Category: Citizen-centered Services

Organization

City Government of Cauayan, Isabela

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy, Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

2016

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

The Food Bank Project was an initiative of the Cauayan City LGU to promote food security, food safety, and good nutrition. Launched in December 2016 in line with the localization of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, particularly that of ending hunger, the Food Bank acts as a food storage and distribution center of food catering especially to disadvantaged families and children, giving them free food daily to reduce hunger incidence and malnutrition. As the first hunger relief operation in the city and one of the LGU’s core social service programs for the marginalized, it has substantially contributed to the decrease in the malnutrition rate in the city in 2016, from 1.4% to 1.2%.

Background and Problem

For us living comfortably, the word “hunger” has a different connotation in the context of “world hunger.” According to the UN’s Hunger Report, hunger is the term used to define periods when populations are experiencing severe food insecurity. This means that large groups of people go for multiple days without eating. Several programs and projects are already implemented relative to this.

Like many countries, the Philippines has not been exempt from this humanitarian issue. It has been taking great strides to address it, especially in the city of Cauayan. They have already implemented many programs and projects to address hunger and malnutrition in their city. But to truly solve this issue, their city requires a project with long-term sustainability and funding, which is difficult to attain.

Cauayan City’s Food Bank Mobile Kitchen feeding operation at Cauayan District Hospital last 7 April 2022

Solution and Impact

To solve the problems of sustainability and funding, the local government unit initiated collaboration efforts with the three pillars of society (local government, civil society, and the business sector) to develop innovations suited to the needs of the different sectors. And through these joint efforts, Cauayan City’s Food Bank was conceptualized.

The Food Bank project was implemented in line with the thrust of localizing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 2: Zero Hunger. The LGU believes these small steps will contribute to attaining the objectives of this global advocacy. And with the help of the members of the City Council, Ordinance 2017-107 was enacted, providing guidelines for the donation, operation, storage, and distribution of healthy cooked meals to less fortunate members of the community through a Food Bank.

Moreover, all establishments engaged in selling retail or wholesale non-perishable goods such as canned goods and long-shelf-life foods are encouraged by Cauayan City’s Food Bank to deposit and donate such food items with them months before the expiration so that they may be cooked, processed, and given to indigent families. Nutritionists and dieticians ensure that such food is safe, not yet spoiled, and healthy before serving it to the identified beneficiaries. Moreover, the same ordinance provides that establishments found guilty of selling expired goods are to be penalized accordingly. With this, establishments are prevented from selling expired food items, ensuring food safety for the public.

Individuals, establishments, local retailers, companies, NGOs, and other charitable institutions are also encouraged to participate through donations, in cash or kind. These, in turn, supplement the city government’s funds, allowing for greater budget allocation towards the maintenance of facilities and the daily operations of the Food Bank.

Also, the food bank promotes volunteerism and collaboration among the people, the private sector, and the local government. In this way, it addresses hunger and malnutrition in the city and instills initiative and camaraderie among the city’s different constituents, creating possibilities for other welfare collaborations in the future.

Milestones/Next Steps

Since its creation, the Cauayan City Food Bank project has catered to 22,288 individuals, including children, out-of-school youth, and indigent families. This project has substantially contributed to the decrease in the malnutrition rate of the city in 2016, from 1.4% to 1.2%.

Also, this project led Cauayan City to become a Hall of Fame awardee in the 2016 National Nutrition Award. And last 2017, the City Nutrition Office conducted a study where it recorded a 0% malnutrition rate, making Cauayan City free from malnutrition.

And in June 2020, Food Bank on Wheels, a sub-project of the Food Bank, was activated in partnership with the Padyak para sa Kalusugan at Nutrisyon Program. When Cauayan City was placed under General Community Quarantine, the Food Bank on Wheels partnership catered to 1,500 individuals from six barangays composed of senior citizens, pregnant and lactating women, 4Ps members, PWDs, and malnourished children.

Organization

Municipal Government of San Fernando, Romblon

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy, Human Resource

Year Implemented

July 2018-2019

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

The Municipality of San Fernando was the first municipality in the Province of Romblon to conduct the Rescue and Fire Olympics, which aims to strengthen and promote community disaster preparedness towards increased resilience. The first-ever Rescue and Fire Olympics was launched last 25 July 2018, as part of the National Disaster Resilience Month Celebration with the theme: “Katatagan sa Kalamidad ay Makakamtan Kapag Sapat ang Kaalaman sa Kahandaan”. The second Fire Olympics was organized last 26 July 2019 with the theme, “Kahandaan sa Sakuna’t Peligro Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago”.

Background and Problem

Disaster can be considered inevitable nowadays due to global warming and climate change. No one today is safe from calamities and even from accidents. Therefore, everyone can be a victim of any form of disaster. Due to its geographical setting, the Municipality cannot escape the possibility of being affected by various calamities. Therefore, the conduct of the Rescue and Fire Olympics every month of July since 2018 has been essential and imperative to prepare effectively, respond to, face the consequences, and capacitate the key actors in times of calamity. It also provides additional knowledge and skills to every school and local official to improve the capability and capacity of every constituent for environmental adaptation.

