Sen. Tolentino program sends local executives to Hague Academy for 5-day study mission

THE NETHERLANDS -- Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino, through his Adaptive Governance and Innovation for Local Executives (AGILE) Program, sent local government unit (LGU) officials to Hague Academy of Local Governance at the Netherlands for a five-day study mission on local governance and innovation for local economic development.

In partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), the program aims to keep Philippine LGU officials to stay abreast with the innovations and strategies implemented by local governments around the world.

The AGILE Program Hague delegation is composed of 28 participants who are vice governors, mayors, vice mayors, and representatives from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and DAP.

At the sidelines of the program's kickoff, Sen. Tol spoke with Makati Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo who lauded the program for helping LGU executives learn many aspects on governance.

"Very interesting po dahil lumalabas ang parallel sides of local government dito sa Netherlands and sa atin. Napag-aaralan din natin kung ano pa ang pwedeng i-improve, kung mayroon man," Lagdameo said.

Meanwhile, Tolentino praised the City of Makati for its commitment to not only keep on improving itself but helping out its nearby areas through mentorship programs on digitization and streamlining of processes.

The Senator further commended the Local executives who enthusiastically joined the AGILE Program delegation to the Netherlands.

"Patuloy pa rin ang pag-aaral nila, pag-upgrade sa services. Sana ay magsilbing aral ito sa local government units to keep on learning," Sen. Tol said.

Launched in 2021, Senator Tolentino's AGILE Program aims to enhance the skills of LGU officials necessary for them to cope with the demands and challenges of governance by bringing them to world-class public policy schools.