Amid widespread reports of corruption and incompetence in the government, there are examples of good governance that deserve to be in the limelight, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) said Monday. Together with the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), a non-profit institution that seeks to enhance public participation in local governance, the media watchdog group presented two government units that have brought positive changes in their communities. The cities of Iloilo in the Visayas and San Fernando in Pampanga province scored highly in the Performance Governance System (PGS), which tracks significant developments in several areas.
What is the PGS? The Performance Governance System (PGS) is an application used by the ISA that aims to channel the entire community’s energies, abilities, and special knowledge towards achieving long-term strategic goals. The PGS is an adaptation of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), a revolutionary measurement and management system used in business and developed at the Harvard Business School. There are several stages involved in the PGS. Each one specifies concrete steps an organization can take towards achieving good governance. - Initiated o PGS-Initiated status is granted to a partner that has crafted a long-term reform agenda anchored on a time-bound vision, and a strategy road map. Moreover, the partner has translated its strategy into a set of measurable targets for learning and growth, operational efficiency, financial viability and social impact on the constituency. - Compliant o PGS-Compliant status is granted to a partner that has formally organized its internal and external stakeholders to be part of the governance process with clear deliverable goals and accountability mechanism that are captured in “scorecards" developed to monitor the institution’s journey towards its vision. - Proficient o PGS-Proficient status is granted to a partner that has begun tracking and reporting its strategic performance using the PGS scorecard infrastructure. - Institutionalized o PGS-Institutionalized status is granted to a partner that can show breakthrough results in its strategic performance under the PGS. (Excerpts from ISA leaflet) According to CMFR executive director Melinda de Jesus, who hosted the event, the media should recognize the work of local government units as much as those of the national administration. She added that the CMFR aims to "[turn] the media's head" and assist reporters in focusing on positive aspects instead of constantly highlighting negative events. ISA chairman Jesus Estanislao presented the awards to the two localities. He also said that the Department of Health, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Education, Philippine National Police, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Transportation and Communication are following the lead of the two cities in adopting the PGS strategies.
Iloilo, a cultural hub According to a PGS Audit report this month, Iloilo City has “achieved an effective governance model for public-private partnership that compounds on a dynamic participatory process" with the different members of the community. These include the youth, religious community, urban poor, barangay and community officials. The PGS also commended the city’s “high regard for culture and heritage as affluent bases for socio-economic programs and initiative," citing the annual celebration of the
Dinagyang Festival and preservation of heritage houses. Since the city’s application of PGS methods in 2005, five more universities have started operating in the area, bringing the total to 12. Other improvements were seen in the public elementary school teacher-student ratio, public access to clean drinking water, and access to clean toilets.
San Fernando, gateway to the world Aspiring to be the nation’s “Global Gateway," the city of San Fernando has steadily strived towards its goal through the methods prescribed by the PGS. One of the local government’s notable projects is the San Fernando River Rehabilitation Program, or the SAGIP ILOG Project, which aims to link economic development with the preservation and care of the water system. Their processing of business permits also improved dramatically, from the two-week waiting time in 2005 to the two-hour wait in 2009. Other developments include an increase in the access to public education and the number of social service beneficiaries, and a decrease in the unemployment rate. -
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