Victorias City is among the seven cities in the Philippines that will be part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Cities for Enhanced Governance and Engagement (CHANGE) Project.
On March 12, Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez signed the memorandum of understanding between the Victorias LGU and USAID for the CHANGE Project at the City Resort Pavilion in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
“Through the ‘CHANGE’ Project, we are not just enhancing our local governance ecosystem, we are reaffirming our commitment to the values of democratic governance,” Benitez said in a statement issued by the City Public Information Office.
He also emphasized that the partnership with USAID for the project is a significant step in the realization of the city’s vision to become a beacon of inclusive development and a model for effective and people-centered governance.
The goal of the CHANGE Project is to support strengthened democratic governance in the Philippines by making local governance more responsive.
It hopes to achieve the following objectives; strengthen the enabling environment for decentralization, enhance service delivery capacity, legitimacy, transparency, and accountability of participating local governments, and empower citizens by increasing their participation in and oversight of governance processes in ways that the government both approves and supports.
USAID Philippines Office of Economic Development and Governance Director, Jeffery Goebel, expressed in his message that the CHANGE Project will augment responsive governance through increased citizen engagement and will enable improved public service delivery.
Vice Mayor Abelardo Bantug III and Senior Democracy, Rights, and Governance Specialist Gerardo Porta of the USAID Philippines Office of Economic Development and Governance witnessed the MOU signing, among others.*
