C, Tolentino, Divina Jacome, Evelyn Delfina Villamayor, Graziele Iony de Lara-Bes, and Shirley Aspillaga.
The specialized course, dubbed “Makati City: Gearing up for Legislative Enhancement and Productivity,” was organized by the University of the Philippines - Diliman’s Center for Local and Regional Governance.
Joining local policymaking in the list of topics covered during the event were local legislative process, quasi-judicial functions of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, local planning-budgeting-legislation interface, evidence-based local legislation, rights-based approach to local legislation, executive-legislative agenda development, implementation tracking and evaluation, and teambuilding for effective local legislation. ∎