Caraga hosts Vice Mayors’ League national convention
By Renelle Escuadro
Butuan
City (PIA) – The Caraga Region served as host of the Vice Mayors' League of the
Philippines (VMLP) 28th National Convention and 4th Conference Academy of
Presiding Officers at Almont Inland Resort in Butuan City on April 10-12.
The
three-day convergence was attended by Vice President and Secretary of the
Department of Education Sara Z. Duterte and Senator Imee R. Marcos.
Vice
mayors from the 149 cities and 1,485 municipalities in the country participated
in the grand gathering with the theme, “Future-proofing the Local Legislature,
Scaling Up Towards Smart Local Communities.”
Butuan
City Vice Mayor Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun welcomed all the delegates and
pondered their core, stating, “Local legislatures have to be constantly
proactive and innovative while we try to continue to be relevant and responsive
to the demands of the time without setting aside the principles of
transparency, inclusivity, efficiency, and accountability.”
Fortun
hoped that activities like the national convention could build a strong and
united legislative agenda that is useful to their league and can be carried by
the vice mayors with them to their respective city or municipality. Legislative
agenda for issues that are common to the LGU’s that they may also file with
their local councils, which is way faster than bringing these agendas to the
House of Representatives and the Senate.
In his message during the first day of the VMLP 28th National Convention
and 4th Conference Academy of Presiding Officers on April 10, Butuan
City Vice Mayor Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun gave emphasis on the primary
role of vice mayors, which is to provide timely local legislation.
Legislations submitted to Congress took time before they became law.
LGUs, on the other hand, can legislate and act faster and perform
oversight more closely and efficiently. Photo courtesy of VMLP Caraga.
Sen.
Marcos, as keynote speaker, lauded each and every vice mayor in attendance who
is working hard round the clock in their respective areas, stating, “You are
humbly performing two challenging roles as an all-time-ready officer-in-charge
if the local chief executive is not around and as a lawmaker.”
Senator Imee R. Marcos, as keynote speaker of the VMLP 28th National
Convention and 4th Conference Academy of Presiding Officers in Butuan
City, recognized the significant responsibilities of the vice mayors of
the country.Photo courtesy of VMLP Caraga
She said,
"Regardless of your political color and jurisdiction, it is very important
that, as a legislature and as a vice mayor, you should be an expert in
legislation and good governance, and these should be manifested in your
job."
Day one of the activity showcased a productive forum put on stage by the Director of the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), Dr. Reginald Ugaddan, that discussed the status of smart city development and the state of digital adoption and use in the country, emphasizing its benefits in transitioning into an efficient urban ecology.
Dr.
Ugaddan also acknowledged emerging trends and issues in pursuing the path of sustainable
governance. He brought into light the Philippine government and local efforts
to ensure the steady progress of a handful of cities in the country and their
transition into smart metropolises.
During the Vice Mayors' League of the Philippines 28th National
Convention and 4th Conference Academy of Presiding Officers, Vice
President of the Philippines and Department of Education Secretary Sara
Z. Duterte initially thanked the VMLP for choosing Caraga Region and
Mindanao as the venue of this year’s convention.Photo courtesy of VMLP
Caraga
The
second day was attended by Vice President Duterte who addressed the long
standing issue of basic education and presented the MATATAG agenda, a
comprehensive roadmap aimed at resolving current educational challenges. She
emphasized the value of partnerships with local government units and the
private sector.
“Education
is everyone's business. Akin pong paki-usap kung pwede tutukan natin hindi lang
ang paggawa ng mga classrooms, kundi pati na 'yong school-based feeding
program,” said Duterte.
[My
request is not only to prioritize the building of classrooms but also the
school-based feeding program].
“By
working together, we can overcome the basic barriers to education and create a
better future for the Philippines. Together, we can change the educational
landscape of the Filipinos, one learner at a time,” Duterte emphasized.
Duterte
further segued and personally visited the pilot schools in Butuan City for the
implementation of the MATATAG curriculum.
Participants
on day two were engaged in breakout sessions as they were split into two
groups. Group A, handled by the Civil Service Caraga XIII Regional Director
Atty. Winston L. Plaza discussed "Human Resource Management from a
Legislative Perspective."
Group B
was administered by the College Secretary of University of the Philippines
College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) Dr. Erwin Gaspar
tackled "Directing Policy on Reorganization and Policy."
With
the theme “Future-proofing the Local Legislature, Scaling Up Towards
Smart Local Communities,” this year’s Vice Mayors’ League of the
Philippines national convention ensured that the plenary sessions and
open forum would deliver the message on the pivotal role of
digitalization and technology at the local government units. Photo
courtesy of VMLP Caraga.
An open
forum also took place with acting Provincial Secretary of La Union, Dr. Jane T.
Florez, and Dr. Gaspar on "Good Housekeeping for the Sanggunian:
Data Governance, Legislative Tracking and Digitalization."
As part
of the VMLP itinerary, the vice mayors of the country had the opportunity to
also visit local government units in the region, such as Siargao Island,
Surigao del Norte, and the Province of Dinagat Islands. (RLE/PIA-Caraga)
