By Matthan Luceño

Political aspirants from all over Mindanao and their supporters drew together for a two-day workshop on “Winning Local Elections through Effective Campaign Management” facilitated by the Governance and Leadership Institute (GLI) of Xavier University on September 29 and 30.

The participants, who are gunning for national and local positions next year, hailed from different municipalities in the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Misamis Oriental, North Cotabato and Surigao del Sur.

GLI director Dr Dixon Yasay emphasized that the key role of XU is to form local leaders who will serve based on competence and inclusiveness.

The discussions centered on the science and art of political campaigning, engaging with various resource persons on topics such as crafting the campaign message, campaign targeting, campaign planning, election guidelines and grassroots organizing, among other considerations in ensuring effective campaign management.

Incumbent mayor of Damulog, Bukidnon, Romy Tiongco served as one of the speakers. He shared his experiences in running for the mayoral seat, the story of his success and struggles during the elections, and his dedication to address the challenges of public service.

GLI seeks to train and mold progressive and capable political leaders who possess competence and a perspective toward developing and ensuring that communities live harmoniously.