Category: Citizen-centered Services

Organization

Provincial Government of Camarines Norte

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers, Human Resource

Year Implemented

2016

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The Make the Right Real Program (MRRP) is a six-year development program (2016-2022) of the Provincial Government of Camarines Norte for their constituents classified as persons with disabilities. The said program is fully anchored on the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), of which the Philippines is a signatory. It provides a paradigm shift in looking at disability wherein PWDs are not viewed as “objects” of charity, medical treatment, and social protection; rather, they are “subjects” with rights who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as well as being active members of society.

Background and Problem

Republic Act RA 10070, enacted in 2009, provided for the creation of a PDAO in every province, city, and municipality or the designation of a focal person who shall perform the functions of a PDAO in fourth, fifth, and sixth-class municipalities.

The creation of PDAO was seen as a game changer for the empowerment of the sector at the local level. However, the UP Public Administration Research and Extension Foundation (UPPAF) study in 2018 found that only six of every ten local government units had PDAOs as validated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG’s) own profiling data. More than half of the provinces (58%) and higher-income municipalities (63%) are non-compliant with RA 10070.

In the province of Camarines Norte, only the capital town of Daet out of the total twelve (12) municipalities had an existing PDAO in 2016, which was established in 2013. However, a ray of hope shone on the PWD sector in 2014 when the Provincial Board enacted ordinance No. 20-2014, establishing the Camarines Norte PDAO and creating a permanent division head, a PDAO officer, and appropriating funds for its operation. Consequently, a PDAO building was constructed, and the governor appointed a qualified multi-awarded person with disability to the position, which started operation in July 2015. The creation of the functional PDAO fully compliant with R.A. 10070 was a first in the Provincial-level PDAO in the country, considering that Camarines Norte was only classified as a second-class province based on its income. The establishment and institutionalization of the PDAO also served as a catalyst for disability-inclusive development in the province as it spearheads the efforts to craft a comprehensive provincial plan of action for persons with disabilities.

Solution and Impact

The MRRP for PWDs identifies the following five key elements of a “rights-based approach” as an innovation in the processes used in implementing the elements of its programs that intersect very naturally with the new vision outlined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and all applicable Philippine laws pertaining to rights and privileges of PWDs:

• A clear link to human rights – linking disability issues to the full range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.
• Accountability – a rights-based approach that identifies both the rights-holders (the people claiming rights) and the duty-holders (those responsible for protecting and promoting the enjoyment of the rights in question).
• Empowerment – a rights-based approach that focuses on the empowerment of rights-holders: empowerment is the polar opposite of a charitable approach, where recipients of charity are passive and have no say in whatever action is taken on their behalf.
• Participation – a rights-based approach that requires the full participation of all relevant stakeholders. The government must consult with PWDs and their representative organizations in decision-making processes that affect the lives of PWDs.
• Non-discrimination – a rights-based approach that calls for specific attention to issues like discrimination, equality, equity, and persons who have been particularly marginalized.

The following are the participatory processes and mechanisms used to engage different stakeholders in implementing programs and services for PWDs:

• Issuance of Provincial Executive Order No. 2016-01: “Creation of a Technical Working Group to draft and formulate an Annual and Decade Work and Financial Plan supporting Presidential Proclamation No. 688 declaring the period of 2013-2022 as the Philippine Decade of “Make the Right Real” for PWDs.” Consequently, the TWG—which represented all departments and offices under the Provincial Government—crafted the Provincial Plan of Action (PPA) for PWDs titled “Make the Right Real Program for PWDs.” This holistic approach to formulating the PPA ensures that the participating entities of the provincial government can claim ownership of the strategies they have committed to the various program and service delivery mechanisms.
• Active partnership with different stakeholders in promoting the aims and goals of MRRP for PWDs through the following mechanisms:
  • Regular conduct of the quarterly meetings of the Provincial Council on Disability Affairs (PCDA), whose membership consists of different stakeholders. PCDA was created by Executive Order No.2012-08.
  • MOA signing with the Camarines Norte State College (CNSC), the province’s largest tertiary school, to assist in implementing inclusive education on its five campuses in five different municipalities. The comprehensiveness and reach of the partnership goals means more and more PWDs will be given free and quality education in the near future.
• Technical assistance and leadership training were provided or facilitated in organizing various municipal PWD associations and Disabled Peoples’ Organizations (DPOs), ensuring their effective participation in the decision-making at the municipal level.

