Month after the review and adoption of the Operational Manual of the Program for Local Enterprise through Enlightened Governance and Grassroots Empowerment (PLEDGE) of Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), a Community Enterprise Planning Technique (CEPT) Workshop is conducted on February 25- March 1, 2014 at Tierra Montana Hotel, General Santos City.

The said workshop is first of the series of workshop that is planned to be conducted under the said program. This activity covers the concepts, principles, management frameworks and policies, and preparation of project proposal of PLEDGE.

Highlights of the activity includes the presentation of Mr. Rudy ___ on Development for Self-Determination (DESD)- a strategy for marginalized people in conflict affected communities. It also includes discussion on CEPT and Training and Development Needs Analysis (TRADE) Framework that was conducted through a writeshop by the Community Enterprise Development Officer (CEDO).

Part also of the activity was the presentation of BDA-PLEDGE Trademark and the solicitation of its slogan which accordingly all subject for comments and suggestion of participants for further enhancement.

Important also from the activity was the presentation on the roles and responsibilities of each of the project staff.

A presentation also of approved roles and responsibilities of project staff was made. And lastly, was the bidding for the possible venue of the next workshop, the Skills and Enterprise Development Training which is expected to be conducted this end of the month, March 2014.

Participants to this CEPT Workshop were staff of PLEDGE both Central Management Office and Regional Management Office of BDA. The CMO was headed by Mohammad S. Yacob, BDA Executive Director while the RMOs were led by the Regional Managers. Gracing also the activity were BDA Board of Directors (BOD) headed by Dr. Saffrullah M. Dipatuan, BOD Chairman.

The workshop on CEPT is an activity which aims to teach the participants, the CEDO in particular, on community planning tools which are to be adapted and utilized to the local context and is ready for validation in the project sites and also to make the participants able to discuss the project’s concepts, principles, management frameworks and policies.

PLEDGE now on its Implementation Phase will be starting to conduct series of workshops and activities for the full implementation of the Program. The next of these is the Skills and Enterprise Development Training which is expected to be conducted this March 2014.