Category: Featured Articles

The Development Academy of the Philippines’ (DAP) Modernizing Government Regulations (MGR) Program formally launched its 2021 Regulatory Review on 6 October 2021 via Zoom.  The event was attended by 56 members and officers of private organizations/associations and officials from regulatory agencies involved in the prioritized government-to-government/agency-to-agency (G2G/A2A) and government-to-business (G2B) transactions.

This year, the MGR Program is focusing on the following transactions that are supportive of reviving the industries that were heavily affected by the current pandemic: a) G2G/A2A regulations affecting the streamlining of service processes; b) G2B regulations covering the digital economy; and c) G2B regulations covering food logistics.

DAP Study Team and participants during the 2021 MGR Regulatory Review Launch

During the Launch, the study team research fellows presented the sectoral background, initial regulatory issues and research questions of their respective industries through breakout groups. After the presentation, participants shared their comments and experiences on what regulations/processes contribute to the difficulty in compliance and high transaction cost. The activity also brought to fore initial recommendations on how to address said issues. Among the key issues that were validated and gathered during the activity were as follows:

a. G2G/A2A Regulations Affecting the Streamlining of Service Processes Non-submission of Citizen’s Charter compliance report of about 2,000 agencies, despite the existence of streamlining law – ARTA report

  • Regulations on procurement, PBB guidelines, financial and audit regulations, pandemic-related requirements of LGUs, regulations related to Data Privacy Act, and tax payment are perceived to hinder process performance and efficient delivery of services – DAP perception survey initial results
  • Inconsistent enforcement of regulations and unreasonable delays in the release of requested documents.
  • Inadequate personnel to process a transaction, unclear requirements, and difficulty in accessing the concerned agencies.
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b. G2B Regulations Covering Digital Economy

  • Application of traditional policies which do not reflect rapid changes, innovations and technology advancements to digital businesses due to prolonged process of law-making
  • Difficulty to regulate online businesses due to Department of Trade and Industry’s limited manpower and increasing number of unregistered and unscrupulous businesses online
  • Need for coordination and discussion between government agencies to adapt to changes involving government digitization and the shift to online G2B transactions (e.g., recognition and use of electronic signatures)
  • Inadequacies in our current laws on the liability of online buying and selling platforms to protect consumers
  • Possible challenges on implementing regulatory sandbox framework for financial technology innovations

c. G2B Regulations Covering Food Logistics

  • Overregulation of food manufacturing sector and agriculture and LGU restrictions on the delivery of produce during pandemic resulted to wasted produce.
  • Low productivity in provinces that were traditionally centers of productivity or food baskets.
  • Absence of standards/guidelines/regulations on importation non-traditional products (e.g., rabbit) and stringent requirements of Good Animal Husbandry Practices
  • High price of fruits and vegetables due to logistics problem, food safety and other regulatory measures
  • Difficulty in implementing viable recommendations of various researches (e.g., DAP Benchmarking Study on Regulatory Management) to effect regulatory reform in the sector
  • Additional cost and potential operations delay caused by changes in documentary requirements (e.g., Bureau of Animal Industry’s Certificate of Analysis annual submission compared to previous process of every five years)
  • Tedious and unwieldy end-to-end process of online payment, i.e., the need for traditional hard copy of receipts instead of electronic receipt
  • Difficulty in obtaining permits to transport livestock and poultry due to sudden change of area condition that gives inconsistent information and entails additional costs to companies.

Following the launch, the next step will be for the study teams to take a deep dive and prioritize issues gathered from the activity by conducting separate focus group discussions and industry dialogues with the participants from the public and private sectors.

This article is originally posted at http://pdc.dap.edu.ph/index.php/mgr-program-launches-its-2021-regulatory-review-of-prioritized-industries/

As the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity, the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) held a Webinar Series on Productivity and Quality Frameworks in the Public Sector last 13-15 October 2021.

The webisode was attended by over three thousand participants from various public and private sector agencies. Speakers included Engr. Charlie A. Marquez, DAP resource speaker; Dr. Ralph Sherwin A. Corpuz, director of Quality Assurance at the  Technological University of the Philippines; and Dr. Juliet J. Balderas, head of Management Services Department at the Philippine Heart Center (PHC).

Webinar speakers answer questions from the participants during the program forum. 


Lean Management

Engr. Marquez, who is a certified QMS Lead Auditor and a Lean Six Sigma practitioner, gave a general overview of Lean Management. It is a philosophy based on the Toyota Production System (TPS) that is focused on improving process performance. He explained, “when we say Lean, the objective is simply eliminating everything that does not add value to the customer’s eyes… Meaning, who defines quality is the customer, not us as service providers.”

He briefly touched on the history of the TPS and Toyota’s 4P’s, namely Problem Solving, People and Patterns, Process, and Philosophy. Engr. Marquez also expounded on the Lean Management Framework. 

Stability and standardization serve as the foundation of the Lean Framework. He added, “If there is no standardization, bawat office kanya-kanya [each office will vary in their ways of doing things]… We do not want that. We want standardization.”

Engr. Marquez expounds on the Lean Management Framework.


Engr. Marquez underlined some principles of Lean and mainly discussed the eight (8) wastes in Lean Management, namely defects, overproduction, waiting, transport, inventory, motion, extra processing, and skills. He also highlighted a few benefits of Lean, which include an increase in sales and profits, improvement of quality and lowering of costs, optimal utilization of resources, and most importantly, improvement of customer satisfaction. As he pointed out, “in everything that we are doing—Total Quality Management, ISO 9000, Lean—at the top is ultimately customer satisfaction. That’s what we are here for.”

