The Isabela City Leadership Team, headed by City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, participated in the 3-day Health Leadership and Management Program (HLMP) for Local Chief Executives and City Leadership Teams (CLTs) organized by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) – Philippines from July 24-26. This program is part of their commitment to address the challenges of achieving zero unmet need for family planning methods and attaining the goals of Universal Health Care
The program focused on various sessions, including family planning and adolescent sexual reproductive health challenges and opportunities, adaptive challenges and responses, team and team dynamics, co-ownership for collaborative action and stakeholder mapping and analysis, revisiting the TCI high impact interventions, and best practices.
The main objective of the three-day activity was to assist participants in developing effective leadership and governance systems to decrease teenage pregnancy rates and transform the city into an adolescent youth-friendly environment. The participants were expected to demonstrate Bridging Leadership Competencies to address Family Planning and Adolescent Sexual reproductive Health issues and inequities in health.
Mayor Dadah shared her insight as a longtime advocate of reproductive health rights, where she emphasized the importance of informed choices for our women availing RH programs. She pointed out that “the access to right information, right guidance, right services and the availability of commodities to our women must always be ready in case they make informed decisions for themselves.”
The Isabela City Leadership Team included City Health Officer Dr. Mohrein Ismael IV, City Nutrition and Action Officer Jeseilyn Puno, CPDC Gay Palagtiosa, LYDO Levinia Jarejolne, SK Federation President Naila Belleng, Nagdilaab Foundation Inc., Executive Director Miriam Suacito, Maternal and Family Planning Coordinator Dr. Rehab Hayre, Family Planning Coordinator Michelle Lledo, AHDP Coordinator Imelda Cañete, Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Coordinator Bernadita Hontucan, and Shaira Bapora from CSWDO. The Zamboanga City Leadership Team was also present during the program.
Other individuals present included MC and Dipolog City – ZFF-TCI CTL LLC Maria Terresa Ferrolino, Program Manager Luzon ZFF-TCI Dr. Alphonse Raphael Guevara, CPD IX Regional Director Jeff Fuentes, City Technical Lead for IDB and Zamboanga City Tony Tumalon, City Technical Lead for Iloilo City and Bacolod City Maria Lourdes Catherine Ferrer, CPD IX Population representative Mary Jane Jocutan, and staff from Zamboanga City Population Unit. (Contributed Photos)
