Bontoc, Mountain Province – Following the completion of the Supervised Field Work (SFW) component of the Apprenticeship Program of the two Local Government Operations Officers (LGOO) II in the Municipality of Bontoc, an Exit Conference and Turnover Ceremony was held on October 11, 2023, at the Mayor’s Conference Hall of the Bontoc Municipal Capitol.
Local Government Operations Officer II Apprentices Lala Geron and Krystel Nova Navarro completed their three-month SWF under the supervision of MLGOO Lourdes Claire Peel.
The Exit Conference and Turnover Ceremony were conducted for them to present and hand over the Policy Brief dubbed “Enabling Advancement:Revolutionizing Bontoc’s Governance Terrain”, the key output of the two apprentices, for the local officials and functionaries to adopt and implement.
The six key components of the policy brief include the Establishment of an Information Technology Office/Unit, the Continual Enhancement of Computer Literacy and Technology Skills, the Creation of an Internal LGU Site, the Implementation of an Online Communication System, the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Center, and the Digitization of Documents.
With their in-depth knowledge, they patiently and comprehensively trained, assisted and facilitated the two batches of participants for the Computer Literacy and Technology Skills Training. Noteworthy is the creation of an Internal LGU Site and Digitization of documents as representatives per office were taught how to use Google Drive, Google Forms, Canva Application and Google Sites. This entails cost-efficient and faster internal LGU transactions.
In addition, they assisted in the updating of the LGU Capacity Development (CapDev) Agenda and Finalization of the Human Resource Management and Development Plan of the Municipal Government of Bontoc.
Meanwhile, the Local Chief Executive along with the Sangguniang Bayan acted on the Establishment of an Information Technology Office/Unit which is one of the key components of the policy brief.
Bontoc Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., along with the Department Heads, Unit Heads and representatives from different Bontoc LGU offices extended their appreciation to the two apprentices for their hard work, dedication, and valuable insights offered to the municipality for its continuous improvement of local governance practices.
MLGOO Peel lauded Geron and Navarro for their enthusiasm, perseverance and hard work. She added that with their presence, they are of great help in making work easier, especially enabling Bontoc LGU towards digitization.
As not to put everyone’s effort to waste along with the resources, MLGOO Peel asked for the commitment of the Bontoc LGU for the adaption, utilization, and institutionalization of the policy brief.
In response, the mayor committed to adopting what has been introduced and started in the Bontoc LGU which was made possible through the two LGOO II Apprentices under the supervision and guidance of MLGOO Peel.
During their presentation of outputs and learning, the two apprentices were extremely grateful for the opportunity to experience life in the field. With a humble heart, they will bring all the learnings and realizations they have gained from their Supervised Field Work.
Among these are the innate Og-ogfo mentality of the Bontoc community, appreciation for culture and heritage, and the value of adaptability.
Further, the said event served as an avenue for the apprentices to turn over copies of outputs from the various activities that they have done in the Local Government Unit of Bontoc. Mayor Tudlong, along with the Department Heads, Unit Heads, and representatives from different offices gratefully received copies of the policy brief.
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Alpine L. Killa- Malwagay, Bontoc LGU