Four hundred and thirty three (433) aspiring Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) seeking accreditation and membership to the Local Development Councils (LDCs) and other Local Special Bodies (LSBs) from across the province of Zambales were given orientation on the relevance of peoples' active participation in local governance through the CSO Conference conducted last August 2-9, 2019.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Zambales through the Municipal Local Government Operations Officers (MLGOOs) in partnership with the thirteen (13) Local Government Units (LGUs) of Zambales facilitated the conduct of the CSO conference in their respective municipalities to boost awareness and understanding of CSOs on the importance of civil society participation and to increase their capacity to effectively engage in local governance.

MLGOOs discussed the relevance of participatory governance through DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2019-72. This MC focuses on the Guidelines on the accreditation of Civil Society Organizations and selection of representatives to the Local Special Bodies.

Workshops were also facilitated by MLGOOs to solicit feedback from the CSOs relative to the past accreditation.

This year's CSO conference anticipates more participative local governance as this serves as a jumpstart instrumental on revitalizing the Local Special Bodies, which play important roles in nation-building.