DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Oct. 3 (PIA) --  Some 66 civil society organizations (CSOs) and local government unit (LGU) leaders from 18 different municipalities and cities across the country visited Dumaguete City to learn about the good practices and mechanism in LGU-CSO engagement and partnership towards local development.

Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo thanked the said officials for acknowledging the city’s efforts as he shared the experience of Dumaguete City and the CSOs here in partnership building and participatory governance.

The visit is part of the project Consolidating CSO Networks for Citizen’s Engagement Towards Participatory and Accountable Governance for Poverty Reduction Phase 2, which aims to strengthen CSO participation in local governance and community building as advocated by the Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas.

Dumaguete City CSO Desk Officer Albert Aquino, City Planning and Development Coordinator Leonides Caro, and local CSO leaders held dialogue sessions with the delegates to “foster sustained group engagement leading to practical peer learning for application to create change.”

The delegation also toured the city’s solid waste management and the operation of the Central Material Recovery Facility, which was awarded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as “Best in Resource Recovery in a Centralized Materials Recovery Facility” in Region 7.

DENR recognized Remollo and the city government for generating a monthly income of more than P500,000 through the recovery of recyclable materials/waste and conversion of garbage to construction materials (hollow blocks and pavers) while providing livelihood for the waste pickers through proper and sustainable solid waste management. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental)