On February 27, 2024, the DILG Regional Office XII, through its Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division (LGMED), facilitated an orientation on the guidelines and tools for this year's implementation of the Governance Exemplars for Meaningful Service for the Sangguniang Kabataan (GEMS for SK).

Participants in the activity include members of the SK Monitoring and Evaluation Teams (MET) in all 53 local government units of SOCCSKSARGEN established under Section 3.3 of DILG Regional Memorandum Circular No. 2023-08, as amended.

In the opening message of Atty. Rochelle D. Mahinay- Sero, CESE, delivered by LGOO VI Ian Jon S. Clemente, LGMED Assistant Division Chief, she urged all members of the MET to be objective in conducting the assessment in order to establish a clear baseline for the Sangguniang Kabataan's performance. In doing so, appropriate learning activities can be implemented to help them perform their duties and functions more effectively as elected SK officials.

The DILG Dose's flagship program, GEMS for SK, began in 2021 through the initiative of DILG Assistant Secretary Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO III, former Regional Director of DILG Dose. The objective of the program is to assess all Sangguniang Kabataan and Pederasyon ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan of SOCCSKSARGEN in four areas: organizational effectiveness, development planning, financial administration, and leadership and innovation.