Civil society groups take active role in Ormoc’s development

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Jan. 26 (PNA)-- The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) presided on Thursday over the election of civil society organization (CSO) representatives to Ormoc’s special bodies.

These bodies are the city development council (CDC), city peace and order council (CPOC), local school board and local health board.

Some 39 of the 52 accredited CSOs were represented in the election wherein 30 of them were elected to be part of the CDC.

The number constitutes 25 percent of the total members of the CDC pursuant to section 107 of the Local Government Code of 1991.

Other members of the CDC are the 110 village chairmen of Ormoc, the city council’s chairman of the committee on appropriations and the congressman.

On the other hand, three CSO representatives were elected to the CPOC and one each to the School and Health Boards.

Local government operations officer Jesus Jeremy Bagares underscored the CDC’s importance and the crucial role played by CSOs in the body.

“The Local Government Code requires the development council to assist in setting the direction of economic and social development of the locality by producing a comprehensive multi-sectoral development plan,” Bagares said.

Of the 30 CSOs elected in the CDC, only one of them will be part of the CDC executive committee to be chaired by the mayor. The rest of the elected CSO representatives will form the sub-

committees of the planning team that will draft the comprehensive multi-sectoral development plan.(PNA)
FPV/SQM/FELIX N. CODILLA