The NEDA Regional Office XI conducted the capacity building activity on Effective Communication and Advocacy on September 27-28, 2021. The 2-days activity, organized by the NEDA XI Development Research Division, included knowledge sharing sessions designed in support of the strategic outcomes specified in the NEDA Communication and Advocacy Plan (CAP) and hands-on workshop to equip the participants with practical knowledge and skill in writing government news and publications, as well as creating social media assets through commonly used graphic editing software and tools.

In her welcome message, NEDA XI Regional Director Maria Lourdes D. Lim, emphasized that “essential to fulfilling the NEDA mandate as the premier socioeconomic policy and planning agency, are our proactive, accurate and effective communication and advocacy strategies, both internal communication mechanisms that enable us to communicate with each other in the organization and mechanisms with external partners. Given such, pursuing and implementing effective communication and advocacy remains a priority of NEDA XI”.

Distinguished resource persons were invited to the activity. Assistant Professor Nelfa M. Glova of UP Mindanao focused on essential topics and techniques on preparing communication plans and organizing Government advocacy campaigns. The knowledge-sharing session on “News and Article Writing in Government” was discussed by Deputy Regional Director Frances Mae G. Macapagat of PIA XI wherein NRO XI was able to revisit its current practices on drafting media releases and articles.

The officials from the NEDA Development Information Staff, Dir. Nerrisa T. Esguerra and Assistant Dir. Frances Fatima M. Cabana jointly handled the knowledge-sharing session on “NEDA Communication and Advocacy Activities”. The session allowed participants to be apprised with the current advocacy activities organized by the NEDA Central Office, including ways to enhance its current practices and processes on communication and advocacy based on the established NEDA-DIS mechanisms.

The hands-on learning and workshop session was handled by Mr. Joel Daniel Dedoroy of the NRO XI Finance and Administrative Division as resource person. The workshop focused on equipping the participants with the practical skills on generating media assets, as well as, on preparing designs for IEC materials anchored on the roles, functions, and objectives of NEDA XI CAP. -Jaime P. Mallare, NEDA XI