DSWD trains ZamPen mayors on bridging leadership

By Rene V. Carbayas

Thursday 12th of July 2012

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, July 12 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development, in partnership with the Zuellig Family Foundation, has organized a four-day seminar on bridging leadership in Zamboanga City last week.

In a press statement, 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.

“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.

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. (JPA/RVC/PIA9-ZBST)