The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Local Government Academy (LGA), is honing trainers who will be responsible for the rollout of the Participatory Barangay Development Planning (PBDP) for 3,106 villages of Bicol Region’s six provinces.

In an interview on Monday, Ranelle Anne Sertan, DSWD-5 social marketing officer, said 286 individuals from the six provinces of the Bicol region are undergoing training as future resource persons and facilitators.

“The activity aims to develop and train regional trainers who will equip barangays official in Bicol to create projects, programs and activities that will be integrated into the barangay development program. The barangay officials will participate in it, particularly the barangay captains and barangay secretaries,” Sertan said.

After four batches of training, the participants will help the agencies in the series of training for barangay officials from June to August.

The first batch was conducted on May 8 to 12, the second is from May 15 to 20, followed by a third training on May 22 and 27 and finally on May 29 to June 3.

Sertan said the training will enhance the participants’ skills in providing technical assistance to barangay officials.

“Hindi na lang ‘yung gusto ni kapitan at ng council ang masusunod. Kumbaga, may masasabi na ang tao na mga proyekto na kailangan at dapat sa barangay (It’s not just what the barangay captain or the council want. The people or the community has now the voice to share what projects are needed in the barangay). This is the participatory situational analysis that will be adopted by the barangays,” Sertan said. (PNA)