Category: Citizen-centered Services

Organization

Municipal Government of General Luna, Quezon

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy, Citizens/Customers

Year Implemented

April 2020 – present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

Ang Ligtas Gutom program ng Pamahalaang Bayan ng General Luna ay may adhikaing serbisyo na may puso sa mga naapektuhang negosyo dulot ng banta ng COVID-19. Sa pamamagitan ng Pautang na May Puso, Pautang na Walang Tubo, patuloy ang pagtugon sa mga pangangailangan ng mamamayang Heneralunahin.

Background and Problem

Magmula ng magkaroon ng kinatatakutang pandemya dulot ng COVID-19 ay nagsimula rin ang Pamahalaang Bayan ng Heneral Luna sa pagbibigay ng naaangkop na programa, at isa na ang Ligtas Gutom Program na pagpapautang sa mga business establishments upang patuloy na maibigay sa mamamayan ang kanilang mga pangunahing pangangailangan.

Solution and Impact

Sa pamamagitan ng Ligtas Gutom Program – Pautang na May Puso, Pautang na Walang Tubo ng bayan ng General Luna sa Quezon ay patuloy ang mga business establishments upang matugunan mga pangunahing pangangailangan ng mga mamamayang Heneralunahin sa kabila ng pandemya. Hanggang sa kasalukuyan naman ay patuloy pa ring umiikot ang programang ito.

Milestone

The DILG Region IV-A CALABARZON has recognized the Ligtas Gutom Program as 1st Place in the first Sagisag ng Pag-Asa Awards.

Organization

National Kidney and Transplant Institute

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

March 2020

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

As the COVID Crisis Management Team was mobilized, human resource concerns, alternative work arrangements, transportation, accommodation, logistics, supply management, procurement, etc., were also addressed. Medical and surgical practices were recalibrated in such a way that the activities were suspended at the outpatient department and limited admissions to only urgent and emergency renal cases. Subsequently, “telehealth” was employed, and surgical cases resumed. Control and containment of the transmission of the disease were paramount because it is the essence of protecting immunocompromised patients. The hospital specializes in renal diseases, not pneumonia which should be the domain of the lung specialty center, but then there were renal cases who developed pneumonia, and there were severe septic pneumonia cases who went into renal failure and needed hemodialysis and even hemoperfusion. When patients come to the hospital, the first course of action is to accommodate them and take care of them the best way.

Background and Problem

Part of controlling the spread of the disease is to protect the healthcare workers and the patients of the NKTI. Another is to contain the disease and not let it spread. However, there were not enough beds and space under the roof. When there were no COVID RT-PCR tests, the hospital relied more on a high index of suspicion. Unless proven otherwise, a patient with pulmonary symptoms was tagged as a “COVID” patient at the triage. Some waited in their cars. They sit side by side in wheelchairs and lie very near each other on the stretchers without physical distancing. Others cannot be attended to immediately when incoming moribund patients must be intubated. There was no vacancy in the intensive care unit (ICU). Watchers also conglomerate and, later, become infected. Likewise, healthcare workers (HCWs) also become infected.

During the early months, COVID referral centers were also congested and not well-equipped. Networking was not effective. The gate for cars going to the Emergency Room (ER)  had to be closed as patients also occupied the supposed drop-off areas near Gate 2. Whether on dialysis or not, renal and non-renal patients just kept on coming to the hospital. Patients should be cohorted before admission to a regular room. It was impossible to cohort them until the COVID swab tests and chest x-ray was administered and the results were released. “Congestion” can look like pneumonia when patients are under-dialyzed or have missed dialysis due to a lack of transportation during lockdowns. 

The hospital’s total bed capacity is 381, but it only has an implementing bed of 302 because of the conversions made to some patient rooms to donning and doffing areas and observance of physical distancing. The ER has only 30 beds, with an extension of 14 beds. With patients under investigation (PUI), patients under monitoring (PUM) averaging, and COVID positives with a running average of 130-140 a day, they had to find a way to put a roof on the field. The ER occupies an area of almost 250 square meters. In the vicinity of the ER is a covered tunnel that separates it from a commercial bank. Across the bank is the parking lot. These areas would soon be commandeered to become the “Tent Field.” Renal patients on dialysis are urgent and emergency cases who need insertion/creation of vascular access and “troubleshooting” of their clogged vascular access. They too had to be screened before any surgery. All patients should undergo COVID testing and chest x-ray. They cannot be done in a room, which is also being used by non-COVID patients, as cross-infection should be prevented.

