The 2024 CBILLS Appropriations and Finance  – Emerging Leaders during their residential training with resource person, Ms. Maxine Tanya Hamada

Tagaytay City, Philippines – Emerging Leaders of the Appropriations and Finance Group (AFG) recently completed the Legislative Training Course on Policy Monitoring and Evaluation from May 27 to 31, 2024. The course was conducted by the Development Academy of the Philippines, through its Center for Governance-Policy Research Office, as part of the Capability Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff (CBILLS) Program. 

The training aimed to enhance the scholars’ capacities and competencies in identifying priorities and outcomes, analyzing interventions, and evaluating programs using evidence-based research, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E)  frameworks, tools, and techniques. 

Resource persons for the course included: Chief Economic Development Specialist Jesse David of the National Economic Development Authority-Monitoring and Evaluation Staff; Associate Professor, Dr. Jalton Taguibao, of the University of the Philippines-Department of Political Science; Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Romulo Emmanuel Miral Jr., of the House Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department; former Assistant Secretary for Monitoring and Evaluation Maxine Tanya Hamada of the Department of Budget and Management; Acting Assistant Director Dondon Marcos of the Commission on Audit Performance Audit Office; and Director Maria Rosario Ablan of the DAP AO25 Secretariat. 

Their discussions covered M&E concepts and principles, their role in the policy and budget cycles, the use of performance monitoring data in budget review and analysis, and various approaches and models that can be useful in legislative work. The course concluded with the scholars presenting their Oversight M&E Plan for selected policies in a mock budget plenary session.

The AFG Emerging Leaders Track, under the CBILLS program, offers customized learning interventions for the technical staff of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office. Upcoming CBILLS activities include two Thursday Talks lectures and an inaugural conference in October. (Trisha Mae Mariano)