The Local Government Unit of San Fernando, Romblon, through the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, must provide its constituents with a safe, peaceful, and sustainable environment to address and adapt to the effects of climate change. Consequently, it upholds that it is everyone’s civic duty to help, support, and cooperate with the government’s undertakings and abide by the laws enacted by the government authorities to sustain government efforts on climate change and to prepare and mitigate calamity impact on lives, properties, agricultural productivity, commerce and industry, infrastructure, service delivery, and livelihood, before, during and after disasters.

Rescue and Fire Olympics – Barangay Level held last 29 July 2022 in Poblacion, San Fernando, Romblon

Solution and Impact

Of all the seventeen municipalities of Romblon Province, the LGU of San Fernando was the first to conceptualize and consistently conduct a Rescue and Fire Olympics in 2018. This is a special event held every July following the annual celebration of National Disaster Resilience Month. The activity primarily aims to scout and capacitate volunteers or groups of volunteers on basic rescue techniques and skills. Initially, the LGU tapped various secondary and tertiary schools in the municipality and encouraged students to join the activity with support from their faculty and other school officers. This practice has honed individuals on standard protocol and rescue and fire operations strategies. The competition was composed of three battles: Rescue and Transfer Relay, Fire Extinguishment, and Bucket Relay. Each participating school also had representatives for Miss Rescue and Fire Olympics Ambassadress.

The activity was made possible through the initiative of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and support from the Bureau of Fire Protection. All Secondary and Tertiary Schools have been participating every year.

The following are the steps undertaken for this LGU Practice:

  • Establishment of guidelines, mechanics, rules, and regulations, including the budgets for the events;
  • Conduct orientation and demonstration with each participating Rescue and Fire Brigades Team;
  • Submission of list of participants, including their medical certificate;
  • Preparation of the venue and all the equipment and materials needed for the event;
  • Events proper: Parade, Program, Competition proper, awarding ceremony; and
  • Monitoring of the said Program for sustainability.

Milestones/Next Steps

The Local Government Unit of San Fernando, Romblon, has received the Gawad Kalasag Award for CY 2018 and 2019 conferred by the Office of Civil Defense MIMAROPA Regional Office. The same Office provided the MDRRMO of San Fernando, Romblon, with a Certificate of Appreciation. Schools and the community have been capacitated and prepared to respond independently during emergencies. With this initiative or practice, the LGU found a solution by establishing an auxiliary force at the community level that can be tapped in case of disaster or emergency.

Organization

Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

15 October 2018 to present

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) Department of Emergency Medicine formed the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward (EMOW) with the approval of the Medical Center Chief. It was inaugurated on 15 October 2018. The ward aims to decongest the overcrowded emergency room. The observation and assessment ward allows patients to be observed short-term and permits patient monitoring and treatment for at least 24 hours. It is a fifteen (15) bed capacity ward that caters to patients with simple diseases such as Acute Gastroenteritis, Bronchial Asthma, Hypertensive Urgency, etc., and patients who require social admission.

Background and Problem

The EVRMC is a tertiary, teaching-and-training, end-referral hospital with an authorized bed capacity of five hundred (500) (but implementing on a 1,000-bed capacity) that provides comprehensive quality healthcare services for the people of Region VIII. It has fourteen (14) departmentalized clinical services with eleven (11) residency training programs accredited by their respective specialty societies.

As the end referral hospital in Region 8, patients from all walks of life choose to come to the EVRMC Department of Emergency Medicine, ranging from simple cases to complicated ones. Currently, the Department of Emergency Medicine still admits simple cases to the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward up to the present. This results in the congestion of the Emergency Room. Utilizing the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward in the ER helps alleviate the overwhelming influx of patients seeking immediate medical attention. From its inauguration to this time amidst this Covid-19 pandemic, the EMOW did not stop its implementation. The Emergency Observation Ward was created to address patients’ needs, decongest the emergency room, and lessen the number of overstaying patients at the ER.

Solution and Impact

It has been a policy of the Department of Emergency Medicine that all disciplines abide by and utilize the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward. EMOW staff/residents on duty must manage all cases, and patients must be triaged and managed. For cases that theEMOW sta can’t manage, they will be referred to the appropriate discipline concerned. This ensures easy disposition of cases, whether the patient is for admission or discharge. Hence, decongestion, turn-around-time, and client satisfaction are met.