Solution and Impact

In front of the ER, from a mere triage, the “manger” expanded and built tents of different colors, sizes and heights. Most of these are donations. These resources were carefully managed to serve their purpose. Some donations were tents, electric fans, air-conditioner units, cot beds cushions, ventilators, and medical and surgical supplies. They built a “Tent Field Hospital” for COVID and retrofitted “Hotzones,” harnessing the art and science of engineering, the highlights of which included the provision for laminar airflow, negative pressure, elevated floorings, air-conditioning, installation of exhausts, electrical and water sewer lines, local area network, and oxygen supply.  The number of tents increased, rapidly occupying the tunnel, the parking lot, towards Gate 2, and almost encroaching East Avenue. There were tents for cohorting patients, pediatric patients, a makeshift ICU, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis stations, watchers, a radiology tent with an ultrasound and x-ray machine, and a satellite operating room. As part of the emergency response, the Eden field (formerly occupied by an illegal establishment), a modular COVID hemodialysis facility was built.

The second floor of the main hospital was retrofitted to modify air exchanges in preparation for more admitting patients. Four wings compose the main building: Units 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, the 2B and the 2C extensions – comprising the 80-bed hot zone. In these areas, acrylic curtains were installed. 2A was occupied by patients with negative (-) RT-PCR but with pneumonia, suspicious of COVID. 2B to 2D were occupied by positive (+) RT-PCR patients with increasing severity of pneumonia. 2C was dedicated to isolation rooms for HCW, and 2B extension became a 4-station COVID dialysis room. In-patient dialysis stations were converted to outpatient COVID patients who free-standing dialysis centers refused. Four beds at the ICU were dedicated to critical COVID cases. During a COVID surge, the Gymnasium had to be converted into a  COVID ward consisting of 30 beds with strict observance of the required distancing.

Because of this extraordinary measure, more patients were managed optimally, physically, and medically. Even during the second surge, NKTI was well-armed. The COVID Manual, with its guidelines, underwent a second edition. The NKTI “Contingency Plan for COVID Surge” was crafted and will apply to any infectious disease.

Milestones

The NKTI management started creating the COVID Crisis Management Team and simultaneously modified the physical set-up of the hospital as early as March 2020. Controls were provided as regards the ingress and egress of persons in the hospital. Ancillary support services include free accommodation, meals, and transportation to healthcare workers. The main thrust of the NKTI management is to be resilient and not to suspend hospital operations since most NKTI patients are chronic and require lifetime treatment, e.g., patients under dialysis. A COVID RT-PCR was also built, eventually accredited by the DOH. A modular COVID HD was also built alongside facility conversions, such as patient units and the gymnasium.

Organization

National Kidney and Transplant Institute

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

July 2021

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The NKTI COVID Modular Hemodialysis (HD) unit was established to address the shortage of HD centers in NCR capable of accommodating COVID confirmed End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) cases. The need for an HD facility for COVID-positive outpatients only was recognized. It was carefully planned to provide safe HD in an infection-controlled environment. It was designed with individual patient cubicles for HD, donning and doffing areas for personal protective equipment, shower rooms for staff, and separate entrance and exit areas. This became the 20-station NKTI COVID Modular HD Unit, built by the DPWH at no cost to the NKTI. This was part of the “whole government approach” in dealing with the pandemic’s challenges. The facility was inaugurated on May 5, 2021, the first in the country. This facility provided the breathing space for the main hospital’s HD Unit that went back to delivering urgent HD support for admitted and ER patients.

