LU LEGISLATIVE EMPOWERED, TO LEGISLATIVE OFFICIALS AND STAFF
By: Rhea Matilde A. Ballesteros, GPC-SP | Photos By: GPC-SP | Date: September 8 to 30, 2021
The Center for Local and Regional Governance of the National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines conducted a six-day online training course on Legislative Empowerment through Virtual Learning Exercises in Local Policy Making and Applied Research that is customized for the provincial and municipal legislators and legislative support team of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and local sanggunians of the Province of La Union.
This specialized training has six half-day synchronous sessions and 12 days for asynchronous sessions which ran from September 8 to 30, 2021. 14 SP officials, two Municipal Vice-Mayors, 10 Local Sangguniang Secretaries, one PGLU Department Head, and 23 legislative and technical staff of the Vice-Governor and Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members and the Office of the Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan participated in the training.
Likewise, it was amongst the initiatives of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan under the leadership of Vice Gov. Mario Eduardo C. Ortega towards continuing professional and skills development of sanggunian members and the legislative team which aimed to sharpen and enhance their competency in crafting legislative measures that are truly responsive to the needs of the constituents, thereby molding them to become champions in the field of local development legislation. The online course utilized a combination of training methodologies, including lecture, virtual translational simulation exercise depicting how the sanggunian exercises its function of crafting local policies, brainstorming, workshop, plenary presentation, discussion and critiquing of group outputs, and other relevant techniques the resource persons applied in presenting their topics more effectively.
The topics discussed include New Normal Needs of the Provincial Government of La Union through Legislative Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of Legislative Measures; How to Prepare a Local Legislative Research Agenda; Innovations in Local Development Legislation; Local Development Legislation; and Quasi-judicial function of the Sanggunian.
Aside from the enhanced knowledge, skills and competence of SP and SB officials and staff, among the major outputs of the training course are the formulation of Legislative Research Agenda for 2022- 2024 and the formulation and adoption of guidelines on Research and Policy Development.
