GAPO, FINALIST FOR BEST PRACTICES (BP) IN DEMOCRATIC LOCAL GOVERNANCE

The Olongapo City government’s creation of the Olongapo City Disaster Coordinating Council (OCDCC) has been nominated as finalist in “Best Practices” (BP) in democratic local governance for the theme, “Inclusive Urban Public Services with Focus on Urban Environment”. The city’s BP has been presented to all the project partners during the recently concluded workshop in Cambodia.

After being evaluated by the selection committee composed of Southeast Asian and European experts, the OCDCC has been included in the final list of BPs which will be available for the regional exchange of best practices.

In this regard, the evaluating team has conducted field visits in the city on June 24-27, 2010. The field visits focused on the following concerns: (1) collection of additional information to support us in developing a comprehensive report on the BP; (2) verification of the current status of the undertaking; (3) validation of the reported results of the action.

It can be recalled that the city has been elevated to the Hall of Fame in the Gawad Kalasag Awards that brings the city’s practices available to other places. And through the initiative of Mayor James “Bong” Gordon Jr., improvements were made and additional equipment were received from the city’s foreign partners.