More than 100 representatives from Paracale, Camarines Norte, participated in an important benchmarking activity in Sorsogon City last February 13, 2025 to study best practices in cooperativism, agriculture, fishing, transportation, and other livelihood sectors. The participants included representatives from various people’s organizations (POs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) aimed at strengthening their programs and improving their operations in their communities.
A key component of the activity was an in-depth discussion on the 10+1+1 Agenda of the City, which contains modern and effective programs and policies. The officials from Paracale asked critical questions to better understand how they could adopt the successful strategies and approaches implemented in Sorsogon City.
According to Gloria Salen, CSO Desk Officer and COOP Development Specialist of Paracale, the objective of the benchmarking is to learn from the modern and effective systems in Sorsogon City. She emphasized that studying these systems is essential for strengthening cooperativism and utilizing internal sources of capitalization, which will provide stronger support to accredited organizations in their area.
Also part of the delegation was Tourism Head Cielo Ley Javier, who, along with the group, visited various tourism spots in Sorsogon to assess areas that could contribute to improving and developing livelihoods in Paracale.
Through such initiatives, it is expected that local organizations in Paracale will be further strengthened, and the relationship between the government and the people will be reinforced, leading to more inclusive and sustainable community development.