35 CONGRESSIONAL SCHOLARS COMPLETE TRAINING ON AGILE AND RESILIENT  LEADERSHIP UNDER DAP’S CBILLS PROGRAM

Class photo of the Emerging Leaders with the Resource Persons  Dir. Maria Vida Caparas (First Row, 5th from Left) and Victoria Alcoseba (First Row, 6th from Left)

Antipolo City, Philippines — Some 35 scholars from the Philippine Congress completed their first Legislative Training Course (LTC) titled “Agile and Resilient Leadership: Navigating Change in the Legislature,” under the Development Academy of the Philippines’ 2025 Capability Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff (CBILLS) Program-Emerging Leaders Track. The three-day course was held at the First Pacific Leadership Academy.

Designed to equip emerging leaders in the legislature with critical leadership competencies, the course focused on cultivating agility and resilience amid a fast-evolving, unpredictable policy environment. Scholars were encouraged to develop greater self-awareness, strengthen communication skills, lead change, and collaborate effectively in the face of a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world.

(L) Scholars journal their reflections throughout the course to craft meaningful and actionable Individual Leadership Plans; (R) Victoria Alcoseba during one of her sessions in the course

The learning sessions were led by Ma. Victoria Alcoseba of Meraki Consulting, Inc., who facilitated interactive discussions on leadership and personal efficacy. Topics included personal agility and emotional intelligence in the context of building personal leadership capacity. Team-based activities and tools–such as Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Goals, Roles, Processes, and Interpersonal Relationships (GRPI) models–were used to help participants better understand team dynamics and build collaborative, high-performing groups rooted in self-leadership.

Meanwhile, Director Maria Vida Caparas from the Senate’s Human Resource Management Service provided practical insights and case studies highlighting how agile and resilient leadership is applied in the legislative setting. She underscored the importance of leaders who can adapt, innovate, and thrive amidst challenges in the legislative branch.

To ground the course in personal reflection, DAP Project Officer Joebert Sayson facilitated learning integration sessions throughout the course. These allowed scholars to pause, reflect on their experiences, and reaffirm their commitment to becoming agile, purpose-driven public servants. 

Shara Mae Maling of the House of Representatives emphasized in her impression at the end of the course that leadership begins with oneself. She encouraged fellow scholars to invest in their own growth as agile and resilient leaders who can serve as role models within their institution.

The training course forms part of a broader learning track under the CBILLS Program, which is dedicated to strengthening the competencies of legislative officers and staff through a combination of technical training, leadership development, and policy capacity-building, The program continues to foster emerging leaders who are equipped to meet the evolving demands of legislative work with integrity, agility, and impact. 

The course was conducted on May 22 to 25 as part of the 2025 CBILLS Legislative Training Course component. – Dannieliza Sambrano