ISABELA CITY, Basilan, July 12 (PIA) – In an
effort to capacitate local leaders to respond effectively to social problems,
the Department of Social Welfare and Development in partnership with the
Zuellig Family Foundation has organized a 4-day seminar on Bridging Leadership
in Zamboanga City last week.
In a press release, DSWD-9 Information
Officer Narrabelle Bue said the training is aimed at enhancing the capacities
of the local chief executive in leadership for attaining social objectives and
outcomes through the development of personal awareness of their capacities and
purpose as leaders, analyzing the social problems of their constituents and
identifying stakeholders as partners.
DSWD Regional Director Teodulo Romo, who
addressed the mayors and staff from the 11 municipalities in Region 9,
highlighted the importance of their leadership in guiding the communities to
development.
He cited some social realities in the
Philippines such as the state of the poor families which had barely improved in
the recent years as vast portions of the gains of economic growth is being
benefited by the elite group in the country.
“Accordingly, where the trickle-down (effect)
theory has failed, a paradigm shift is being done by the government, by
ensuring that services and programs are directly implemented at the grassroots
level, which immensely requires the full participation of the local government
units,” he said.
Romo added that the bottom-up planning
strategy of the government encourages inputs from the community and becomes
bases for national budgetary and developmental planning.
Meanwhile, Zuellig Family Foundation
Institute Director Bong Villamor affirmed the participating agencies’ and organizations’
goal of equipping and enhancing the capabilities of the local government units
particularly in making a difference in achieving the Millenium Development
Goals on poverty-reduction and maternal and infant mortality.
Other partners involved in this effort
include the Ateneo de Zamboanga University and Davao Medical School Foundation
who were represented during the seminar.
The activity includes 12 sessions with focus on
leadership and governance addressing social and health issues. The mayors are expected to come up with a
six-month plan addressing challenges in the attainment of improved
poverty-reduction and improved maternal and infant mortality. (RVC/PIA9-ZBST)