Milestones/Next Steps

The Provincial Government has earned the following recognitions for its disability-inclusive policies:

• The Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awards given by the DILG for four (4) consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019), and part of its strong performance to the ever-changing and continuously upgraded metrics or the criteria is the solid contribution of its disability-inclusive policies under the criteria of social protection:
  • Compliance with the Accessibility Law: ramps with handrails at the entrance/exit, special elevator as applicable, and wheelchair-accessible toilets with grab bars in the provincial capital and main provincial hospital
  • Establishment of PDAO
• Apolinario Mabini Award for the Provincial Government Category was conferred by the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRD) in December 2018 at the Club Filipino. The Mabini Awards honor individuals, groups, and agencies who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the PWD sector.
• The Provincial Government was recognized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office V and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) for effectively delivering programs and services to the persons with disabilities sector, having established a functional PDAO in its governance structure. Camarines Norte is the only provincial government in the Bicol Region accorded such recognition. The awarding was held last 17 July 2019 at the Albay Astrodome in Legazpi City as the main event of the 41st National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week celebrated last July 17-23, 2019.
• The Camarines Norte PWD Knowledge Resource and Tech4ED Center was named one of the ten finalists under the Emerging Category in the search for Outstanding Tech4Ed Center during the 2019 National Tech4ed Awards held at the Garden Orchids Hotel, Zamboanga City, last 12 November 2019.

Organization

Office of the Vice President of the Philippines

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

2020

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

Imposing Modified/Enhanced Community Quarantine (M/ECQ) by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) in Metro Manila and Cebu left thousands of frontliners stranded as mass public transportation ground to a halt. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) launched the Free Shuttle Service for Frontliners to cater to these frontliners and other passengers who had no means to get to their places of work or their homes after their shift. A total of 33,174 passengers, mostly from the health sector, were able to avail themselves of the OVP’s free shuttle and ferry service initiative in Metro Manila and Cebu.

Background and Problem

After the ECQ was imposed on the entire island of Luzon and other provinces, including Cebu, thousands of medical workers and other frontliners were left stranded due to the suspension of mass public transportation. This resulted in a public outcry on social media and other platforms that immediately caught the attention of the OVP. Sensing the urgency to address the problem, the OVP tapped its private and civil society partners to carefully plan and execute a collaborative effort to provide an effective, responsive, and safe transportation service for stranded health workers and frontliners, and regular commuters.

Two (2) days after the announcement of the community quarantine, the OVP’s Free Shuttle Service for Frontliners was officially launched in Metro Manila, initially with six (6) routes. Meanwhile, in Cebu, the then-2nd epicenter of COVID-19, the same land transportation service was provided to essential workers under the Bayanihan Sugbuanon initiative with four (4) routes servicing the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay, Consolacion, Talamban, and Naga. This was complemented by a free ferry service for essential workers and patients from nearby islands who needed in and out access to Cebu City.

Solution and Impact

In addressing the transportation challenges brought about by the Luzon-wide ECQ, the OVP worked with its partner organizations, volunteers, and staff to ensure the initiative’s success. The OVP’s Angat Buhay partners from the private sector offered their vehicles/buses for the initiative. The OVP employees and private individuals volunteered as bus conductors, dispatchers, and support staff to operationalize the shuttle service. This collaboration made it possible to launch the initiative two (2) days after the Luzon-wide ECQ was announced.

The areas where stranded passengers congregated, designated COVID-19 referral hospitals, shifting schedule of medical workers, feedback and requests received from social media, and regular debriefing sessions with the volunteers were considered in setting and adjusting bus routes, pickup and drop-off points, and schedule. This made the shuttle service responsive to the needs of the frontliners and commuters.

Preventive measures and protocols were put in place in compliance with the prescribed health and safety protocols by the IATF-EID. This included wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) by the bus drivers and conductors, regular disinfection of the buses, ensuring physical distancing while inside the bus, and the conduct of temperature checks and contact tracing, including the use of QR codes for contactless registration. By providing free shuttle service to thousands of health workers and frontliners, the OVP supplemented the national government’s efforts in addressing the pandemic’s negative impacts, specifically in the transportation sector. Through this initiative, the mobilization of health workers and other frontliners around the Metro became safe, free, and reliable during the ECQ.

