DAP WELCOMES CONGRESSIONAL SCHOLARS
TO 2025 CBILLS PROGRAM

The officers from the Philippine Congress and DAP during the CBILLS Opening Ceremony at the House of Representatives

Quezon City, Philippines – The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) welcomed around 128 scholars from Congress during the Opening Ceremony of the Capability Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff (CBILLS) Program held on April 3, 2025 at the Nograles Hall, House of Representatives.

Now in its eighth year, the CBILLS Program aims to strengthen the leadership, management, and technical competencies of legislative officers and staff. It promotes a culture of continuous professional development and encourages the adoption of innovative practices within the legislative service.

In her opening remarks, DAP Officer-in-Charge Magdalena Mendoza highlighted the program’s accomplishments over the past years, reaffirming the Academy’s longstanding commitment to developing public servants who lead with professionalism, ethics, and integrity in support of the country’s development goals.

(L) DAP and Congress Officers with the Keynote Speaker during the Ceremonial Turn-over of the 2024 CBILLS Annual Report; (R) Department of Education Undersecretary Fatima Lipp Panontongan during her keynote speech

The ceremony featured a testimonial from Atty. Sonny Gianan II of the Legislative Operations Department – Reference and Research Bureau of the House of Representatives, who shared insights from his experience as a CBILLS Middle Manager scholar in the previous year. This was followed by the ceremonial turnover of the 2024 CBILLS Annual Report, which outlined the program’s key accomplishments and milestones. DAP Vice President Imelda Caluen also presented the lineup of upcoming training activities and publication initiatives under the 2025 CBILLS Program.

The introduction of the new cohort of scholars was led by Senate Deputy Secretary for Administrative and Financial Services Atty. Arnel Jose Bañas and House Deputy Secretary General for Administrative Department Dr. Edgardo Pangilinan. This was followed by an inspirational message from House Deputy Secretary General Jose Maria Tuaño, who delivered a speech on behalf of Secretary-General Reginald Velasco. He reminded the scholars that “learning is not attained by chance. It is a deliberate choice,” and urged them to integrate these meaningfully into their work in Congress.

The ceremony concluded with a keynote address by Atty. Fatima Lipp Panontongan, a former CBILLS scholar from the Senate and now Undersecretary at the Department of Education. Drawing from her experience in both the executive and legislative branches, she emphasized that “public policy demands both vision and pragmatism.” She encouraged the scholars to craft policies that are responsive, innovative, and impactful, noting that “the real challenge in governance is not just drafting good policies but ensuring that they work in practice.” 

With the CBILLS Program now in motion, DAP is committed to delivering a meaningful learning journey for both new and returning scholars, further fostering a culture of innovative leadership in Congress. — Jeanena Mae Rafer

This article is originally posted on: https://dap.edu.ph/dap-welcomes-congressional-scholars-to-2025-cbills-program/.