BAGUIO CITY - Gov. Arthur R. Defensor, Jr. served as one of the panelists during the Capstone Project Presentation of the twenty (20) first-term mayors participating in the Leaders for Excellence and Public Service (LEAP) Open Government Fellowship Program held in Sotogrande Hotel, Baguio City.
The LEAP Open Government Fellowship Program is a flagship capacity-building initiative of the Mayors for Good Governance, Inc. (M4GG), designed to strengthen the leadership and governance capacities of local chief executives and promote innovative, and citizen-centered approaches to local governance.
Governor Defensor joined Ms. Kristine Borja, Head of the Politics and Governance Office of the British Embassy Manila, and Dr. Jennifer S. Oreta, Dean of the School of Government and Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science of Ateneo de Manila University, as members of the panel.
The panel assessed the Fellows’ capstone presentations, which they highlighted practical approaches to advance open governance and strengthen citizen participation in local government.
As part of the panel, Governor Defensor shared insights on the proposed initiatives, where he emphasized the value of responsive and participatory governance in creating innovative and inclusive local governments.
The capstone presentation served as the culminating output of the Fellows’ LEAP journey that provided them with an opportunity to translate their learnings into concrete governance initiatives in their respective LGUs.