Members of the Zamboanga media and other stakeholders and the City Government’s Public Information Office gathered for a 2-day workshop April 20-21 to come up with a strategic communication plan to strengthen information dissemination and community engagement on government plans, projects and activities.

Held under the auspices of the USAID-CHANGE, the 2-day session held at Marcian Hotel, highlighted the whole of society approach where the government engages stakeholders to formulate a common agenda on information and communication with the ultimate goal of strengthening resilience of communities and the society as a whole.

The activity achieved its goal of coming up with a strategic communication plan, a written plan that will guide the City Government’s PIO to effectively deliver information to the appropriate audience.

The opening session tackled interesting topics such as Media Ethics which was discussed by Atty. Jovian Diesto, media expectations/ issues and concerns presented by City Hall Press Corps president Shirly Espino, overview on the role of the PIO tackled by Public Information Officer IV Sheila Covarrubias and the session overview, Safe Space Act (2019), whole of governance approach and whole of society approach and policy framework for citizen and CSO engagement presented by USAID-CHANGE City Governance Coordinator Jose Maria Antonio Bringas.

Participants to the 2-day workshop included members of the City Hall press corps, Barangay Information Officers Network, Community Based Monitoring System team, BS-Development Communication students from the Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University, social media team of Mayor John Dalipe, Assistant Human Resource Management Officer Jericho Bustamante and the PIO team.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports strengthened democratic governance in the Philippines through its Cities for Enhanced Governance and Engagement (CHANGE) Project. USAID CHANGE fosters capacity and harmony of governments, civil society, and private sector to improve the implementation of decentralization, enhance local governments’ legitimacy and effectiveness, and empower citizens toward more responsive, transparent, and accountable local governance. (Sheila Covarrubias)