All patients/clients are admitted to EMOW since it’s a strict ER policy. Implementing the EMOW results in decongestion of the ER, lessens turn-around time, and improves client satisfaction. Clients enjoy the lesser turn-around time that the implementation of EMOW produces. Evidence suggests that with patients admitted to the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward, the ward reduces patients’ length of stay and satisfies the target four-hour stay in the Emergency Room. Emergency Department patients do not have to wait for vacancies in the significant clinical wards to be admitted. Patients who fit the criteria for admission to the EMOW do not have to wait for laboratory results at the ER, thereby decongesting the ER. This, in turn, lessens the number of overstaying patients, thus satisfying the target four-hour stay in the emergency room and increasing customer satisfaction.

Use of EMOW resulted in decongestion of the ER, lessened turn-around time, and improved client satisfaction. For financial benefits, patients enjoy lesser expenses because there is a disposition within 24 to 48 hours from admission to EMOW. The hospital can reimburse costs incurred from PhilHealth packages. The adoption of the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward (EMOW) can be benchmarked by other hospitals/institutions to improve their turn-around time, thereby increasing Client Satisfaction. The Department of Emergency Medicine still adopts patients’ admission to the Emergency Observation Ward (EMOW).

Milestones/Next Steps

Since its inauguration last 15 October 2018, the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward is still being implemented up to the present. After the implementation of the Emergency Medicine Observation Ward (EMOW), the ER patient turn-around time improved, and there was an increase in the Client Satisfaction Rating.

Before the implementation and adoption of EMOW, the Emergency Room of EVRMC was very crowded, catering to at least 4,744 patients monthly for 2018, and concern for lesser turn-around-time was not considered because this is not yet a target in the DOH performance indicator. In 2019, the patients seen at the ER totaled 47,737. Among these patients, 90.39%were seen with less than 4 hours turn-around time.

For 2020, the DOH performance indicator requires a 95% target for ER patient turn-around time. The hospital attained 94% as of 30 June 2020, compared to 90.93% the previous year. Due to the increasing census at the EMOW, the management plans to increase its bed capacity from 15 beds to 20-bed capacity by 2020.

Organization

City Government of Parañaque

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

19 March 2019

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

The City Government of Parañaque implemented the Project Express Lane Operation (ELO) as part of the reform strategies to address the current pressing issues and concerns on local permits and licenses while improving the City’s responsiveness to increase business and consumer confidence delivery of public services. The Project successfully simplified and integrated all concerned departments and office processes into three procedures: application, payment, and releasing. The Project was institutionalized with Executive Order 18-14 dated 24 May 2018, 4 days before RA 11032 was enacted.

Background and Problem

The Government of the Philippines has been advocating for reducing red tape in both national and local governments since 2001. The government issued a directive to reduce the number of procedures and requirements in every government transaction to achieve a business-friendly and investor climate following the country’s performance in various global competitiveness reports. The issuance of Executive Memorandum Order No. 117, series of 2003, served as the preliminary legal basis of the local government to simplify and rationalize the distribution of local permits and clearances such as business permits, building permits, certificates of occupancy, and other clearances in terms of documentary requirements, procedures, processing time, signatories, and costs.

Following the directive of the national government to further streamline regulatory processes and requirements in local permits and licenses and improve the country’s competitiveness ranking, the Project ELO Team has identified the following challenges: 1) process complexity, i.e., multiple forms/documentary requirements/signatories, redundancy in requirements, 2) high cost of doing business, 3) the number of unregistered business establishments, 4) inter-department collaboration/coordination, 5) harmonization of policies and regulations at the national and local level, 6) building trust and confidence between local government and customers/taxpayers.

Unveiling of Smart Kiosk self-service facility.

Solution and Impact

The City Government of Parañaque, through the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), conducted a series of consultations and workshops to understand and map out the process and requirements relative to the business permitting process. A detailed Department Analysis Process Observation and Action Plan were presented to the local chief executive (LCE).

Project ELO 2.0 was launched as an enhanced system to integrate the occupational permit process and use technology-enabled applications and systems to promote the digital economy at the local level. The Project also introduced innovative features on unified application forms and requirements, co-locating all departments/offices, including BFP, integration of barangay clearance, one-time assessment, payment, smart kiosk machine, document management system, and application tracking system.

  • Reduction of procedures and time from 19 steps, seven days in 2013 to 3 steps, one day in 2019
  • Increase in business tax and fees collection from 1.041B in 2013 to 3.023B in 2019
  • Increase in business registrations: From 23,447 to 26,945 or increase of 15% or 3,498 new business registrations in 2019.

Milestones/Next Steps

  • The City Government implemented Executive Order No. 018, series of 2013, to create an interdepartmental task force that will manage, execute, and enforce business-related reforms to reduce the number of procedures from 19 to 4, processing time from 7 to 3 days, and signatories from 3 to 1
  • By 2016, the administration’s 10 Point Socio-Economic Agenda emphasized the need “to increase competitiveness and ease of doing business” by addressing bottlenecks in business registration at the national and local governments.
  • Institutionalization of the BPLO under Ordinance No. 17-43 dated 14 December 2017
  • Institutionalization of the Project ELO under Executive Order No. Order 18-14 dated 24 May 2018
  • This was followed by the passage of RA 11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018”.
  • Development of new features such as Online Appointment System, Online Business Application, Use of Online Courier and Delivery Services, Adoption of e-Payment Facilities, and e-Receipts for local government transactions.