In his conclusion, Engr. Marquez recommended that participants perform an 8-Waste Analysis, using the Check Sheet that he shared in the talk. He also gave other practical suggestions such as the creation of Value Stream Maps (VSM), Root-Cause-Analysis (RCA), and formulation of solutions and prioritization of projects or activities.


TQM and Business Excellence

On the second day of the webinar series, Dr. Corpuz presented an overview of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Excellence. His topic zeroed in on the application of the approaches in the public sector.

To start his talk, Dr. Corpuz outlined some of the needs and challenges faced by the public sector such as inconvenient and tedious government transaction processes and unsystematic queuing. He added that in order to meet the needs of the public, the Government must exert greater efforts to provide more citizen-focused services, invest in innovation and emerging technologies to improve services, push for a smart government through the integration of ICT with management systems to address red tape, provide seamless connection among processes and governments toward one-stop-shop services, and partnership with the private sector in the country and abroad.

Quality service is what public servants have sworn to deliver and hence should be the prime focus in all government endeavors, Dr. Corpuz pointed out. To realize this, the biggest hindrances to public sector productivity must be dealt with through a solid management solution such as TQM. These barriers include security of tenure which may result in the complacency of government employees, a culture of resistance to reforms in the organization, and a complex political environment.

The speaker discussed principles and tools of TQM such as cause-and-effect diagram, check sheet, control chart, histogram, Pareto chart, scatter diagram, and flow chart. He also explained business excellence approaches that evolved from TQM and its models, including the Malcolm Baldrige National for Performance Excellence and the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model. Additionally, Dr. Corpuz described business excellence as more than a mere award but, more so, a journey of building a competitive nation.

Dr. Corpuz also shared his insights into other TQM tools, including Deming’s Seven Deadly Diseases that infect an organization’s culture, Ishikawa’s Diagram and Total Quality Control, and the Philippine Quality Award Framework.

Dr. Corpuz outlines Demings’s Seven Deadly Diseases of Management


Philippine Heart Center Best Practices

On the last day of the webinar series, Dr. Balderas presented the best practices of PHC to help flatten the curve amid the past COVID-19 surges. She also shared about the center’s quality journey in the new normal, which dates back to 2010 when the center was awarded the PhilHealth Center of Excellence. To improve its hospital processes, the PHC has also been undergoing multiple internal accreditations since 2011. In 2015, it received national recognition for good governance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. Dr. Balderas noted, “our history of quality is stronger than COVID. If we look back at the history in 10 years, we have improved ourselves so much that probably, what we evolved over the years could be something that we can use productively against COVID.”

Dr. Balderas looks back at PHC’s excellence journey over the years.


Dr. Balderas discussed one of PHC best practices when the pandemic started—the creation of an Incident Command System, which is a standardized emergency response management structure comprising an incident commander, liaison officer, public information officer, safety/security officer, and operations, planning, logistics, and finance divisions. According to Dr. Balderas, the chain of command members meet every month to discuss all the operations in the hospital. They also hold multidisciplinary daily COVID-19 meetings to ensure that COVID-related problems are addressed as they happen. Additionally, new COVID-19 policies by ISO standards on patient admission and on the cohorting of COVID and non-COVID patients among other policies were implemented. These policies were also made accessible to the staff and the patients through its Intranet. The speaker also put forward other best practices of PHC such as stricter compliance to safety protocols, observance of ICP policies for healthcare workers in terms of daily symptoms monitoring and electronic health declaration every fourteen days, and expansion of GeneXpert PCR Testing.

Dr. Balderas also presented PHC’s Beyond Better Strategy Map for the year 2017 to 2022. The map outlines the center’s support and core processes, strategic position, and impact areas that are geared towards its change agenda, which are to become a leader in cardiovascular care that is at par with global benchmarks and to be a leading advocate in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the country.

Maintaining a high standard of quality is doubly difficult due to the ongoing health crisis, but PHC’s performance governance system, which includes unit scoreboards that help monitor the staff’s individual performance and breakthrough results, has made it possible. Dr. Balderas explained, “when there was little budget for the Heart Center, [our question was] how do we go towards development? We only know that we have to remain the best heart hospital and we are the heart hospital referral center. Our strategy was to improve the performance, so performance monitoring despite COVID was a PHC Culture.”

Despite changes in leadership every five to six years, the center has achieved outstanding breakthrough accomplishments yearly until 2016. And even amid the ongoing COVID surge in 2021, the scoreboards guided the center in decreasing patient safety incidents and the number of healthcare workers diagnosed with COVID 19 by 50 percent.

Dr. Balderas shares the major institutional breakthroughs of PHC in 2020.


The use of scoreboards has been recognized as a best practice in all of PHC’s external audits. In 2019, the center was awarded by the Philippine Quality Award as the leader in upholding standards of cardiovascular care. PHC’s quality and performance excellence have also led the center to be recognized as a “Leader in Upholding Highest Standards of Cardiovascular Care” in 2018 at the 21st Cycle Philippine Quality Awards. Dr. Balderas noted that despite the hurdles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, good governance and pursuit of excellence in quality improvements must continue.

The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its Modernizing Government Regulations (MGR) Program, completed the Capability Development Assistance on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the Intramuros Administration (IA) which commenced on 15 September with the conduct of a Basic Course on RIA and culminated with the conduct of an Advanced Course on RIA on 7 October 2021.

