Collaborating and partnering with the private sector and cause-oriented organizations support the advancement of open governance, members of the Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG) learned during a lecture on the topic in Quezon City on 4 to 6 June.
The lecture — Module 3 of the Leaders for Excellence and Public Service-Open Government Fellowship Program (LEAP-OGFP) of M4GG — was sponsored by partner British Embassy Manila and held at Ibis Styles Manila.
Dr. Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, a professor and former dean of the National College of Public Administration and Governance of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, led speakers at the third installment of the LEAP-OGFP module series.
Aboitiz Foundation president Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar also was among the speakers in the workshop that also featured dialogue with representatives of the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines and other private sector partners, namely GCash, BDO Foundation, Synergeia Foundation.
LEAP-OGFP is a four-module leadership series that aims to capacitate local chief executives to foster transparency and open government initiatives to improve public service delivery, reduces corruption risks, and strengthens our democratic institutions.
The four-module program culminates in a capstone project where leaders design actionable solutions to directly address a specific governance gap or corruption risk within their respective local government units (LGU).
As part of Module 3, the mayor-fellows conducted benchmarking activities in Pasig City and Valenzuela City. They first visited the Pasig City Innovation for Circular Economy Hub to observe effective solid waste management programs and recycling and upcycling initiatives.
The mayors then proceeded to Valenzuela City to observe the sustainability and orderly management of Disiplina Village in Barangay Bignay, the largest and most modern in-city relocation site in the Philippines that is fully equipped with an urban farm, a public school and highly accessible LGU services.
The fellows capped the event with a visit to the city’s ALERT Center to learn about disaster preparedness and relief mobilization.