In an effort to equip legislative employees with proper tools to augment their skills, a Capacity Building Seminar was held at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga on July 27 to 29, 2016.
As frontliners of and workforce behind the lawmakers, Council staff and employees must periodically undergo trainings and seminars in order to keep abreast with recent developments and to further enhance their capabilities.
Invited to give a talk on the legislation, its principles, process and importance to local development was Atty. Benedicto M. Gonzales, Jr., a practicing lawyer, professor, former city councilor and expert consultant in the field of governance, public policy analysis, development management and capacity-building projects.

Officials from the legislative department discussed the vital aspects of local legislation. From the Office of the Vice Mayor, Ms. Valerie-Jo S. Torres discussed the assessment result of the 2015 Local Legislative Awards, proposed updates to the Council website and training for the usage of the Lotus system, while Atty. Francis T. Germar presented the internal rules of procedure of the 20th City Council.

Atty. John Thomas S. Alferos, the City Secretary, discussed the functions of his office and presented an overview of the legislative process while Ms. Janet Bul-lalayao, head of the Journal and Minutes Division, stressed the importance of note-taking, familiarity with measures and proper decorum during committee hearings.

Mr. Jonathan Garbo of the DILG-QC Field Office discussed the oversight functions of the Sanggunian, DILG performance evaluation tools, Local Legislative Award, local governance performance management system (LGPMS) and seal of good governance.