Basic Course on RIA for the Intramuros Administration conducted on 15-17 & 20-24 September 2021
Advanced Course on RIA for the Intramuros Administration conducted on 28 September – 1&4-7 October 2021

With the primary objective of developing the capability of the IA key officers and technical staff to undertake RIA, the participants were able to perform RIA using various analytical methods and produce their agency’s Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for the following identified regulations:

  • Amendment to an existing regulation: Efficiency of the Processing of Building Permit for Intramuros Constructions through the City of Manila
  • Amendment to an existing regulation: Issuance of the IA Development Clearance (PD No. 1616 as amended and its IRR: Rule III, Section 1.3 and Rule VIII, Sections 2 and 5)
  • Proposed regulation: Pedestrianization of General Luna Street
  • Amendment to an existing regulation: Proposed online application of permit for photography and video in Intramuros (Section 6 of PD No. 1616)

As part of the commitment and advocacy of the DAP MGR Program for wider application of good regulatory practices, the DAP Project Team is offering to provide a sponsored RIA Clinic/follow-up assistance to help the IA enhance further the RIS produced during the training. Upon enhancement of output, the IA is encouraged to present their revised RIS to a panel composed of IA senior official(s) and DAP representatives to solicit further feedback.

This article was originally posted in http://pdc.dap.edu.ph/index.php/dap-completes-the-capability-development-assistance-on-ria-for-the-intramuros-administration/

At the heart of public service is the citizens’ interest, and with resources in short supply, organizations must reassess their efficiency and productivity. The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), as the Asian Productivity Organization Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity, trains public sector agencies through the Designing Citizen-Centered Public Service Improvements (DCCPSI) Program to evaluate government service delivery, identify inefficiencies, and develop solutions to adequately address clients’ needs and expectations using the approach on Service Design.

The second batch of the DCCPSI Program was conducted on September 13-15 for Phase I and on September 20-24 for Phase II. Participating agencies included the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Energy (DOE), National Wages Productivity Commission (NWPC), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Participants could also avail of additional project incubation interventions to prepare for implementation.

First day plenary, Ms. Adona San Diego of DENR shares their agency’s critical service and the experience of citizens in service delivery.


Service delivery in the shoes of our citizens

The first phase, Citizen-Centered Service Design and Data Gathering, asks public sector agencies to consider their services from the perspective of a typical citizen. By having a picture of the client journey, agencies can empathize with the citizens on the end-to-end service experience. Mr. Peter Dan Baon, COE-PSP Program Manager, emphasizes the service design principle of human-centeredness because it gives “perspectives of the clients, their emotions and pain points when availing of the service.” As a result, agencies are able to evaluate the efficiency of their services and redesign areas for improvement according to clients’ insights.

Ms. Jodellie Pacala of DSWD leads conversation of their agency’s Client Journey Map.


To further develop a citizen-centered design, agencies supplement their ideas with local examples of design initiatives. Agencies draw inspiration from concrete examples of local government units like Valenzuela’s Paspas Permit and Pasig City’s Ugnayan sa Pasig (UsaP) as good examples of public service despite the hindrances that come with battling the pandemic. They also look at design fails as caution for what to avoid when implementing citizen-centered services. With these observations on design initiatives, they paint together a picture of what citizen-centered design should look like.


Redesigning services to improve citizen satisfaction

Once agencies understand the principles of service design and use the same in empathizing with clients’ perspectives, they engage in an ideation process to brainstorm solutions to their clients’ pain points. The Design Sprints look into many angles of the problem and explore even the most radical ideas on how the agencies might resolve them. Using tools and strategies prepared by the program, agencies develop prototypes of potential solutions. Ms. Elizabeth Alladel of DOST appreciates the ideation process as “it is very useful especially when you want to modify or develop an improvement in the existing system or operations.”

Mr. Mohammad Victor of OWWA shares their agency’s proposed approach to solving the observed problems in Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay Program for OFWs.


Following the development of their prototypes, agencies identify and invite users to test their solution. After days of analyzing problems and brainstorming solutions, they finally test their prototypes. Day 4 of the Design Sprints is an exciting stage for the agencies as they uncover hits and misses based on the experience and feedback of real live users. 

One of BIR’s test participants, Mr. Jalandoni, appreciates the prototype since “somehow, personnel are focused on the system because face-to-face transaction consumes time and prolongs queuing.” He adds that “it’s a big step for BIR to improve the business registration process since less stress for the frontliners, and saved time is diverted to other office work.” 

Ms. Janette Cruz of BIR instructs test users on how to go about their prototype.

        

Ms. Glenda Pua of NCIP demonstrates their prototype to the test users.


After their participation in the program, the agencies developed the following solutions:

  1. OWWA – OFCs (Overseas Filipino Circles) as site inspectors of Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay Program for OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers)
  2. NWPC – Revision of evaluation forms to cater to clients’ demands on learning sessions related to wages and productivity
  3. NEDA – Web-based self-assessment tool on completeness of project proposal documents
  4. DOST – User-friendly online submission of collaborative research proposals
  5. BIR – Web-based system on end-to-end business registration process with collaborative interface with other government agencies
  6. DOE – Online application of Notice To Proceed (NTP) for Downstream Natural Gas Facility
  7. NCIP – Integration of an information system on the NCIP official website for tracking of application requests
  8. DILG – Delegation of authority to regional offices in processing of multi-purpose vehicle requests
  9. DMB – Tracking system for client agencies to access the status of requests
  10. DENR – User-friendly online tree cutting permit application process
  11. DSWD – Accessible online application of Minors Traveling Abroad (MTA)

Efficiency of iterative design

In a span of less than two weeks, agencies understand their unique inefficiencies, brainstorm possible solutions, develop prototypes, test their solutions with real users, and redesign their processes. The principles of service design help agencies respond to challenges in government service delivery with the least amount of time and least possible use of resources. The outcome is a noticeable improvement of critical government services. Ms. Yvette Batacandolo of NEDA said it best, “we have a tendency to create programs without asking users how it will affect them.” With the help of the DCCPSI Program, agencies know better how to improve efficiency in government service delivery.

