Village officials urge to exercise power with accountability

  SENIOR CITIZENS’ MEETING – Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim (before podium, left photo) addresses the first quarter regional meeting of the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines (FSCAP), Region I chapter at the Model Senior Citizens Center here last Tuesday. At the guest  table from Lim’s right are Judge Joven Costales, FSCAP Region I president and FSCAP Dagupan chapter President Felipe Siapno. (CIO Photo by Edwin Palaganas)

 

 

DAGUPAN CITY – “You can earn respect if you exercise your authority with responsibility and accountability without fear or favor.”

                This was stressed by Mayor Benjamin S. Lim on the opening day of the Barangay Newly-Elected Officials (BNEO) Orientation Program sponsored by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) at the Pinkie’s Restaurant last Monday.

                Lim encouraged all barangays officials to involve their constituents in finding the best solutions for their problems through consultation because the process of communication is very important.

                “Never think that as head of your barangay, you already have the best solution because the best solutions sometimes come from the simplest member of your community,” he emphasized.

                He added that “no city can be great without the barangay doing their part and no barangay can be great if the folks do not understand what things are all about.”

                A term-based, integrated capacity development intervention for newly-elected barangay officials, BNEO is geared to enhance their competencies to attain the needed synergy to transform the barangay as champions of excellence in basic service delivery and bring the government closer to the people.

                With the BNEO program, new barangay officials are expected to strengthen barangay partnerships and alliances with the civil society organizations and with other local governments and the national government agencies for efficient and effective barangay governance development.

                The objectives of the program are anchored on the tenets of the Biyaheng Pinoy to facilitate the smooth transition of power and authority from the old to the incoming barangay officials; build partnerships and alliances with various stakeholders for local development; and enhance the skills of barangay officials and functionaries to enable them to perform their emerging roles as policy maker, program planner and provider of basic services to their constituency.

                The BNEO program consists of four components: ensuring smooth transition, laying the foundation, citizenship building and component, and sharpening the saw. It will be implemented in partnership with the Liga ng mga Barangay, various local resource institutions, national government agencies and local government units, with the DILG serving as BNEO Program Manager.