In consonance and adherence to the current administration’s reform agenda of leadership by example, transparency and accountability in governance, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IX in coordination with the Local Government Academy (LGA), successfully conducted the Change Management Program and Retooling of Local Government Operations Officers (LGOOs) on December 12, 2011 held at Cecille’s Catering and Pension House, Tumaga Porcentro, Zamboanga City.

 

Participants to the activity were the Provincial and City Directors, Municipal Local Government Operations Officers (MLGOOs), Cluster Heads of the three (3) provinces, five (5) cities and sixty-seven (67) municipalities of Region IX, to include regional and provincial office technical personnel, respectively.

Likewise in attendance were Regional Director Paisal O. Abutazil, Assistant Regional Director Pedro G. Cuevas, Jr., Provincial Director (PD) Abcede H. Asjali (Zamboanga del Sur), OIC-PD Concepcion A. Capitania (Zamboanga Sibugay), OIC-PD Arnel F. Gudio (Zamboanga del Norte); OIC-City Director Moh. Taha S. Arakama (Zamboanga City); City; Local Government Operations Officers (CLGOOs) Pilar V. Gudio (Isabela City), Winefreda M. Villanos (Dapitan City), OIC-CLGOO Paulina S. Gadiano (Pagadian City) and OIC-CLGOO Lerma M. Campaner (Dipolog City), among others.

Being at the forefront of governance at the local levels, the Department saw the need to effectively capacitate and harness the technical skills and capabilities of the field personnel, the latter being in the strategic positions to covey the policies and thrusts of government.

In his message during the opening program, Regional Director Paisal O. Abutazil emphasized on the roles and responsibilities of the field officers as instruments in advocating reforms to the local government units (LGUs) to be able to concretize and realize the goals and objectives of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s administration.

“Our field officers, as catalysts for change and development at the local levels, must be apprised and atuned to the Department’s change agenda objectives,” RD Abutazil said. Director Abutazil further said that there is a need to ensure that programs and initiatives are harmonized with that of top management’s thrusts in support to national goals.

In the course of the activity, participants were oriented on the Department’s programs in line with the priority thrusts of Secretary Jesse M. Robredo based on the five (5) outcome areas (1) Empowered and Accountable LGUs (2) Disaster-Resilient LGUs (3) Competitive and Business-Friendly LGUs (4) Conflict-Free and Safe Communities and (5) Strengthened Internal Governance Capacity with the corresponding programs under each mentioned area.

Commitments of the field officers were solicited as illustrated during the cluster workshop. Moreover, purpose of which was to clearly define the criteria and roles of the clusters and be able to create and plot the Teams’ Action Agenda for local development.