Koronadal City, South Cotabato, Philippines | January 13, 2026 – The Provincial Government of South Cotabato has announced that applications are now open for Batch 3 of the CSO Academy, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening civil society participation in local governance.
Component cities and municipalities across the province are encouraged to nominate and endorse qualified Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to take part in the program, the Office of the Provincial Cooperative Officer said.
The deadline for submission of applications is January 20, 2026. Interested CSOs from all component LGUs are advised to coordinate with their respective local government units for endorsement and compliance with the application requirements.
The CSO Academy is a flagship capacity-building initiative designed to equip civil society groups with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to actively and effectively engage in governance processes, development planning, and public accountability mechanisms.
Leny Belle R. Gumboc, a CSO Academy Batch 2 scholar, shared how the program empowered her participation in governance.
“I am now more confident as a citizen because I can actively take part in government concerns,” she said. “It really boosted my confidence in participating in local special bodies and the Local People’s Council, especially in seeing the impact of our involvement on our organization.”
She added that the learnings from the academy were instrumental in strengthening their organization’s capacity.
“All the learnings from the Academy are very helpful in motivating and uplifting our capacity toward organizational development. Now, the government is able to hear our concerns, which means our voices matter.”
The initiative is fully aligned with the leadership of Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr., who consistently advocates for open governance, transparency, and people’s participation in governance. Through the CSO Academy, the provincial government continues to institutionalize citizen engagement as a core pillar of democratic and responsive local governance.