In closing, agencies are strongly encouraged to join project incubation interventions. In this phase, agencies relish opportunities for focused coaching and guided implementation from beginning till end. Ms. Lucita dela Pena of DILG shares her realization, “this is the reason why there is alpha, beta, gamma in product testing, to keep on remodeling until we reach an ideal model where issues are resolved.”

The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its Modernizing Government Regulations Program, completes the Phase II: Capability Development Assistance on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for Priority Agencies of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) which ran on 31 May 2021 and culminated with the conduct of ten-panel presentations on the results of the RIA on 19 July 2021.

With the primary objective of developing the capability of selected regulatory agencies’ personnel to undertake RIA, the participants were able to produce their agencies’ Regulatory Impact Statements (RIS) that would help them analyze identified regulations. Twenty-three priority agencies presented their agencies’ RIS results to a panel of experts from the DAP, representatives from the ARTA, and officials from the respective beneficiary agencies.  The panel presentations of the agencies aimed to enable further analysis of the following draft RIA to identify opportunities for improvement: proposed implementation of the electronic tracking system and automated processing of certificates/permits, as well as, amendment of guidelines on online registrations and streamlining application processes.

Panel Presentation of the Results of RIA

The next step would be for the agencies to integrate the feedback received during the panel presentations and finalize their respective RIS.

This article is originally posted in http://pdc.dap.edu.ph/index.php/dap-completes-the-capability-development-assistance-on-ria-for-priority-agencies-of-the-arta/

Times of crisis have emphasized the importance of the role of the public sector. Public sector employment and compensation are two fundamental government production functions that determine overall public sector productivity and service. With the government employing the majority of the workforce in most economies, it shapes the country’s fiscal sustainability, productivity, and labor market policies and standards.  

Quality data are most useful to evaluate the performance of the public sector and formulate evidence-based reforms.  On September 30, 2021, the World Bank launched the Worldwide Bureaucracy Indicators (WWBI) that covers 53 million high-quality microdata, 192 indicators, across 202 countries on demographic, size, compensation, and wage bill of the public sector to aid policy-making. Senior Public Sector Specialist of the World Bank, Mr. Zahid Hasnain, described the WWBI, its findings and potential applications. One of the WWBI findings across the globe determining that the public sector is the largest employer for most countries, especially for essential workers. He also shared how public sector workers have an average wage premium of 7.3% more than similar formal private-sector workers, however, this varies across gender, educational attainment, occupation, and industry. The public sector employs more women than the private sector with a concentration in select industries such as healthcare, education, and public administration. Women are also generally provided a higher wage premium in the public sector. This reflects a more gender-inclusive environment for women in the government although there is still a long way to go.

During the launch, Mari E. Pangetsu, World Bank Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships, expressed her excitement over the first unique cross-national dataset developed by World Bank Bureaucracy Lab to better understand the footprint of the public sector workforce. 

Senior Vice President Magdalena L. Mendoza of the Development Academy of the Philippines applauded the WWBI for providing an impressive wealth of analytics to better understand public sector employment and compensation. This database of indicators enables productivity assessment using the WWBI proxy indicators to create data-driven policies and reforms in the civil service. She expounded how information on the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes of public servants can enable the government to understand internal and external motivations for work discipline so that it develops a more effective incentives system and more responsive civil service reforms to improve performance and maximize productivity. According to SVP Mendoza, the Philippine civil service has gone through reforms such as rationalization, salary standardization, result-based performance management, performance-based incentives, and the dataset may be useful to evaluate if these reforms have resulted in productivity gains.  

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Other members of the panel shared their ideas on the potential of the WWBI in its application, growth, and expansion relative to pursuing public sector productivity. Tim Besley, W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics at London School of Economics, raised the value of looking into the bureaucracy as a whole system and not just through pockets of excellence whereby integrating different components of civil service can make waves of influence through global best practices. He also suggested collecting granular personnel data over career lifetimes to identify determinants in career progression, but a fundamental step needed today is to first work on proper codification and standardization of data to support analysis.

Ghana Head of Civil Service, Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena, relayed how they put up systems in place to improve monitoring of human resource data analytics to develop more data-informed reforms in the public administration. Adil Zainulbhai, Chair of the Capacity Building Commission and the Chairman of the Quality Council of India, described how they have developed an Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) Platform to provide access to learning materials from over 700 training institutions to all levels of civil servants. He continued to share their pursuit for more innovative ways in delivering these capability-building solutions amidst the heterogeneity of its 30 million public servants. He brings light to using data on what level of capability people are in, what they need to learn, what are they interested in, and letting the ecosystem work together to achieve the goal.

SVP Mendoza raised the value of the WWBI in relation to the work of DAP as the Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity and look forward to collaborating with the Bureaucracy Lab. In closing, Indermit S. Gill, Vice President of World Bank Equitable Growth and Finance Institutions, expressed gratitude to the Bureaucracy Lab team that has worked hard in the extensive process of data collection and its emphasis on delivering it through a transparent process. He thanked all speakers, panel members, and the audience for their active participation in the launch and looks forward to putting these datasets into the application for more innovative and responsive civil service reforms.