Organization

Pampanga State Agricultural University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy

Year Implemented

2011

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) is a state-owned university nestled at the foothills on the western slope of Mount Arayat. It has a total land area of 508.8534 hectares. In 2010 about 30 families illegally settled in the area, occupying around 35 hectares. The university leadership developed management strategies to solve this problem by promoting a sustainable co-management of forest land. The effort resulted in a harmonious relationship between the farmers and the university administration. The tension and lack of peace were replaced by active participation, cooperation, and a sense of ownership and co-management of the coffee-based agroforestry plantation site.

Background and Problem

In 2010, when PSAU was still called the Pampanga Agricultural College, 30 families settled in the title land of the college. They burned slash to clear the area to plant crops and engaged in the illegal charcoal business. The illegal kaingin resulted in the depopulation of biodiversity in Mount Arayat and the tension between the illegal settlers and the College administration. It occupied a total of 30 hectares of land.

Solution and Impact

To solve the problem in an orderly manner, a management strategy was initiated by President Honorio M. Soriano. He invited the 30 informal settlers to a meeting in June 2010, where the settlers were informed that the land they were occupying was titled and owned by the school. He explained that it was illegal to invade and cultivate the ground as it was not theirs. The 30 illegal settlers were initially terrified to learn their actions were unlawful. Still, out of compassion, President Soriano told them he would organize them into a farmer association to be farmer partners and co-managers of the 30 hectares of land. Since the illegal settlers were from nearby barangays of the college, namely barangays Ayala and San Agustin, the association was named Ayala-San Agustin Farmers Association or ASAFA. The school administration assisted the farmers in formalizing their association and registered ASAFA with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2011.

After organizing the informal settlers, President Soriano’s second management approach was to forge a MOA between the 30 ASAFA members and PAC a project entitled: “Establishment of a Joint Project on Coffee Plantation” to promote sustainable co-management of forest land through the provision of livelihood source and income to the informal settlers, who became members of the Ayala-San Agustin Farmers Association. Thus, the project simultaneously helped them in their livelihood while protecting the biodiversity of the forest reserve of the university by stopping the illegal cutting of trees and charcoal making.

The MOA for this project was signed on June 30, 2011, with the following responsibilities of the university to meet the objectives of the Ayala-San Agustin Farmers Association and the PSAU Coffee-Based Agroforestry:

  1. Engage the informal settlers as university partners by formally organizing them into the Ayala-San Agustin Farmer’s Association (ASAFA);
  2. Designate a piece of land (one hectare for each ASAFA member) within its reservation area to establish a coffee plantation jointly managed by PSAU and the farmer-cooperators;
  3. Assist in the distribution of coffee seedlings to the farmer-cooperators;
  4. Provide technical support to ASAFA members in coffee production and other crops like bananas, tamarind, and vegetables; and
  5. Share 70% of the profit from sales of coffee to ASAFA members, while 30% will go as Cash incentives to their children taking Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and BS Agroforestry.

From the coffee profit, 70% will be shared directly with the ASAFA farmer cooperators. In comparison, 30% will be cash incentives to their children taking Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Bachelor of Science in Agroforestry.

The following are the immediate results of this best practice:

  1. It resulted in a regular source of income for our ASAFA farmer cooperators. The tension between the informal settlers and the administration was resolved.
  2. No more informal settlers were invading the forest reserve area, and the illegal cutting of trees and charcoal making were immediately stopped.
  3. The administration peacefully organized them into a farmers’ association—ASAFA.
  4. Vegetable production intercropped in the coffee plantation included the following cash crops—okra, string beans, eggplants, squash, etc.
  5. The perennial lack of water was solved after installing a solar pump irrigation system funded by the Department of Agriculture through the fund source initiative of PSAU President Soriano. This resulted in increased productivity during summer.

The following are the long-term impacts of this best practice:

  1. Preserved biodiversity of the PSAU’s forest reserve;
  2. Achieved food security, poverty alleviation, better nutrition, source of income, and improved lives of the ASAFA farmer cooperators and their families;
  3. Prevented soil erosion and degradation;
  4. Mitigated climate change through sustained coffee-based agroforestry planted with bignay, tamarind, cacao, bananas, and other fruit-bearing trees; and
  5. PSAU became an agro-ecotourism destination and an immersion site for urban areas.

Milestones/Next Steps

This project involves PAC designating one hectare of the forest reserve for each ASAFA member. This was to be utilized in planting coffee, intercropped with bananas, fruit trees, and cash crops such as eggplants, string beans, squash, sili, to name a few.

