April 24 – 27, 2023 – The Capability Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff (CBILLS) program of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) held its first face-to-face module on Effective Communication under the Emerging Leaders Track at the Development Academy of the Philippines Conference Center in Tagaytay City. 

Professor Jyasmin Calub-Bautista from the University of the Philippines Los Baños – College of Development Communication discussed the principles and characteristics of effective communication, including clarity, concreteness, coherence, consistency, completeness, and courtesy. Moreover, Atty. Gladys Garcia-Aquino, Director of the Legislative Research Service at the Senate of the Philippines shared that using gender-fair language is one of the many ways to avoid bias towards a particular sex or gender, and to reduce gender stereotyping and discrimination.

Mr. Novel Bangsal, Executive Director of the Budget and Tax Research Bureau at the House of Representatives emphasized that the first and most important thing to do as a legislative staff who writes a professional letter is to have a sense of purpose. He also claimed that public information should be accessible, credible, reliable, and understandable to the public. Lastly, Professor Mary Jannette Pinzon from the University of the Philippines Diliman – Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts talked about the core components of being an effective public speaker, as well as the responsibilities of a public speaker. Various workshops and activities on effective public speaking were prepared for this module.

By the end of the module, the participants were able to practice public speaking and draft communication outputs. The Emerging Leaders Track under the CBILLS program offers a customized set of learning interventions designed for the legislative officers and staff of the different offices of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines. This year, a total of 35 participants are enrolled in this track.