Background and Problem

With the COVID pandemic kickoff in March 2020, HD centers in the NCR saw a steady increase in the number of COVID cases and suspects among their prevalent dialysis patients. The inadequacy of the available personal protective equipment (PPEs), isolation rooms, proper air exchanges/ventilation in most HD centers; the uncertainty of the course and treatment of the disease early in the pandemic; and then, coupled later, with staff resignation (specific nurses) primarily due to fear and fatigue, led to the inability or refusal of these dialysis centers to accommodate their patients who became COVID suspects or confirmed cases. These patients missed their regular HD sessions, developed congestion and uremia and scouted far and wide for HD centers that temporarily accommodate them while battling SARSCOV2 lest they face mortality. Many of them found themselves knocking on the doors of the NKTI ER and NKTI HD Unit. These displaced non-NKTI ESKD patients who were eventually accommodated by NKTI significantly outnumbered NKTI’s regular HD patients.

The NKTI put up about 26 tents for its HD unit all over its Emergency Room parking areas and driveways to serve 100 covid suspects and confirmed patients while the hospital was retrofitting its wards to accept patients with this infectious virus while keeping the HCWs safe. There were 3 HD tents with about 19 HD machines and several portable reverse osmosis machines for water treatment. When the rainy season came, these tents were slowly dismantled, and patients were transferred to the main hospital. Patients requiring HD from the ER and hospital wards were all accommodated in the main hospital’s HD Unit. With the increase in COVID patients coming to the NKTI, the main hospital’s HD Unit became overwhelmed. HD treatment times were shortened to enable all patients to undergo HD on their scheduled date, with some patients experiencing delays of up to 24 hours. Additional temporary HD stations were placed on the hospital’s 3rd floor and another on the transplant floor to address this need. As patients recovered from COVID, they needed to have a negative COVID RT-PCR test before re-acceptance to their chronic HD facility for non-COVID patients. COVID-recovered patients needed up to 3 weeks of quarantine before returning to their HD facilities. The need for a separate facility to dialyze these patients.

Solution and Impact

The permanent solution was building a separate HD facility for COVID patients. This would relieve the burden on the hospital’s main HD Unit in dialyzing COVID-recovering patients or those still in quarantine since their original HD facilities will not accept them. A separate HD facility for COVID patients would allow the main HD Unit to dialyze only critical patients admitted or at the ER rather than squeeze dialyzing even recovered outpatients. NKTI’s top management consulted with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to see if they could build this facility for the NKTI at the soonest possible time to address this urgent need. Both agencies agreed to assist the Institute, and NKTI allocated space for this facility. It took several weeks of planning with NKTI’s HD Leaders for the specifications of HD provision, discussions with the Infection and Prevention and Control Unit to ensure that the building specifications met the safety requirements for treating COVID patients, and meetings with the NKTI general services division.

The government-to-government mode of procurement under the COVID emergency allowed immediate construction of the facility. The NKTI went through the bidding process for the provision of HD services for one year, which was successfully awarded. On 5 May 2021, building turnover to NKTI was done by DPWH in simple rites at the facility attended by the Mayor of Quezon City, Secretaries of the Departments of Health, DPWH, and IATF. This project was another first for NKTI and the country, where a separate HD facility for COVID patients was built. Many hospitals were given additional HD machines for their COVID patients, but this is the first HD facility constructed for only COVID patients.

The NKTI COVID Modular HD unit has resulted in numerous benefits. An ideal facility with isolation rooms for every patient, adequate air exchanges and areas for donning and doffing for PPE, including shower areas for the staff, and separate entrance and exit areas in this 20-HD station facility was met with satisfied patients and HCWs. A separate adjacent dormitory was also built, and HCWs on regular duty at the COVID modular HD facility were provided rooms. COVID-recovering patients from all over NCR now have a facility of their own. No patient is left without a place to have this lifesaving treatment. The provision of dialysis has been NKTI’s core service, and no stone is left unturned for NKTI to deliver this promise to its patients with ESKD. This project was a very successful example of the government working together for the common purpose of serving the dialysis population.

Milestones

Efforts to completely and effectively cohort COVID suspects and confirmed cases eventually led to establishing the country’s biggest and most ideal dedicated outpatient COVID HD unit. This is the NKTI COVID Modular HD unit with its clearly defined COVID protocols. It has twenty (20) HD stations that can run a maximum of four (4) shifts per day. It can cater to a maximum of eighty (80) patients daily. This facility addressed the HD needs of many COVID ESKD patients in the NCR.

There were two parallel activities required to operate this facility:

1. Construction of the HD facility via government-to-government procurement; and
2. Procurement of the HD services for this facility for one year.

