By Lilibeth A. French
The regional office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Western Visayas together with partner agencies are gearing up for a series of dialogues on key national and local issues and plans amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) this November.
DILG 6 Regional Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero on Monday virtually met heads and representatives of the Department of Budget and Management 6 and Philippine Information Agency 6 to discuss preparations and implementation plan for the conduct of “Dagyaw 2020: Open Government Virtual Townhall Meetings” in the region.
It will be recalled that DILG 6 spearheaded the successful conduct of the Dagyaw 2019: Open Government and Participatory Governance Regional Town Hall Meeting which was participated in by 770 participants coming from the different provinces, offices and sectoral groups in the region on September 3, 2019 at the Iloilo Convention Center.
With the current situation due to COVID 19 pandemic, the activity was rebranded to leverage on and utilize various civic technology and online platforms in observance of the required health protocol and with the limitations on travel and mass gatherings in place.
Dagyaw 2020 intends to conduct a more transparent and inclusive town hall meetings through close collaboration with non-government sectors and serve as a safe and open space for dialogues on pressing governance and operations at the national and local level.
Further, the activity aims to sustain the promotion of citizen participation in governance, despite challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic, through the facilitation of enriching digital conversation between the public and the government.
Among the target participants for the activity are private sector representatives of the Regional Development Council, National Anti-poverty Council, Basic Sector representatives and members of the Local Development Councils, relevant non-government organizations, local government units, academe, media, and the public.
DILG 6 Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division Chief Maricel Bechayda said the intention to bring the government to the people is very much alive through Dagyaw 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. (PIA)