How will governments be more productive? This is the big question addressed in the fourth installment of World Bank’s six disruptive debates and constructive conversations in the Future of Government series, held on 1 September 2021.

The forum aims to provide global leaders and thinkers an avenue to share views and ideas on how governments might seize the opportunity from the current global pandemic crisis and climate crisis to achieve greener, more resilient, and more inclusive future development (GRID) outcomes. It featured global experts such as Francis Maude, Peck Kem Low, Francisco Gaetani, Marta Arsovska Tomovska, Edward Olowo-Okere, and Raj Kumar.

Government Productivity

Government productivity is fundamental to the world’s future. The pressure to do more with less is heightened now more than ever, especially as the time frame for Sustainable Development Goals achievement nears its end and the global pandemic remains ongoing.

Maude, FMA chairman and former UK Minister, shared his insight on how this can be carried out. First is by ensuring efficiency. He shared about how he had helped in reforming procurement during his term in the UK government program in efficiency and reform. “We did a huge digital transformation program which saved a lot of money but also got the UK ranked best in the world by the UN for e-government,” Maude added.

Maude noted that the government’s procurement of goods and services from outside must be done better. Specifically, he highlighted the necessity of getting rid of restrictive practices that can, in the end, corner the government with an oligopoly of suppliers. He added, “In the UK, we got rid of a lot of the restrictive practices. That was a real factor in driving or enabling the huge growth upsurge in the tech sector. Startups were finally able to bid for and win government contracts and they grew off the back of it. So procurement, major projects, digital transformation, all of that– these are reforms available to every government that [are] crucial.”

Another factor he brought forward was impact investment, a strategy that aims to generate positive social and environmental impact alongside financial returns. A few examples of this are government partnerships with small social entrepreneurs and efforts to support environmental initiatives with economic benefits. The UK was the first in the world to set up a social investment bank, which offers another, more holistic option to address social problems other than providing in-house services or having to go full on conventional, commercial outsourcing.

Digital transformation toward improving productivity

Tomovska, director for Public Administration Reform and eGovernment at the Office of the Prime Minister of Serbia, shared how they were able to realize ‘doing more with less’ in Serbia through digital transformation. She underlined the value of investing in digital transformation given that there are still governments that are apprehensive about what such a shift may entail.

“Some governments are hesitant to take this road. Either they don’t have a vision or they don’t have enough talent in the government for digital transformation. Sometimes, investment is a challenge because digitalization itself is not a cheap toy. But the crisis showed that every single dollar invested in the digital transformation of the government paid off and then paid over big time,” she explained.

The director, who was also the former Macedonian Minister for ICT and Public Administration, pointed out that digital transformation not only makes services more efficient, more effective, and low cost, but more so it provides a safeguard against corruption. She said, “In some parts of the world where corruption is a challenge, digital government can be seen as an excellent tool to fight corruption. There is no physical contact, no discretionary decisions; everything is recorded in the system”

Tomovska also cited a few technologies that are now in the spotlight for digital transformation. One of which includes automated decision-making systems which use algorithms that sync across sectors in the government. Tomovska shared that, in Serbia, they were able to save millions of dollars annually and cut down costs in terms of time, electricity, water, and even paper sheets because of the said innovation. In the past two years alone, they were able to save around 180 million sheets of paper, which is equivalent to 18 thousand trees, 76 ml. water, and six thousand watt-hours of electricity. Another example she mentioned was big data and algorithms for data-driven policies, which contribute to better planning, improved outcomes, and increased savings.

She also shared about software robots that can do basic routine tasks. She added, ‘[The technology] frees up hours for some crucial things, for example, dealing much more with the citizens and understanding their needs. There are a lot of things to be done there. And we’ve seen some numbers, which are in billions of dollars, with what would be the cost savings if we introduce this kind of automation.” 

In her conclusion, Tomovska emphasized that digital transformation must be a collective effort. There are many avenues for cooperation to contribute to government productivity.  The private sector, startups, and innovative companies may play a significant role in this.

Singapore’s Example

Singapore, with its advanced technology and efficiency, may be a hint of what the future of government would look like. 

Fast service is one of the things that the country can take pride in. Chief human resources officer & workforce management advisor in the Singapore Government, Kem shared, “Today, in Singapore, when you land in Singapore airport, from the point you land to the point you’ve grabbed your luggage bag, checkout and get a taxi, [it would take] no more than ten minutes. That’s the level of technology that we have invested in.”

Kem spoke about how Singapore has been focusing its efforts in driving towards a smart nation. Given the country’s limited resources, going digital is not merely an option but is integral to its system.

She explained, “For us, going high tech or digital is not an option, mainly because we are so small and we really don’t have enough people. We don’t have natural resources. Our only natural resource is our people, even our people, we don’t have enough Singaporeans per se, and one-third of our workforce is really from all over the world… because we don’t have the warm bodies to fill those jobs, very often, we have to make use of technology in order to still deliver services, and yet, high touch.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic posing a great threat, various government offices have shifted their services online in order to continue serving their clients while ensuring efficiency as well as public safety.

One of the offices that went online was the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). OF-CORS, or the Overseas Filipinos – CFO Online Registration System, was developed by a team co-chaired by Ivy Miravalles, Director of the Migrant Integration and Education Division. The system, which was launched on March 14-25 of 2020, is intended to make easier and contactless transactions. This is for their main clients: immigrant visa holders, Filipino fiancé(e)/spouse/partner of a foreign national/former Filipino citizen/dual citizen with a visa, and CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate holders. Clients can take advantage of pre-departure services without having to visit a CFO office by registering online; they could also print their own OF-CORS Temporary Certificate and present it to the Bureau of Immigration on their departure day from the Philippines.