These activities were simultaneously done due to the immediate demand for a facility for the increasing number of COVID renal patients. The facility started its operations in July 2021.

Organization

Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens, Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

June 2020 to present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The NEUST College of Public Administration and Disaster Management launched the “Plant Plant Plant Against COVID-19 Program.” Ninety seedlings of eggplants were initially planted in two plant boxes within the NEUST-General Tinio Street Campus. Taken from the Department of Agriculture’s urban gardening program, the initiative aims to spread hope that a patch of greenery can turn into a healthy lifestyle. With this initiative, the College and FSU aim to encourage others to grow their garden and plant idle lands and pots with edible or ornamental plants. Turning fruit peels into compost and seeing plants growing from barren lands are calming and rewarding. The institution’s minuscule contribution to food production can have a lasting effect.

Background and Problem

The pandemic has undoubtedly affected the lives of many. The movement was restricted to prevent the spread of the contagion. People were discouraged from going outside as it increases the risk of acquiring the virus. People could go to the market and grocery stores to buy essential goods. Still, the prolonged stay-at-home arrangement made some people feel frustrated about the situation, even causing depression.

To promote mental health and support the Department of Agriculture’s call for a concerted effort toward ensuring food sufficiency and sustainability, the College launched the “Plant, Plant, Plant, Plant against COVID-19 Program.” Ninety seedlings of eggplants were planted in a vacant plant box near the school premises. The seedlings were taken care of by the faculty. Taking care of plants became a mental relaxation technique for the faculty and residents.

The program also encountered challenges concerning improper waste disposal since the community has been used to throwing sachets, plastic bottles, and trash in the area. This problem was addressed by initiating a clean-up drive.

Solution and Impact

The College initiated a clean-up drive to maximize the vacant lot’s use and turn the dumpsite into a garden. The faculty removed the debris, concrete, and garbage piles to prepare the space. The area formerly catered to food stalls, and when they relocated, the site was converted into a dump site. The team sought permission to turn the spot into an urban garden. The team tilled the land and planted more seedlings. Aside from eggplant, seedlings of okra, red and green chili peppers, squash, ampalaya, and papaya were planted therein. Not long ago, community members were also encouraged to plant seedlings in pots and in their backyards.

Milestones

A program was initiated to address mental health and promote backyard and urban gardening, turning a dumpsite into an urban garden. The Municipal Agriculture Office of Sta. Rosa donated seedlings of eggplant and chili. The barangay officials offered help cleaning up the debris. The student council also donated funds to purchase nets and bamboo fences.

Tricycle drivers, joggers, construction workers, guards, vendors, and others were encouraged to plant vegetables in their backyard. The dumpsite was turned into a vegetable garden, and the community benefited. The initiative encouraged the community to manage solid waste and throw garbage in the right bin.

Organization

Department of the Interior and Local Government

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership Strategy Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

14 August 2021

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

In view of the critical importance of information and advocacy amidst the COVID-19 health crisis, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Health (DOH) have merged the DILG’s “Disiplina Muna” national advocacy campaign and the DOH’s “BIDA Solusyon sa COVID-19” into a common advocacy campaign dubbed as “BIDA ang May Disiplina: Solusyon sa COVID-19”.

The joint campaign emphasizes the significance of individual self-discipline and behavioral change as one solution to beat COVID-19 to secure the safety of families and the nation; thus, the slogan, “Ligtas ang Pamilya, Ligtas ang Bayan” as enunciated in the DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2020-116 dated 1 September 2020. The BIDA ang May Disiplina campaign promotes the four B.I.D.A. behaviors as each citizen’s active role in the fight against COVID-19:

B – Bawal walang mask
I – I-sanitize ang mga kamay, iwas-hawak sa mga bagay
D- Dumistansya ng isang metro; at
A- Alamin ang totoong impormasyon.

This is now upgraded to BIDA+. The plus is the addition of promoting mass vaccination against COVID-19.

Background and Problem

The Disiplina Muna national advocacy campaign is an initiative of the DILG as the Chair of the Cabinet’s Participatory Governance Cluster (PGC), which seeks to rebuild the culture of discipline among Filipinos as a means to foster people’s participation, which is one tenet of good governance.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH), on behalf of the Interagency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) and in coordination with the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), launched the “BIDA Solusyon sa COVID-19” campaign which aims to encourage the Filipino people to take an active role in the fight against the common enemy: COVID-19.