  1. In 2011, PAC conducted a 12-day free training course for ASAFA in partnership with Morning Glory Foundation. A week after the training, 10,227 coffee seedlings of the Liberica variety were distributed to the 30 ASAFA farmers.
  2. Since it takes four to five years to harvest and with just one major harvest a year, the farmers intercropped their coffee plantation with cash crops and marketed these in the municipality of Magalang to serve as their immediate income. The university does not require them to share their profit from these crops.
  3. The farmers’ earned income from their banana and vegetable or “cash crops” sales, which sent their children to school and provided for their needs and wants.
  4. The farmers’ highest net income was P294,500.00 in 2017, derived from coffee, banana, and vegetable sales.
  5. UPLB College of Forestry and College of Ecology came to PSAU to benchmark this best practice.
  6. Twenty-five managers and coffee “baristas” from Starbucks, a worldwide coffee chain, undertook an immersion activity at the coffee plantation site in 2018. They interviewed and exchanged views with the coffee growers.

Organization

Freedom of Information-Program Management Office (FOI-PMO)

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers, Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management

Year Implemented

25 November 2016

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

In response to the advent of technology and the need to provide Filipinos with efficient access to information mechanisms, the FOI-PMO developed the electronic Freedom of Information (eFOI) Portal (www.foi.gov.ph). The platform allows users to request government information, track their requests, and receive the information they requested online. To effectively handle the influx of requests, the portal is also designed to assist government offices in receiving, processing, and responding to online requests.

Background and Problem

On 23 July 2016, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 2, s. 2016, operationalizing the Executive Branch of the People’s Constitutional Right to Information or the Freedom of Information (FOI) Program. The said EO strengthens the People’s right to information under the 1987 Constitution. It is meant to become a mechanism for the government to promote transparency and accountability in governance. On 25 November 2016, 120 days after publishing the EO, the PCOO, through the FOI-Project Management Office (FOI-PMO), launched the FOI Program and the eFOI Portal.

Before creating the eFOI portal, requests for information may be lodged in government offices by submitting a physical copy of an FOI request form. This hinders the public from filing their FOI request to government offices, especially those residing outside Metro Manila (e.g., a citizen from the Visayas cannot file an FOI request to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in Metro Manila without physically going to the office of MMDA).

Solution and Impact

The creation of the eFOI portal is our response to digital development. This portal was created to allow Filipinos to access government information online conveniently. Transparency is the program’s primary goal, so the details of the requested information, response time, and outcomes of requests made within the eFOI portal are published.

The eFOI portal started with fifteen (15) pilot agencies in 2016, namely, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Transportation (DOTr), National Archives of the Philippines (NAP), Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC), Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

Security, Scalability, and High Availability are significant factors to the success of the eFOI Platform. The eFOI Portal Technical Infrastructure balances the multiple goals of running the eFOI Platform System. It harnesses the platform of Google Cloud to provide security, reliability, consistent performance, and manageable costs. The eFOI portal can successfully operate and empower its users to further perform their duties and responsibilities.

Here are some of the challenges in the implementation of the FOI Program that were addressed by eFOI:

  • The portal provides a centralized repository for all requested information on government activities, averting the risk of a fragmented approach by agencies for FOI.
  • Using technology, the portal allows efficient and timely quality service from all agencies, averting the risk of duplication in agency-level efforts and budget utilized for FOI implementation.
  • Performance monitoring for agencies can be used as a basis for policy, e.g., performance-based budgeting. It can be a starting point for the streamlining of government processes.
  • The portal promotes demand-driven transparency and accountability, made possible through a web-based platform that simultaneously receives and tracks multiple requests.

The portal increases public participation in government processes through extended web reach. Three and a half (3 1⁄2) years into its implementation, the eFOI portal already has a total of 487 government agencies onboard, 186 out of 189 (or 98%) national government agencies, 92 out of 111 (or 83%) government-owned or-controlled corporations, 96 out of 111 (or 86%) state universities and colleges, 110 out of 520 (or 21%) local water districts, and three (3) local government units) with 31,827 led eFOI requests.

Milestones/Next Steps

By implementing best practices, the Freedom of Information-Project Management Office (FOI-PMO) is now an accredited member of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC), a global forum for information rights. The FOI Philippines is the first member of the ICIC from Southeast Asia and the fifth from Asia.

In its three-year program implementation, FOI-PMO successfully met the primary eligibility criteria of protecting, promoting, and ensuring the respect of access to public information in the Philippines, under the leadership of former Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary and FOI Champion Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar and former Assistant Secretary and FOI Program Director Kristian R. Ablan.

The PCOO is tasked as the lead implementing agency of the FOI Program. It established the FOI PMO as the main office to oversee and monitor the FOI Program implementation in the Executive Branch.