How it came to be 

Long before restrictions on face-to-face transactions were a challenge, Miravalles had already recognized the need for service automation way back in 2014. She stated that the concept had remained in the back of her mind since then, until they joined the Public Sector Productivity Innovation Laboratory (PSP InnoLab) bootcamp run by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), where a team composed of trainees from various divisions of the CFO were able to reinforce the idea of service automation. Her team’s trainee informed her of the opportunity, and she was asked to conceptualize the OF-CORS project.

Miravalles shared that they began planning for the project prior to COVID. When the pandemic struck, data and processes were moved online more easily and quickly, allowing the system to be operational as soon as the nationwide lockdown began on March 14 of last year. 

Ease of access

OF-CORS not only helps prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but it also makes the registration of Filipinos going overseas easier and less expensive.

The Director said that the CFO wanted to address the long lines and high registration volume which required significant manpower, as well as the cost incurred by the registrants in visiting their offices, which are currently only located in three areas. Users can register at OF-CORS from the comfort of their own homes, without the need for travel and waiting in long lines. They can also view and access information online.

Filipinos going to different countries who register in the system are given digital certificates that they can show to the Bureau of Immigration when they exit the country.

Continued optimization 

The Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar, or PDOS, is a pre-departure program organized by the CFO for immigrant visa holders, foreign nationals’ spouses, partners, and fiancé(e)s, youth migrants, and cultural exchange program participants who are exiting the country. This seminar has now evolved into a webinar that includes a facilitator, which can also be streamed live and is available on YouTube.

OF-CORS has seen numerous improvements to its system since its initial launch. Miravalles explained that after months of not having a registration fee as a response because of the pandemic, they realized that they needed one to support their operations and their mandate as an agency. Thus, they have coordinated with Bayad Centers and improved their system. Those who wish to receive digital certificates must pay a registration fee of Php 400 before receiving the certificate. They can also choose to have their physical certificate mailed to them, with the cost determined by the system based on their location and the courier they opt to use once paid the required fee. At present, clients may choose to courier options- LBC and Wide Express.

 The CFO strongly advises users to pay using GCash and Bayad Centers in their area. If neither of these options is available in their area, users must pay through CFO’s Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) account.

During the first few months of its implementation, she admitted that they had difficulty in checking the submissions in the online system. Miravalles explained that they realized they needed to improve the system once more. Now, when users submit the required documents, such as a copy of their passport or visa, it is now assigned to an officer who is in-charge to verify the documents.

The Director also revealed that OF-CORS is currently being translated into the Filipino language and Visayan, so that Filipinos who are not fluent in English can better understand the system and its content. An online chat bot on the website is also in the works.

Commitment to safety

Today, there are no more face-to-face transactions in CFO because registration can now be completed online. This, as per the Director, is ideal, particularly for their office, where a large number of people used to come every day. Every employee’s health, as well as the health of those who visit their offices, is important.

Of course, OF-CORS values everyone’s safety, not just in terms of health.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Law, or Republic Act 9208, as amended by Republic Act 10364, governs the mandatory seminars that the CFO is required to hold, particularly for Filipinos who are the spouse, fiancé(e), or partner of a foreign national, former Filipino, or dual citizen.

Because the CFO is unable to provide face-to-face counseling, Tele-counseling was established. Tele-counseling, which includes family counseling and individual counseling, is conducted over the phone, online, and even through the Zoom application. Miravalles stated that Tele-counseling allows them to be more hands-on with registrants, particularly those with problematic cases. Alternative options are available for those with difficult cases, and these cases can take anywhere from a few days to a few months to be worked on.

The light in the dark

“We had to see things in a different perspective,” Miravalles said. There were a few bumps in the road since OF-CORS was launched quickly and was implemented as soon as possible. She also stated that her team had to make do with what they had and that they chose to view the pandemic as an opportunity for growth. She was also able to understand the importance of collaboration between different units and stakeholders alike.

“I am satisfied that the system is really functioning, but I need some important details,” the Director stated. “For example, ‘How do I monitor requests after a client has filed it? How can we manage data well considering the problems on internet connectivity? How can we improve data security?’, these proved to be difficult for me.” Miravalles shared that there are four biggest challenges that they are facing: time management, customer service, ICT (Information and Communications Technology) improvement, and communication. 

Despite the inevitable setbacks, Miravalles expressed gratitude to the DAP, from which she graduated, for their support and assistance in making the project a success. DAP provided training opportunities for her and her team, as well as assistance in quickly deploying the system. On a personal level, Miravalles expressed gratitude to DAP for reinforcing her desire and motivation to see the online system as important.

In this day and age, one’s health and safety should be a top priority. Filipino immigrant visa holders who wish to travel to another country can use the Overseas Filipino – CFO Online Registration System to protect their health and safety while also lowering the risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus, all because they can now register online.

A famous self-development author, Brian Tracy, once said: “Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends.” Indeed, growth requires an examination of oneself, challenging how things currently are, and taking steps to improve things – no matter how big or small. We will never arrive at perfection; there will always be room for improvement.

In August 2019, Team ALAB of the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA), headed by Giovanni Platero, started the Cooperative Assessment Information System or CAIS, as an effort to improve their current system. It was intended to make the issuance of a Certificate of Compliance (COC) for cooperatives as simple as possible. The system upgrade also included a number of improvements that decreased turnaround time by allowing for more efficient, hassle-free, and user-friendly document processing. This project helps further improve the system for Philippine cooperatives.