Milestones/Next Steps

Two (2) days after the announcement of the Luzon-wide ECQ, the OVP launched the first phase of the Free Shuttle Service initiative for Metro Manila. For twenty-six (26) days (18 March 2020 to 14 April 2020, except Holy Thursday and Good Friday), a total of 11,429 passengers, or an average of 440 per day, were served by the eight (8) routes of the shuttle service.

They later replicated the initiative in Cebu through the Bayanihan Sugbuanon initiative, with four (4) routes servicing passengers from Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay, Consolacion, Talamban, and Naga. For 30 days (06 July 2020 to 08 August 2020), the shuttle service served 11,768 passengers for an average of 392 per day. Free Ferry Service was also offered in Cebu with five (5) trips per day servicing passengers from Mactan and Olango Island. For fifty-six (56) days (10 July 2020 to 12 September 2020), the ferry service served a total of 1,022 passengers.

When Metro Manila was placed under MECQ, the Free Shuttle Service was again activated to cater to the transportation needs of medical frontliners. For fifteen(15) days (04-18 August 2020), a total of 8,800 passengers, or an average of 587 per day, were served by the shuttle service covering the same eight (8) routes offered during the first phase. Another route was later added, which ran for eight days (14-21 August 2020) and served a total of 155 passengers, or an average of 19 passengers per day.

Overall, a total of 33,174 passengers benefitted from the Free Shuttle and Ferry Services of the OVP.

Organization

University of the Philippines Diliman

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Innovation Leadership, Citizen-centered Services

Year Implemented

8 March 2020

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

The UPD COVID-19 Response Framework was developed to put together UPD initiatives to address the various aspects of the university’s mandate as a national university and to ensure continuity and sustainability despite the challenges posed by the pandemic’s restrictions and response. The general objective of the proposed Response Framework is to minimize the negative socio-economic impact of the pandemic on the UPD community. It is designed to address the short-term to the mid-term period of the challenges of the pandemic but shall be updated and refined to provide a long-term response moving to a “better normal.”

The Framework consists of the following four major strategies to minimize the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the community: ensure good health and safety; support academic and research functions; ensure the adequate and continuous flow of UPD services, and promote effective communication.

Background and Problem

When the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine was announced in mid-March, many students were stranded on campus. With the absence of public transportation and limitations on mobility, they could not leave the campus and return to their families in the provinces. The university needed to ensure the health and safety of the stranded students while arrangements were made to bring them home. Even during the quarantine and the shift to remote work and classes, offices had to continue operating. Essential and priority services were identified, and only a skeletal force of each office had to physically report for work despite the risks involved in traveling from their residence to the workplace and back.

Public transportation within and around the campus was suspended, and commercial activities were halted. With markets and retail establishments closed, the residents had to arrange for alternative means of securing food and necessities.

As of 7 December 2020, 453 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been recorded from its constituents and residents, where 29 are active cases. Some residential areas are congested and contribute to community transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Hence, the university needed to mitigate the risks involved in continuing its operations as a university and a community and support the personnel who tested positive for the virus.

Solution and Impact

UP Diliman implemented a community-based response to the pandemic. This entailed:
Understanding and monitoring the emerging needs of UP constituents as the pandemic unfolded
Tapping the various expertise available in the community
Capacitating the university on pandemic response through self-learning, collaboration, and piloting.

To ensure the health and safety of the community, UPD used the public health approach of early detection, testing, quarantine and isolation, and contact tracing. A Risk Matrix was developed as the basis for the targeted testing of high and high-risk personnel physically reporting for work. Targeted testing enabled priority testing of health staff, security guards, and custodial workers who regularly interact with the community and clients. Testing was carried out by the UP Health Service (UHS) in partnership with the Philippine Genome Center.

UP opened Kanlungang Palma and Silungang Molave isolation/quarantine facilities to serve UP constituents, barangay residents, and Quezon City residents with suspected or confirmed mild cases. A contact-tracing team was formed, headed by the UP Public Health Unit (PHU), and supported by volunteers. Health Liaison Officers (HeLOs) and Post-ECQ Teams (PETs) implemented and monitored health and safety protocols and coordinated with the UHS-PHU for other health concerns.