The DILG and DOH have agreed to merge the Disiplina Muna advocacy campaign and the BIDA Solusyon sa COVID-19 into a common advocacy campaign dubbed “BIDA ang May Disiplina: Solusyon sa COVID-19” as stated in DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2020-116 dated 1 September 2020. The “BIDA ang may Disiplina” campaign is a joint effort of the DILG and DOH brought forth to encourage people to participate in the battle against COVID-19 by living a life of discipline and earnestly practicing the minimum public health standards (MPHS) set by health authorities.

As the country continues to enforce community quarantine restrictions while balancing public health protection with the need to reopen the economy, there is a need to institute measures to promote discipline and individual responsibility among people through local legislation, which is why the campaign encourages Local Government Units (LGUs) to launch the program in their respective localities. Through the campaign, the importance of individual self-discipline and behavior change, practiced by the citizens down at the grassroots level, is also emphasized as a means to beat COVID-19 to ensure the safety of families and of the nation.

This year, the country started its National Vaccination Program shortly after the arrival of the vaccines. However, vaccine hesitancy remains an enormous challenge for the country as it continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic. With this, the BIDA ang May Disiplina campaign has also been upgraded to promote the COVID-19 vaccination program of the government as an integral part of disease prevention while still practicing the minimum public health standards (MPHS) as non-pharmacological interventions.

Solution and Impact

To prevent the further spread of COVID-19, provincial, city, municipality, and barangay sanggunians were enjoined to issue ordinances that prescribe discipline, which includes following health safety protocols like wearing of face mask in public, sanitizing hands, observing at least one-meter physical distancing, observing cough etiquette, and staying at home of children and senior citizens.

LGUs were also encouraged to organize Barangay Disiplina Brigades in each barangay in the country to drive the campaign’s core message: individual responsibility and discipline will stop the spread of COVID-19. To be composed of volunteers, barangay tanods, and other concerned residents, the Barangay Disiplina Brigades shall promote the spirit of volunteerism and ensure that the community implements the minimum public health standards (MPHS). The DILG’s nine attached agencies were also directed to incorporate the “BIDA ang May Disiplina: Solusyon sa COVID-19” campaign in their ongoing or upcoming programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) related to beating COVID-19. They also encouraged LGUs and DILG attached agencies to use their existing social media platforms to promote discipline as the new normal to beat COVID-19 by posting or sharing infographics, videos, or press releases of the Campaign.

LGUs and attached agencies have reported significant and sustained gains as they continue to champion the BIDA ang May Disiplina campaign through implementing the aforementioned initiatives.

Milestones

The national launch of the “BIDA ang May Disiplina: Solusyon sa COVID-19” campaign was conducted with the DILG National Capital Region and the City Government of Marikina on August 14, 2020 in Marikina City, led by the DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya together with the DOH Secretary Dr. Francisco T. Duque III and Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro.

On 2 September 2020, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Baguio Mayor, Contact Tracing Czar Benjamin Magalong, and Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez guested in the virtual launch and shared how they promote discipline in their localities amid the pandemic.

The DILG also initiated partnerships with the private sector in further spreading the B.I.D.A. message. On September 16, 2020, an activity dubbed “BIDA ang May Disiplina: Harnessing Private Sector Support to Defeat COVID-19” was conducted. The event highlighted the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Ad Standards Council and Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas for radio ads to support the campaign.

The event introduced the celebrity ambassadors of the campaign, namely Diether Ocampo, Jiggy Manicad, James Deakin, Paolo Bediones, and its first female champion, Regine Tolentino. The DILG and the National Youth Commission partnered with the Limitless Lab in conducting an online training dubbed “BIDA ang Kabataang May Alam at Disiplina: A Virtual Basic Orientation on Video Production” on 18 September 2020.

The half-day online webinar, participated by the Sangguniang Kabataan representatives from different regions in the country, were taught how to produce videos for social media in line with the component of the BIDA ang May Disiplina campaign to prevent fake news amid the pandemic. The DILG partnered with the National Telecommunications Commission to promote BIDA practices through public text blasts.

