by Wilson J Hormeguera

Xavier University-Governance and Leadership Institute (XU-GLI) tied up with the Jesse Robredo Institute of Governance of De La Salle University (DLSU) for capacity building of leaders in Mindanao.

Dr Dixon Yasay, XU-GLI director, was resource person in the Training of Trainers for Local Governance from June 2-5 at East Asia Royale Hotel in General Santos led by the Jesse Robredo Institute of Governance together with DILG, ACF International and the European Union.  Yasay trained the future trainers on effective planning and budgeting using the public sector framework.  He shared with them his successes and failures in managing the resources of his municipality when he was still mayor of Opol, Misamis Oriental.

The main theme of the training, which was participated in by local government units and selected civil society organizations in North Cotabato, was “Empowered Participatory Governance in North Cotabato Communities.”  Participants are expected to practice participatory governance in their localities. The CSOs were challenged to be effective in their engagements particularly in mainstreaming the poor in policy making of the local government units. With a heightened spirit of participation, transparency and accountability, the LGUs of North Cotabato are expected to deliver greater public value by improving the standards of living especially among the poor and marginalized.

Having a shared interest in upgrading the quality of local governance in Mindanao, XU-GLI will continue to engage with DLSU’s Jesse Robredo Institute of Governance.