Twenty steadfast scholars graduated from South Cotabato’s Civil Society Organization (CSO) Academy Program as the pioneering batch of the academy’s implementation in the Philippines at the Farm at Carpenter Hill, City of Koronadal, last November 29, 2023.
Dubbed as the batch “Pertama” – which means ‘first’ or ‘before all others in place, or time’ was a chosen namesake of the pioneer batch of the CSO Academy Program in the Philippines.
The scholars are composed of members of various sectors in the community chosen by their respective organizations to undergo into a year-long academy program spearheaded by the Province’s Planning and Development Office in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government Region 12, Mahintana Foundation Inc., and the Association of Foundations Philippines Inc.
Modules tackling local governance and the internal affairs and organization facilitate the academy’s goal of capacitating civil society organizations to contribute to a participative type of government especially in the province.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr. signified the importance of having the CSO Academy Program in South Cotabato and how CSO’s contribute to the nation building programs of the government.
“It is really important for Civil Society Organizations to understand how the government operates and how to integrate public-private partnerships in the efforts of facilitating a participative type of government here in our province [South Cotabato]” – Governor Tamayo said in his speech.
Furthermore, working with the Province’s Planning and Development Office, DILG 12 Regional Director Josephine Cabrido-Leysa CESO III, confirmed the 20 CSO Academy Scholar graduates are challenged to be catalysts of a more participatory type government not only in the province, but also in the region.
The Province of South Cotabato is the pioneering province that implemented the CSO Academy Program in the Philippines which started last November 2022. Additionally, the province already started the selection of its second batch of scholars last month.
