The 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod achieved another milestone as they enacted the very first ordinance in the Province of Bohol empowering Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) and strengthening people participation and partnership governance. City Ordinance C-352, which is authored by City Councilor Malvin Misael C. Torralba and co-authored by City Councilor Jonas R. Cacho, recognizes the value of CSOs in the pursuit of local autonomy and development and institutionalized CSO participation by integrating participatory processes in all levels of governance. With the enactment of this ordinance, the TCPC shall appoint two representatives from accredited CSOs to sit as regular members with voting rights in committees designated by the sanggunian to further promote participatory governance practices and contribute to stronger government transparency, accountability and responsiveness, and improved public policies and service delivery.
To further strengthen the partnership of the City Government with CSOs, the 15th SP approved P.R. No. 211-23 Formally Recognizing the Appointed Representatives of the Tagbilaran City People’s Council (TCPC) as members of the 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod Standing Committees and P.R. No. 212-23 Re-Organizing the Composition of the Different Standing Committees of the Fifteenth Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Tagbilaran. The inclusion of the representatives of the TCPC in the Standing Committees of the 15th SP shall create more venues for the active participation of CSOs in policy-making, planning, implementation, resource generation and mobilization, and in monitoring and evaluating the programs and projects of the city shall be ensured.