By Emmanuel P. Solis
LEGAZPI CITY, May 26 (PNA) — The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Furusato Minami-Shinshu Green Foundation Inc. (FMGF) formally turned over to Legazpi City Mayor Noel E. Rosal a one-story multi–purpose center at Taysan Resettlement Site here on Monday.
JICA Senior Representative Kunihiro Nakasone and FMGF Project Manager Oribe Yorinaga personally turned over to Rosal the building, which was funded with Php2 million participatory governance of JICA through the FMGF, the non-government organization of Japan’s Iida City.
It was constructed by the Cordeaux Builders, a local contractor from Daraga, Albay.
Nakasone said the building, called Komikan, is part of the activities of JICA and its community development partners in Legazpi City.
It will be used by the residents of the Taysan Resettlement Site Community Development Association Inc. (TRSCDAI) in the conduct of skills training, meetings, planning, educational programs of the students and other livelihood activities of the people in the community.
Nakasone said the Komikan model proved to be effective in addressing development problems as, he said, the sharing of participatory governance with Legazpi City will foster stronger LGU-community collaboration to address poverty incidents in the community.
The JICA official said Legazpi City has been a site for the Participatory Local Social Development (PLSD), a special project of Iida City through JICA’s Official Development Assistance wherein the sub-village of San Isidro Puro of this city was also the recipient of a Water System Expansion Project, which was considered as the water resource management model through participatory governance.
He expressed thanks to Rosal and to the Barangay Council of Taysan for the support to the activities of JICA and to its partner, the FMGF, in promoting participatory governance for the benefits of the future generation.
Nakasone revealed that his office is again in the process of selecting participants for the group and the region-focused training on PLSD, which will start this coming August to September and will culminate in this city.
Komikan is a social educational program in Japan that encourages active collaboration between the local government and its constituents.
It was established in 1946 and has been a successful practice in decision making as well as planning and implementation in communal resource management in Iida City of Japan.
Rosal expressed thanks to the JICA and the FMGF for the continuous support given to the city administration that will benefit the people in the community.
He said his administration will also give additional amenities for the improvement of this multi-purpose building even as he urged all the officers and members of the TRSCDAI to manage this Komikan building properly because this would serve as the venue for educational events of their children in order to level up their knowledge and to make them knowledgeable workers of the next generation. (PNA)