THE CENTRAL

2019 ‘Dagyaw’ regional dialogue up in 10 more regions

government is bringing its regional dialogue to 10 more regions in the country within the year, giving Filipinos a chance to directly interface with senior government officials.

After the Dagyaw 2019 regional dialogue at the Leyte Normal University here on Thursday, the activity will also be held in different parts of the country – in partnership with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), and non-government organizations.

“We continue the telling of our country’s story enjoining the people to participate in governance by bringing the President’s cabinet secretaries into your actual lives through this town hall meeting to communicate, to clarify, and to converge,” said PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar during the event.

The national government held the first dialogue in Pampanga (Region 3) on July 2. It was also conducted in Cebu (Region 7) on July 9; Davao City (Region 11) on July 16, Koronadal City (Region 12) on July 25, and Manila (National Capital Region) on July 30.

After the Eastern Visayas leg, key officials will hold town hall meetings in Butuan (Region 13) on Aug. 6, Cagayan de Oro (Region 10) on Aug. 8, Batangas (Region 4-A) on Aug. 13, Tuguegarao (Region 2) on Aug. 20, Pangasinan (Region 1) on Aug. 22, Legazpi City (Region 5) on Aug. 27, Iloilo City (Region 6) on Sept. 3, Baguio City (Cordillera Administrative Region) on Sept. 10, Zamboanga City (Region 9) on Sept. 17, and Calapan City (Region 4-B) on Sept. 25.

At the event here, among the topics discussed by 600 participants from the government and private sectors are high poverty incidence, post-disaster housing projects, and unemployment.

Among those present to answer questions are key national and regional officials from the DILG, PCOO, DBM, National Housing Authority, National Anti-Poverty Commission, and Department of Labor and Employment.

The Dagyaw 2019: Open Government and Participatory Governance Regional Dialogues encourage participation in dialogues among government agencies, the public, and other stakeholders.

The word “Dagyaw” is a Hiligaynon term for “Bayanihan,” which exemplifies the concept of “togetherness.” It is envisioned to be one of the main government campaigns that will provide avenues for productive, valuable, sincere, and visible engagement between government and the people at the local level.

As a platform for engagement and convergence, each regional dialogue will focus on area-specific topics to address the issues and problems experienced in the locality.

The Dagyaw dialogues will also serve as a mechanism for citizen engagement in programs related to frontline service delivery such as health, education, housing, electricity, and infrastructure, as well as anti-corruption efforts of the government.

The town hall sessions are likewise intended to communicate the good governance reforms of the Duterte administration such as the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law and the “Build, Build, Build” program, among many others.(By Sarwell Meniano)