The DILG-Pampanga, under the leadership of Provincial Director Myrvi Fabia-Apostol, facilitated the conduct of a CSO BUB Forum to inform and engage Civil Society Organizations and the 4Ps Parent Leaders on their roles in local governance specifically for the upcoming Barangay Bottom-Up Budgeting program.
The forum, which was conducted in coordination with DILG Community Mobilizers and the DSWD Municipal and City Links, was held last March 21, 2016 at the Ichiban Express Restaurant in the City of San Fernando.
During the activity, PD Fabia urged the CSOs to continue taking part in their LGUs’ budgetary processes. Citing their significance in local development councils and in the Bottom-Up Budgeting program, she further encouraged the organizations to extensively advocate transparency in governance.
“Hindi na tayo katulad ng dati. Kasama na kayo ngayon sa mga proseso lalo na sa paggastos at pagmamasid ng budget, kasama na kayo sa pagguhit ng kapalaran ng inyong LGUs.” the Provincial Director added.
Pampanga Community Mobilizers Amelito Vitug, Nick Soriano, and Alex Sotto also presented and detailed the Barangay BUB program which lists the participation of CSOs essential to its success.
A workshop and an open forum were then conducted, the output of which were the testimonies on the BUB and 4Ps programs, recommendations on how to improve their processes, and the list of projects which the participants deemed important at the grassroots level.
Fittingly, a commitment signing ceremony concluded the activity wherein the CSOs and 4Ps Parent Leaders promised their strengthened support to the BUB and 4Ps, even airing their call to institutionalize the programs through the passage of laws.
The forum was participated by CSOs and 4Ps Parent Leaders in the City of San Fernando and Mabalacat City in the morning, and Apalit, Macabebe, Masantol, and San Simon in the afternoon while the rest of the municipalities’ fora are slated in April.
