DAVAO CITY – A Davao City councilor is pushing for the creation of a centralized coordinating body to organize National Service Training Program graduates and all volunteers in Davao City, strengthening public service deployment and improving coordination across sectors.
Councilor Alberto Ungab, chairperson of the Committees on Appointments and Government Reorganization and on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, said the proposal aims to address the lack of a clear system for NSTP graduates upon completion of their training.
Ungab explained that NSTP graduates automatically become members of the National Service Reserve Corps, but there is currently no established local mechanism to organize or mobilize them for service.
“I propose that it is probably time to create a Davao City Coordinating Council for NSTP graduates,” Ungab said during Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos media forum at Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday, May 5.
He said the idea was first discussed in committee hearings and later referred to Appointments and Government Reorganization, noting that they will not only focus on disaster response but also include health, civic, and social service activities.
Ungab added that NSTP programs are designed to prepare students for various forms of civic engagement, not only emergency response but also community development, public service, and other nation-building activities.
The Office of Civil Defense, however, raised concerns that limiting the proposal to NSTP graduates could exclude other volunteer groups, prompting discussions to expand it into a “Volunteer Coordinating Council.”
“When you talk about volunteers, it becomes discriminatory if it is limited only to NSTP graduates. So everyone agreed that it must be open to all volunteers, thus the Volunteer Coordinating Council,” Ungab said.
He added that the proposed council is now being designed as a broader policy-making and coordinating body that will oversee, regulate, and coordinate volunteer efforts across various sectors and service areas in the city.
Some government offices are being considered as the council’s secretariat, including the city’s Social Welfare and Development Office, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, or the Human Resource Management Office, depending on the setup.
Ungab noted that CSWDO is currently seen as the leading option, given its existing mandate in handling volunteer-related programs and social welfare services under the Local Government Code.
The councilor also clarified that CDRRMO already maintains its own separate volunteer system focused specifically on disaster response, with 42 accredited volunteer organizations currently under its network.
He said the proposal remains under committee deliberation and will undergo further committee hearings, as it covers multiple sectors, including disaster response, health services, and social welfare programs.
Ungab said the long-term goal of this proposed council is to institutionalize a city-wide system to properly manage, organize, and mobilize volunteers for various public service needs in Davao City. (By Ivy Tejano)