How It Came to Be

CAIS Project Manager Giovanni Platero explained that before the conceptualization of the project, their then-existing system, which they use for submitting cooperative reports and used to issue COCs, does not comply with the requirements of Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. The CDA then came up with ways to streamline its processes, particularly with the issuance of COCs, through the development of CAIS, in support of RA 11032.

By virtue of Republic Act 6939, the CDA was established to promote the viability and expansion of cooperatives as tools of fairness, social justice, and economic development. Every cooperative in the Philippines is obligated to produce periodical reports of its program of activities – including those in support of its socio-civic initiatives – at the end of each fiscal year, detailing their development and accomplishments. As of December 2018, there were about 18,065 registered and functioning cooperatives in the country, but only 11,138 or 62% are reporting cooperatives or those who have been issued with a COC. Because of this, CAIS was born.

The project aimed to reduce the burden of complying with reportorial requirements to ensure that cooperatives are functioning in accordance with statutory and regulatory obligations; produce useful information from the cooperatives’ performance monitoring reports; and increase stakeholder collaboration to better promote the development of cooperatives in the country. 

From Finding Fault in Others to Improving Oneself

Platero shared that through CAIS, the system is able to reduce the effort of everyone involved in report evaluation and COC issuance. Not only this, CAIS also enhanced the speed with which services were delivered to the cooperatives. The process is smoother and faster than ever, with little to no issues experienced.

The project also helped the people working behind it. Platero said that their team’s ability to think of new concepts was further enhanced with the help of CAIS. He also mentioned that he learned that the key to a successful creative initiative is accepting others’ ideas, active engagement with stakeholders, and encouraging people to share innovative ideas.

As said by Platero, the mindset of the individuals involved in the system and processed transformations evolved to a new type of “regulatory” environment. “We viewed the regulation now as [an] enabler to advance our developmental initiative for 28,000+ cooperatives in the country,” the project manager explained. “Instead of using regulation to find “fault” on the practices of the cooperatives, we view regulation as [a] tool of finding the weaknesses in the operations of the cooperatives, [as it] gave us [an] opportunity to improve our services through responsive policy and program interventions.” That, he revealed, is the reason why they opted to change their system’s name from Cooperative Monitoring System (CMS) to Cooperative Assessment Information System.

The Deal with Davao

The project manager explained that the initiatives received top management support, and also sparked interest from some Local Government Units (LGUs). This resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Davao LGU and CDA to make CAIS be interfaced with Davao’s Cooperative Management Information System (CMIS), thereby establishing it as a pilot project that can be replicated in other LGUs.

Among the LGUs in the Philippines, Davao boasts a sophisticated Information Technology (IT) system. Platero claims that this is a huge factor for their decision to collaborate with the Davao LGU. The LGU identified an opportunity by integrating CAIS with their CMIS. The Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the two parties in May.

In January of this year, Republic Act 11535 was signed into law, requiring the creation of Cooperative Development Officers across the country. As a result, the Davao initiative has the chance to be replicated by other LGUs. Because of this, Platero said that the CAIS project has a multiplier effect. He then revealed that 37 provinces have already appointed their Cooperative Development Officers, with the total number of officers expected to reach around 80 once the other LGUs have done so.

Key Characteristics

The Cooperative Assessment Information System includes a number of project features.

One of these is the full online submission of simplified reportorial requirements. The Authority will examine their current reportorial requirements to ensure that they are relevant and that the forms are easy to complete. Previously, they required reports to be submitted both online and in printed copy.

Another key feature would be the built-in standard evaluation tools for real-time results. The Authority previously had no standard evaluation tool and depended completely on the judgement of its evaluators. Moreover, the evaluation period’s turnaround time is also not defined. To add to that, the Authority still issues a Certificate of Compliance without properly evaluating submitted reports – revoking the COC once the Authority finds a deficiency and non-compliance later on. With all of these issues at hand, the Authority created a standard evaluation tool that was incorporated into the system, making it easy to use and producing real-time results.

Furthermore, a notification via SMS or e-mail feature is included in the system. Cooperatives receive an SMS or e-mail notification with the results of the evaluation and when the COC is ready for pickup. Previously, they simply provided the cooperatives with a claim stub that specified when they would need to return.

Other features include an online payment facility; e-signatures and barcodes for COCs; performance monitoring and data analytics capability; mapping, visualization, and geo-tagging capability; and web services that have interoperability features with other stakeholders.

Room for more improvements     

Despite being the initial success of CAIS, Platero shared that further improvements are needed so that it can better address the demands of the organization.

The first improvement Platero mentioned was the conduct of a more in-depth technical analysis of the system’s efficiency in terms of performance, accuracy, and dependency. Another would be completing a regulatory cost compliance study, so that CDA will be aware of the expenses associated with rules imposed on cooperatives. Lastly, they would need to further develop the system in order to meet cooperative compliance obligations that are the bare minimum required to satisfy CDA policy objectives.

The process of improvement is, in fact, a long road. With the global pandemic that is going on, efforts to enhance the system were hampered due to the shift in priorities.

Platero said that the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its Innovation Laboratory, helped them to conceptualize the project, as well as in developing an action plan to help implement it. The Innovation Laboratory uses the design thinking method to help organizations identify possible opportunities for improvement and co-create solutions. DAP continues to conduct online collaboration meetings with CDA in order to monitor the progress of the implementation of CAIS.