As an instrument of change, ICIC (https://www.informationcommissioners.org) aims to be a global forum that connects different countries worldwide to become responsible for protecting and promoting access to information. It builds the capacity of its members and raises more awareness to such advocacy of sharing information, which fuels more opportunities and fosters global progress. ICIC also encourages and supports dialogue and cooperation by becoming a forum that creates a more convenient way for other countries to connect and share their different knowledge and practices. This will also help improve the transparency and accountability of governments.

As global progress is becoming collective, ICIC provides a platform to unite voices from the international community to raise awareness on the impact and effects of access to public information. This great endeavor propels the development and adoption of specific international standards on accessing public information globally, including establishing independent information commissions.

Being internationally recognized is another step for the FOI advocacy to become more than just an Executive Order; another step for our country to be a transparent nation. FOI’s primary goal is for information to be available to the nation.

Organization

Tarlac State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Citizens / Customers, Human Resource

Year Implemented

2018

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

As an academic institution, the commitment to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of instruction or educational services and its continual improvement for ultimate customer satisfaction is paramount. Tarlac State University (TSU) has computerized the system of evaluating the teaching effectiveness of its faculty members through the Automated Faculty Evaluation System (AFES). It was developed by the university’s Innovation Team (iTSU) through the Public Sector Productivity Innovation Laboratory Project under the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

Background and Problem

Before developing the AFES, TSU implemented a pen-and-paper faculty evaluation facilitated by the HRDMO. Some of the issues and insights of the system were:

  • Evaluation instrument is not easily understandable to students
  • Subjective evaluation due to bias, lack of relevant key performance indicators
  • Exclusion of qualitative factors
  • Disruption of classes due to sit-down observation
  • Not all students evaluate the faculty
  • Physical monitoring is inconvenient, so it is not regularly conducted, and the anonymity of students is not guaranteed.

Regarding the administration of pen-and-paper evaluation, issues encountered were both human and materials-related such as conflicting schedules of faculty and the clients, time management for the limited staff assigned in performance evaluation, and the timeliness of reports submitted to the authorities for proper action or intervention. Hence, the objective of the Automated Faculty Evaluation System is to address these issues and concerns for utmost customer satisfaction and consistent delivery of quality instruction services by the faculty members.

Solution and Impact

The university’s Innovation Team (iTSU) developed the system through the Public Sector Productivity Innovation Laboratory Project under DAP. The project underwent two phases before its implementation.

  • First Phase: Design and Conceptualization to automate the handy evaluation tool by the NBC 461 QCE Teaching Effectiveness Instrument for Client Rating used for faculty upgrading, reclassification, and promotion.
  • Second Phase: Collaboration between the HRDO and MISO for development and implementation. Before implementation, a series of presentations and consultations were done with the students, academic affairs, faculty and personnel union, council of deans, administrative and academic council, and other stakeholders. Orientation was also conducted for students to familiarize themselves with TSUA-FES. The pilot run was Beta tested during the First Semester of the Academic Year 2018-2019 and officially commenced the succeeding semester after deliberation by the Vice President.

The TSU-AFES is implemented across all ten colleges on three different campuses. It is linked to the university’s student portal, where all students have accounts and are given equal opportunity to evaluate their instructors/professors. It is also linked to the employee portal for pinning the evaluation schedule and generating the report by the HRDMO.

Through the implementation of the AFES, TSU has achieved zero class minutes interrupted per semester with an equivalent amount of Php 24,750.00 per semester, a reduction in workforce deployment of 14 HRDMO staff, and savings of 113 working days per semester. Student engagement and participation improved by 79.38%, and evaluation results were expedited from six months to seventeen days. Some of the long-term impacts include the following:

  1. Basis for Curriculum/ Program Enhancement;
  2. Basis for long-term academic plans, facilities improvement, and enhancement of student affairs services;
  3. Recognition scheme of good performance;
  4. Influenced the atmosphere of positive feedback mechanism;
  5. Programs for Faculty Development, coaching, and mentoring programs by immediate supervisors; and
  6. Provision of Commendation letters from HRDMO given to all faculty members after the rating period (commendation, offering of HR services–counseling, coaching, and mentoring).

Milestones/Next Steps

  1. TSU-HRMDO gained acclaim as the only university in the Philippines to be certified PRIME-HRM Maturity Level 2 in all four areas of Recruitment Selection and Placement (RSP), Performance Management (PM), Learning and Development (L&D), and Rewards and Recognition (R&R) in the whole Region 3, alongside local government units in 2017.
  2. TSU leveled up with its accomplishment when the Civil Service Commission–Central Agency validated the National Level PRIME-HRM Bronze Award received by TSU during the HR Symposium in July 2019. A quarter of the recognition was attributed to the Performance Management System of TSU.
  3. Enhanced student and faculty performance as evidenced by the Licensure Examination Performance of the university.
  4. 100% accreditation of university programs by the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP);
  5. PBB qualifier for three consecutive years–2016 to 2018, 2019 pending result; and
  6. The university was granted SUC Level 3 by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Institutional Accreditation level II by AACCUP.