The DILG further rallied the support of local chief executives (LCEs) to the BIDA ang May Disiplina campaign through the designation of LCE Ambassadors of each region in the country who will advocate the same among their fellow LCEs in their regions and their constituents. Among the identified champions of the campaign named in DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2021-019 issued on 16 December 2020 are Quirino Governor Dakila Carlo Cua of Region 2 and Marinduque Governor Presbitero J. Velasco Jr. of Region 4-B.

The BIDA ang May Disiplina campaign continues to reach a wider audience through the development of TV commercials (TVCs) which feature DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año and Disiplina Muna Ambassadors, namely public personalities Diether Ocampo, Paolo Bediones, James Deakin, Mayor Isko Moreno, Mayor Richard Gomez, and Arci Muñoz.

The TVCs are currently being aired on the Solar Learning channel and shown on LED billboards of local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, as well as LED billboards of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Armed Forces of the Philippines. The TVCs encourage individuals to get vaccinated as one with the national government to achieve population protection in the fight against COVID-19. The TVCs are also posted online on DILG Philippines and Disiplina Muna Facebook pages and the Kuwentuhang Lokal program in Teleradyo.

Organization

Department of Foreign Affairs Consular Office (CO) Lucena

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Operations

Year Implemented

June 2021

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

The Courtesy Lane Appointment Schedule System (CLASS) is a database for Courtesy Lane Appointments received through emails, telephone calls, and walk-in inquiries. With the implementation of the no walk-in policy and the AlternativeWork Arrangement (AWA), CO uploaded the CLASS in google sheets to be able to address backlogs for request accommodations for Courtesy Lane. The CO of Lucena’s Courtesy Lane Appointment Schedule System (CLASS) is the CO’s database for appointments made via e-mails, telephone calls, and Inquiries in Public Assistance and Complaint Desk (PACD).

Background and Problem

When CO Lucena reopened on 18 May 2020 after the Enhanced Community Quarantine, the CO received requests for courtesy lane accommodations from OFWs, Senior Citizens, PWDs, and minors with urgent or emergency travel abroad. At that time, the Department is implementing a no walk-in policy to comply with the current health protocols. CO is scheduling the request through a database accessed by the Communication Officer only. The numerous emails received through the official email by the Communications Officer have averaged 100 emails/day since the pandemic. The CO encountered backlogs in scheduling requests for accommodation for the Courtesy Lane. CLASS has been developed to be more responsive to the problem and assist the Communications Officer in dealing with numerous requests.

Solution and Impact

To address the backlog of requests for accommodation in the CO’s Courtesy Lane and to provide a more responsive approach to the demands while complying with the minimum health requirements being implemented. The CLASS was uploaded in Google Sheets, and the CO’s Team was able to access it online. Work from Home personnel can now support the onsite personnel by handling the requests for accommodation of applicants. The program will be utilized and improved further as the need arises. Currently, the Administrative Officer is monitoring the content of the CLASS every week to check on the appointment’s status and the data’s content. There has been no time that the program cannot be practiced because all frontline personnel is involved in the CLASS. If one person has difficulty with internet connectivity, other team members can update the CLASS using their device as long as it has internet connectivity. It is also being discussed in the daily meetings using Zoom or Google Meet platforms.

CO’s implementation procedure is as follows: CO’s Communications Officer will receive requests for CLASS through email. He will then forward the email to CO’s Consular Supervisor for assessment if the request is eligible for inclusion in CLASS. For other cases that need approval/assessment, the Consular Supervisor will request guidance from HCO or AO for the accommodation request. If the request is approved, personnel from work-from-home will receive an email from the consular supervisor that an applicant needs to be included in CLASS. Personnel from WFH will include the name on the next available date in the CLASS; and for telephone calls received and walk-in inquiries from the Public Information and Complaint Desk (PACD), the Information Officer will request the applicant to email their request for accommodation, including the attachment of supporting documents for their eligibility to CLASS accommodation in CO’s Official email.

Milestones

Before the CO implemented CLASS, walk-in applications were accommodated for Courtesy Lane. With the current pandemic, which required compliance with minimum health requirements, the CO developed CLASS to be more responsive and organized to the requests for the service.

