Civil Society Organizations ( CSOs) from the different parts of the region joined the First Episode of Dagyaw 2023 Open Government Town Hall Meeting on June 30, 2023 in Koronadal City. 

Through the Dagyaw, participants were able to air their sentiments, raise their concerns and give suggestions in co-opting CSOs in the development process.

OIC- Asst. Regional Director Romel Patrick E. Tanghal of NEDA XII, who.was one of the town hall reporters,  presented the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, Regional Development Plan, and the participation of CSOs in planning and local governance. He highlighted that "private sectors are key stakeholders in the development planning process in SOCSKSARGEN Region."

A supplementation to ARD Tanghal’s discussion was provided by Mr. Jobe C. Tubigon of Mahintana Foundation, Inc.(MFI) where he elaborated the types of CSOs with different interests and participation in local governance. 

He also mentioned that the DILG issued MC No. 2021-012 which encourages LGUs to institutionalize the local people’s council. “CSOs are encouraged to apply for accreditation to get support from the LGUs and to be able to participate in different planning and development councils”, he added. 

He also talked about the lack of appreciation of CSOs from the local chief executives, which boils down to issues on the "credibility, capacity and performance of the organization."  He then encouraged the members of the CSOs to enroll in the CSO Academy of Region XII.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ryan S. Vidanes, Executive Director of Conrado & Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc.(CLAFI) gave his insights as one of the reactors. He said that CSOs and NGOs are all part of the development sector. For CSOs, “we have to be the voice of the sector we are representing”. 

He also emphasized that, on one hand, the CSOs should align the organization’s agenda with the priorities of the government, integrate with sectoral advocates and focus on working towards regional development. LGUs, for its part, should create an enabling environment for CSOs as appreciation to their contributions for development.

Participants freely expressed their gratitude to Dagyaw organizers because they were able to discuss matters about their participation in the development of their respective LGUs. Most CSOs who were present also expressed their interest in joining the CSO Academy. 

They also suggested that the LCEs should also be invited to have a better appreciation of the roles of the CSOs and that there should be other capacity- development activities for the designated CSO Desk Officers as they assist CSOs.

RD Akmad J. Usman, CESO III, of DBM XII, highlighted in his closing remarks the importance of the Dagyaw as an opportunity to gather inputs from the people on certain matters. He commended the management team and looked forward to another episode of Dagyaw as a follow-through for the recently concluded episode.

RD Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO XII, who joined  online, also expressed gladness for a fruitful discussion and successful conduct of the first episode of Dagyaw 2023. The second episode is set to be conducted in September, 2023.