Two Caraga LGUs to implement LEaDGov project of DSWD

By Johny S. Natad

BUTUAN CITY, July 24 (PIA) – Two local government units (LGU) in Caraga region are among the recipients of the Local Empowerment and Development towards Good Governance (LEaDGov) project of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID).

These are the municipalities of Jabonga in Agusan del Norte and Tagbina in Surigao del Sur.

The LEaDGov provides capacity building trainings to LGUs for improved governance and development planning.

A memorandum of agreement on LEadGov and Kalahi-CIDSS Bottom-up Budgeting (KC-BuB) Projects was signed last July 23.

The LEaDGov project will be implemented in six (6) other pilot LGUs nationwide.

“LEaDGov is designed to improve the ability of the LGU and community participation in development planning at LGU level,” Ester Villamor, regional community development specialist of DSWD Caraga, said. “This is to complement the Capability Building and Implementation Support Component of the BuB implementation.”

She said the program should be anchored on the lessons and experiences of the Poder Y Prosperidad de la Comunidad (Empowerment and Development of Communities) or PODER and Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) Projects in community-driven development for good governance.

The LEadGov pilot areas were chosen based on their effectiveness in implementing the Kalahi-CIDSS program, according to Minda Brigoli, DSWD Caraga regional director.

Other pilot LGUs for LEaDGov are Minalabac, Camarines Sur and San Pascual, Masbate in the Bicol region; and Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte and Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay in the Zamboanga Peninsula. (PIA-Caraga)