As of now, the project is in its “transition stage “, as said by Platero. Currently, they are transferring all physical data they have and fully converting it into its digital forms. 

Everything in the world is a work in progress. The Cooperative Assessment Information System, though already a feat by itself, still has a large potential of becoming even better. As the saying      goes, “Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.” The key is to always have a humble, curious, and innovative mind. 

“The only thing that is constant in life is change.” Cliché as it may sound, but it is true. Change is inevitable in one’s life, but to be able to be the one to bring a good change to a lot of people is something noble to aspire to.

Take Edward Bana, for example. He is the team leader of the group which created TROPHY, or the Transformed Human Resource Office through Proficient Hiring System, and the developer of the Document Tracking System (DTS). Both of these projects aim for one thing – to provide a faster and much more proficient system for the people and offices involved in the Department of Education (DepEd) in Antique.

The Future with Technology

Technology plays a big role in our lives. It makes everything more efficient for us, from doing simple tasks to running complex processes. The future, in all of its uncertain glory, includes the involvement (and evolvement) of technology.

One of the main factors that contributed to the birth of TROPHY is the desire for change. Data processing can be complicated, and it frequently results in undesirable outcomes such as lost documents or slow updates. TROPHY’s main goal is to organize and quicken the processes of recruitment, selection, and placement within the division of Antique. With the help of technology, Bana and his team were able to come up with TROPHY to make the accessing and processing of data faster.

TROPHY is established to raise the division’s level of excellence in governance and public service efficiency, while following its principles. The division was able to create numerous technology-based systems, some of which are the following: a recruitment, selection, and placement manual which improved the hiring system; created an online system of recruitment and application; and created a database of all teaching and non-teaching personnel of the division office to fast-track the release of benefits.

Moreover, there is a reward system called Pasidungog, where they honor or commend outstanding teaching and non-teaching employees in the division – something to motivate and give back to those who are doing great in their jobs.

Fast-track, Faster Tracked

Much like a shipment made, documents circulating the division office of Antique now haves their own tracking numbers, all thanks to Bana’s Document Tracking System.

The Document Tracking System, which was launched on the 22nd of February this year, is a program that is installed in every functional unit of the division office, district office, and public schools. It is an automated routing and monitoring system for all papers submitted to and handled by the different sections in the division office. As a computer programmer, Bana explained that as it has been his hobby to create systems, and the DTS is one of his pet-ideas for technology-based innovations in their office.

Bana also shared that he felt very happy to hear how important the DTS has been to school heads and the district staff. “It is fulfilling to hear stories,” he said, “they are happy that because of this system, they need not to go to the division office just to check the status of their MOOE requests, DTRs submitted, reimbursements, appointment papers, and all other documents that need action from the different service providers in the division office.” The positive feedback from the software users themselves are solid proof that the DTS is of huge help in making processes more fast-track.

As to how the project came to be, Bana mentioned that at a workshop conducted by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), another participating team identified the need for a technology-based project that intends to improve the internal procedures in their office. They underlined the need for a Document Tracking System to improve the efficacy, efficiency, and transparency of document processing, particularly in the areas of finances, teacher hiring, and the promotion of employees. Similar to the concern of the other team, lost papers, the difficulty of tracing documents for follow-ups, and a reliable communication medium between service providers and document owners, have all been mentioned as issues in their division.

Because of the said problems within the office regarding the loss and negligence of other documents, Bana shared that the employees who are handling these documents are now more careful than ever. “Previously, we cannot impose accountability on those documents,” he said, “but this time, the different personnel in the different offices [who] have become very conscious and cautious in handling the documents.” Bana further explained that the reason why the employees are more cautious than before is that with the help of the internet-based component of the DTS, the history of a document can be accessed by just inputting its tracking number in the system.

Changes in Oneself

From working alone to leading a whole team, it can be implied that there is more than one thing that has changed for Bana.

“To be involved in a project that is successfully implemented brings fulfillment to my life as a public servant,” the developer shared. Bana revealed that the DTS project pushed him to put in extra hours of study and research into figuring out how to translate the expectations and ideas of the system’s target clients into complex codes. He also shared that his position has shifted slightly from a full-time source code programmer to a major project manager and source code developer. 

No I in Team

Matt Mulleweg once said, “Technology is best when it brings people together.”

In the past, Bana was fond of working alone, developing systems all by himself. However, being part of a team and being able to collaborate with others changed his perception. “Working with a team and with a lot of ideas pouring in through consultations and collaboration, and with distribution of tasks among the team members in terms of administrative and technical works,” he shared, “we realized that our development became faster and our product became more relevant and responsive to the needs of our target clients.”

He also mentioned that through DAP and its Education, Training, Capacity Building, Seminars (ETCBS) Program, he was able to join and produce the DTS with the help of his team. “It remained as an idea with an initial framework until I found my team and had an opportunity to work on it and make it a reality,” Bana admitted. 

Collaboration is indeed important in getting the job done. Bana expressed his gratitude on behalf of his team and all those behind TROPHY and DTS to Deputy Speaker Hon. Loren Legarda for her support, and the Development Academy of the Philippines for the workshops and training that the team was able to attend, which helped in strengthening their camaraderie as a group and improve their knowledge as individuals. 

Like what Elon Musk said, “Your will is the most accurate way to predict your future.” The future is somehow scary – full of uncertainties, a lot of things will change along the way. But, if you really want to see change, you must start to gather up the will to do so.

In these trying times, it is important to see others just as significant as you see yourself. For one who wishes for change to happen – for yourself or even those around you – one must be clear of what future they want to have. As long as you dream for change, change will definitely come.