Putting emphasis on the roles of the academe and its stakeholders in governance, particularly in the legislative process, the Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) – College of Law held a forum with the student leaders of Naga College Foundation, Inc. (NCF) to present the I-Engage Ordinance on March 9, 2023, at The Quad.
According to the official website of the Naga City Government, City Ordinance No. 2023-004 or the I-Engage Ordinance “empowers ordinary individual citizens of Naga to formally participate in the legislative process of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.”
“The ordinance encourages citizens to convey their comments, objectives, recommendations, or suggestions for consideration by the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) and its committees on proposed measures filed, whether in the plenary or committee level,” discussed on the Naga City Government website.
In his talk via Zoom, Hon. Ghiel G. Rosales, City Councilor and the principal author of the ordinance, said that the passage of the I-Engage ordinance is an act of “raising the bar for people’s participation in the legislative process… and serving as the benchmark for other local governments” in terms of innovations on people’s participation and empowerment.
Shedding light on the I-Engage ordinance, Mr. David Bercasio, a law student at ADNU, discussed the salient features of the ordinance, specifically the principles of open governance, nation building, and consistent consultation, as well as the provisions on the enhanced local legislative process and the I-Engage Council.
Meanwhile, Atty. Raz Rañeses, a resident lawyer at the Ignatian Legal Apostolate Office (ILAO), encouraged the student leaders to actively participate in government undertakings concerning relevant issues and concerns as she expressed her high hopes for the potential of the youth as “catalysts for change.”
As the passage of the I-Engage ordinance coincided with the 25th partnership anniversary of the Naga City People’s Council and the Naga City Government, Ms. Gladys Abad, Program Director of the NCPC, also graced the forum via Zoom and articulated the significance of the I-Engage ordinance to further strengthen the culture of good governance in the City of Naga through the intensification of the people’s participation and empowerment.
Furthermore, Ms. Marivic Vargas-Balance, Director for Student Services, Atty. Rañeses, and Mr. Bercasio spearheaded the student dialogue to address the queries and concerns of the student leaders pertinent to the I-Engage Ordinance as they concluded the forum.
Read the full transcript of the I-Engage Ordinance here: https://www2.naga.gov.ph/sp…/ordinance-no-2023-004/.
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