Seventeen (17) Community Leaders and Civil Society Organization (CSO) Representatives completed the First Session of the Community Engagement Program (CEP) last Friday, August 31, 2018, at the Public Information Office (PIO) conference/media room, City Hall, Zamboanga City. No less than the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Technical Working Group (TWG) Member, EnP. Nova Jane P. Lacbao, of the Office of the City Assessor, gave the morning lecture on the relevant provisions of the Government Procurement Reform Act. The experienced BAC TWG Member explained the tedious and highly technical process of procurement in the City Government and roles of the private sector to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

The afternoon session was accommodated by Ms. Evelyn N. Potani, Project Development Officer II, of the Office of the City Planning and Development Office. Ms. Potani, who has years of experience in investment programming, taught the participants the process of linking Plans and Budgets through Investment Programming. She explained the importance of meeting deadlines in the submission of Annual Investment Programs (AIPs), as well as the usual errors committed by the submitting departments/agencies in their submitted AIPs.

The CEP is a program by the Research, Evaluation and Statistics Division (RESD) of the Office of the City Planning and Development Coordinator. It is a product of the Professional Fellows Program (PFP) and the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) where EnP Jessie Christopher B. Lapinid of the RESD became part of.  The CEP was inspired by the Community Engagement University (CEU) project of the City Government of Kansas City, Missouri. The Program aims to strengthen people participation in government and development exercises by empowering community leaders and representatives with knowledge on government structures, procedures and protocols.  Local government officials and officers will directly engage with community leaders through a series of demand-driven lectures, dialogues and forums to bridge the knowledge gap, discuss relevant issues in the community and strengthen partnership in pursuit of local autonomy. – JCBL, RESD