Title

General Santos City COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan (COVID-19 PRP)

Organization

City Government of General Santos

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy

Year Implemented

February 1, 2020

Summary

The COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan enables the General Santos LGU to implement short-term actions and future strategic interventions to address COVID-19 and other similar risks. The PRP defines the responsibilities of multiple local actors in managing and coordinating the various initiatives and measures both for response to and recovery from the pandemic.

Background and Problem

On March 16, 2020, the Office of the President issued Proclamations No. 922 and No. 929, s. 2020, which declared a state of public health emergency and a state of calamity throughout the Philippines, respectively, in response to COVID-19. These declarations enjoined all government agencies and LGUs to render full assistance and cooperation in mobilizing the necessary resources to appropriately curtail and eliminate the threat of COVID-19.

General Santos City, being the center of commerce, trade, and health facilities in the Soccsksargen region, faced the risk of a major outbreak. The LGU needed to monitor the situation closely and communicate with neighboring areas on the status of infection in the city. They also needed to orient and educate local institutions and businesses so that when the LGU implements extraordinary public health and infection control measures, citizens will be able to understand and comply.

Solution and Impact

The COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan (PRP) is the General Santos LGU’s attempt to create a working document containing the actions and strategic interventions to be implemented in the event of another pandemic or health emergency in General Santos City.

The new Public Safety Office (PSO) unifies the LGU’s offices providing disaster preparedness and emergency response

The COVID-19 PRP contains the LGU’s redirected priorities for measures that will mitigate COVID-19 transmission, stabilize the economy, and ensure that its constituents are well-managed and provided with their basic needs. It allows for the mobilization of its communities and various institutions for cooperation and resourcefulness so that all endeavors are synchronized and well-coordinated.

The PRP consolidated the efforts of the following governing bodies and defined their responsibilities in managing and coordinating LGU initiatives and measures to address the threat of COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases:

  1. Crisis Management Team – The team is tasked to act on potential problems or risks in the city government workplace, and take other actions needed to address the pandemic.
  2. Local Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging And Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MERID) – The structure of the IATF was later revised to include five (5) clusters, namely: Quarantine Service Cluster, Hospital Service Cluster, Public Health Service Cluster, Social Services Cluster, and Law and Order Service Cluster. A Data Management Team was also created which gave rise to the Trace and Protect Action Team (TEAM) System for Contact Tracing.
  3. Incident Command – The Incident Command is responsible for the overall management of COVID-19 incident operations. The IATF, which is linked to the Incident Command, is headed by the City Mayor, who has the overall responsibility to supervise and exercise discretion on all matters related to COVID-19 response and relief.
  4. Emergency Operations Center (EOC) – The EOC serves as the repository of information and main hub for coordination to support incident management (on-scene operations). The Command Center 24/7 COVID Hotline Operation Center is installed at the EOC.
  5. Response And Recovery Plan (RRP) Team – The RRP Team was created as a forward planning team for the preparation of a pandemic RRP.
Distribution of fishing supplies under the Preparedness, Response and Recovery Strategy

Milestones/Next Steps

The PRP was later combined with the General Santos LGU’s Trace and Protect Action Team (TAPAT) System under the Response, Control, and Recovery (RCR) Initiative, which is a collection of plans and actions incorporating embedded geospatial and spatial-statistical analysis of the geographic dimension of COVID-19.

Title

Bayanihan E-Skwela (Community Learning Hubs)

Organization

Office of the Vice President of the Philippines

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

October 19, 2020 to Present

Summary

With the glaring limitations posed by the pandemic in the delivery of quality education, the Office of the Vice President (OVP), through its Bayanihan e-Skwela initiative, launched the OVP Community Learning Hubs (CLHs) in various parts of the country. A CLH is a learning facility that aims to provide learners with a safe and conducive space for learning; has the necessary tools, devices, and equipment; and has volunteer tutors who can guide them with their lessons. The hub is not intended as a substitute for formal education in schools but is meant to be supplementary to the current distance learning set-up.

Since its launch on 19 October 2020, the OVP has activated twenty-eight (28) CLH sites in various parts of the country, including the city of Pasig, the provinces of Rizal, Negros Occidental, Camarines Sur, Aklan, Quezon, Albay, Romblon, Isabela, Manila, Leyte, Antique, Iloilo, Cebu, Lanao Del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat.

Background and Problem

In order to prevent prolonged school disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced the Basic Education – Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) in May 2020, which identified multiple learning delivery modalities that are relevant in providing a safe and healthy learning environment for the learners and teachers. Following the announcement, the DepEd began laying the groundwork for a “blended learning” modality, which would make use of radio, television, online, and modular learning for the incoming school year, as an alternative to face-to-face learning amid the public health situation.

However, the sudden necessity of blended learning coupled with the nationwide economic distress brought about by the health crisis made it even harder for marginalized families to help their children catch up with their studies. Furthermore, learners’ development in reading, writing, math, and other major subjects were further stunted.