• With the implementation of the CLASS, the CO noticed the following remarkable results:
• The CO can easily monitor available dates for CLASS;
• The CO has become more responsive to the request for accommodations;
• The CO became compliant with the existing health protocols;
• Work from Home personnel became more productive.

When the Department implemented the Alternative Work Arrangements, personnel on Work from Home were given the task of closely monitoring their emails so that they could immediately input the names requesting the service. The CO is more organized in addressing the request for Courtesy Lane. It is also convenient to the management since it can also see real-time the available dates or search for the names who requested the service. Presently, the CO has highly motivated personnel and is responsive to the needs of the public. Even with limited resources, we can be as responsive as other offices in the Philippines.

Organization

Department of the Interior and Local Government

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens, Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

2018

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The processing of Death Benefit Claims (DBC) was a long process that required many steps and was done manually. These led to long processing times. To address these challenges, DILG introduced the Information System–DBC Module. The program included features that allowed for this request’s quick and easy processing. Overall, it led to faster processing times and saved the department a lot of money. 

Background and Problem

From 2002 until 2018, the processing of DBC was a long process done entirely manually, leading to long processing times. It took time to encode names, cross-check the names against the master list of barangay officials, mail and receive requests, and consolidate lists. On top of this, the process required many steps. To illustrate, the following used to be the necessary steps to accomplish this task:

1. The City/Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (C/MLGOOs) usually receives the beneficiary’s DBC requests. 
2. It will then be verified in the Barangay Official Profile database whether the deceased barangay official was an incumbent in the current term or seated from a previous term.
3. After verification, a form will be filled out indicating the name, position, date of death, province, city/municipality, and barangay. It will be sent to the provincial office and the required documents. 
4. The provincial office will then validate the documents and transfer them to another form addressed to the regional office together with the attached documents. 
5. The same procedure will be done by the regional DBC focal person and will be transferred into another form. 
6. It will then be sent to the National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO) before the cut-off date, which is every 25th of the month.
7. It will then be transferred to the National Regional Summary of Funding Requests and DBC Consolidated Lists Forms, wherein errors in the typing of names and other details usually occur.
8. The documents will then be transmitted with the cover memo and letter of request for fund allocation to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Overall, the processing time for availing of the service—from filling up the application form to settling the claim, took about 3 to 5 months.

Solution and Impact

To address these challenges, on 14 February 2018,  the DILG issued Memorandum Circular 2018-17 to implement the online processing of DBC. And in July 2018, DILG offices, from field offices up to the Central Office, adopted the Information System–DBC Module.

A directive from the Department Secretary was also issued to all DILG Regional Directors to ensure that the regional and field offices of the department would no longer process this request manually and that they also utilize the program. 

One of the significant features of the program was the database of barangay officials’ profiles. In it, the status of a barangay official can simply be changed from “active” to “deceased.” Then, the name of the deceased barangay official (DBO) will become visible in the DBC module and indicate the required documents to serve as evidentiary proof. After the DBO information is created, it will be submitted to the Provincial Office. 

This feature made the process easier on the side of the Regional Offices. The names of DBOs can be seen in the “Claims to Process” program under the program dashboard. The DBC focal person should validate and submit the names of DBOs to be forwarded to NBOO. If a discrepancy is found, the DBC focal person only needs to click a button to return to the City/Municipality for correction.

Overall, these changes greatly reduced the long processing time for the DBC. Notably, a step that took 39 days was cut to 13 days. Moreover, the program made the process paperless, saving the department an estimated Php 4.3 million.

Notably, the Information Systems and Technology Management Service’s (ISTMS) programmers were able to develop the program in such a way that it would be user-friendly and easy to learn in just one sitting. And given that provincial field officers and regional employees are usually re-assigned to different tasks, the program’s user-friendliness means they will not have a hard time filling in the responsibility of a DBC focal person.

Milestones

Because of its success, the online processing of DBC was included in the National ISO-quality management system as one of the multi-stage processes of the Department. Notably, as it was being included, some improvements were also made, reducing the number of days to process requests.

Moreover, despite the program not being designed for the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the process of DBC was not slowed down. Notably, NBOOs, with the approval of management, had devised a scheme even when most of their employees were in a work from home alternative work arrangement.