The challenges faced by learners from marginalized families who already struggle with their finances are magnified by blended learning; they do not have the necessary internet connectivity or gadgets for their lessons, they live in environments that are not conducive for learning, and they have parents or guardians who do not have the capability to provide adequate support them for their lessons due to illiteracy or their work’s demands.

Solution and Impact

The OVP recognized these problems and immediately convened a team to conceptualize possible areas of intervention to ensure that all students will be given quality education despite the difficult circumstances. Thus, the Bayanihan e-Skwela initiative was born, with one of its pillars being the establishment of CLHs nationwide.

Launch of the Community Learning Hub in Barangay Tabuco, Naga City

The OVP launched this project by first identifying potential pilot sites based on the following criteria: (1) the presence of a Civil Society Organization or Local Partner; (2) the LGU is interested in and cooperative with the project; and (3) the area is considered underprivileged and in need of support. Once a site was considered, a meeting was held with the local stakeholders, and steps were taken to start establishing the CLH, with defined roles among local partners.

Notably, in establishing a CLH in an area, stakeholders strived to meet these three key components:

  1. Beneficiary Insights. To know more about the families, needs assessment activities were conducted in select areas. Data was culled from surveys and available information from the local schools where the site is located. The LGUs also helped in identifying the priority beneficiaries based on a specific set of criteria.
  2. Volunteer Support. To support the implementation of the project, volunteers may be referred by the partner LGUs or from networks of the OVP coming from various sectors (women, youth, labor groups, etc.). The volunteers may come from the same barangay, or adjacent barangays where the hub is located.

Notably, In partnership with several non-profit organizations and enterprises with experience in the field of education, the OVP was able to train hundreds of volunteers. The training was done through:

  • Social Learning Units where learning modules can be answered asynchronously through the Facebook group platform.
  • Enrichment Sessions which are synchronous sessions facilitated via Zoom platform that aims to process all the knowledge the volunteers acquired from answering the social learning units.
  1. Site Identification. For an effective CLH, many considerations were taken. Notably, they must have been located in an area with a high concentration of learners, easily accessible to the learners, and conducive for learning.
Grade 1-6 students can use these personal computers for free

Significantly, most of the sites chosen were daycare centers, halls, and other venues that were underutilized since gatherings are not allowed in the new normal. Sites that required refurbishing were endorsed to possible local partners who could help cover the expenses for the renovation. The project thus became a culmination of efforts among the LGU, the community, and the private organizations in the area.

Milestones/Next Steps

As of writing, the Community Learning Hub has mobilized ₱28.5 million, launching 129 sites across 43 provinces and 91 cities/municipalities from October 2020 to June 2022, benefitting a total of 8,216 students.

Title

Community Learning Resource Center: Local Governments and SUC Partnerships as Affirmative Action towards Greater Access to Higher Education During Crisis Situation

Organization

Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST)

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy

Year Implemented

1 September 2020

Summary

The country’s educational system, in an effort to cope with the effects and repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, has had to accelerate its adoption of online learning, both for strictly remote setups as well as in blended learning environments. The fundamental problem with this, however, is that a significant number of students do not have access to the internet. To help address this, the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) proposed a partnership with the various local government units (LGUs) in the province to establish a Community Learning Resource Center (CLRC) in each of their jurisdictions. These CLRCs should be equipped with computers and a strong internet connection, catering to the distance learning needs of the students who would not otherwise have access to these resources.

Background and Problem

To curb the initial spread of COVID-19, the Philippine national government implemented Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) measures beginning 16 March 2020. For most schools and learning institutions, this meant the disruption of the end of the academic year, compromising the commencement of students to the next level. Even with the easing of restrictions over the months after the ECQ period, both students and teachers still had to quickly adapt to a new environment for education for the 2020-21 academic year.

NEUST implemented thermal scanning in allcampuses. Alcohol, hand sanitizers and wash areas were also provided.

As health and safety were the overwhelming priority, schools turned towards online learning as their primary mode of delivery. However, limited resources both on the part of the learning institutions and the students themselves meant that this shift would come with its own share of challenges.

Solution and Impact

The NEUST proposed to address this by simply providing public access to the basic resources needed for online learning services, while still ensuring the relative safety of both teachers and learners. They approached various stakeholders—such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), telecommunication companies, and LGUs—for support in building and organizing CLRCs that provide these resources, such as strong internet connectivity, functional computers, printing facilities, as well as a venue for taking examinations and submitting requirements. These CLRCs are strategically located across clusters of barangays to ensure convenient and safe access to students, regardless of their location.

Milestones/Next Steps

The NEUST is currently in partnership with eight municipalities, who have each received four computers, one router, one printer, and one CCTV camera from the DICT. Further equipment and resources will be provided by the respective municipal LGUs depending on the requirements of each CLRC.