To support academic and research functions, UPD transitioned from face-to-face classes to remote learning; conducted capacity-building sessions (webinars) on remote learning and tutorial sessions for faculty and staff; provided financial support to faculty and staff for the development of course packs, training materials, and transitioning to the remote work environment for enrollment, library services, and learning management; and, provided guidelines for the safe use of dormitories and laboratories.

UP Diliman ensures the adequate and continuous flow of UPD services by providing guidelines and technical/financial support for work-from-home arrangements; setting up infrastructure for remote work; re-arranging the physical workspace for a safe work environment in the office, and maintaining a safe distance among staff and providing better ventilation; re-configuring manual processes to shift to digital transactions; and, providing shuttle services and temporary accommodations opened for staff.

UPD promotes effective communication for its constituent and the general public by providing weekly updates to the community regarding COVID-19 cases on campus using various online platforms; and by preparing information, education, and communication (IEC) materials used in community education activities.

Other initiatives and provisions done by UPD were: providing accommodation facilities for healthcare workers from the Lung Center of the Philippines; coordinating with relevant government agencies to allow stranded students to return to their provinces (Hatid Probinsya Program); providing material support to construction workers left in the campus; the opening of open spaces for exercise activities; coordinating with the LTFRB to allow UP PUJs to operate in their routes again, and supporting initiatives of student organizations to help fellow students and other community members.

Milestones/Next Steps

The following milestones were achieved:

March

• Convened a multi-disciplinary COVID-19 Task Force and Special Committee on health services (risk matrix)

April

• Opened the Kanlungang Palma (KP) isolation facility
• Established the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) as a testing facility
• Conducted a donation drive for stranded students

May

• Started the 4-months series of training sessions for volunteers to conduct contact-tracing work at which 51 volunteers (composed of university students, faculty, and employees) were trained, and 22 of these volunteers remained as active tracers under the supervision of the UPD Public Health Unit
• Reorganized the health services to address the COVID-19 situation with the set-up of the COVID-19 Triage, implementation of Telemedicine, and the enhancement of the role of the Public Health Unit
• Started COVID-19 testing through UP Health Service (UHS) swabbing operations

June

• Conduct virtual orientation of Health Liaison Officers (HeLOs) from the different units/offices of UPD

July

• Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases peaked, COVID-19 Task Force reviewed strategies and implemented interventions in the offices and residential community.
• Closure of the Kanlungan Palma as an isolation facility
• Free Flu Vaccination was administered to UPD employees

August

• Opened the Silungang Molave (SiM) as an isolation and swabbing facility
• Positivity rate peaked at 39.6%, reached and determined by increased testing

September

• Developed the COVID-19 Risk Matrix to categorize and characterize UP workforce conditions according to their risk exposure
• Conducted targeted testing based on risk assessment; positive cases were immediately isolated, and close contacts traced
• Mobilized volunteers to do public information dissemination, training/workshops for purok leaders on health and pandemic response, and in collaboration with UP labor unions and staff

October

• Number of swab tests for RT-PCR tests peaked at 428
• Started the weekly reporting of COVID-19 cases to the UPD community to further increase awareness and vigilance

November

• Detected a significant decline in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases
• No new cases were reported among UPD constituents for a week in December
• Start of mass testing

Organization

Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy, Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

10 October 2016

Summary

The Municipal Government of Paracale implemented the Paracale People’s Consultative Council (PPCC) to establish a structure open to partnering with duly accredited Paracale-based people and non-government organizations in conceptualizing, crafting, and drafting ordinances and resolutions. The PPCC convenes every month and attends public hearings and committee meetings to participate in discussions about timely issues, critique and evaluate existing legislation and initiatives, and recommend better legislative outputs. As a result, the PPCC has enabled the local government to develop and execute effective and efficient responses to the needs and preferences of the people.

Background and Problem

The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) has observed that there is an increasing number of accredited socially concerned organizations and associations in Paracale. Notably, there were 27 NGOs and POs identified to date, with members coming from the vulnerable sectors and the fringes of society. In light of this opportunity and their responsibility to further improve their service, the Sangguniang Bayan took advantage of it, hence the PPCC was born.

Solution and Impact

The purpose of the Paracale People’s Consultative Council (PPCC) is to establish a structure whereby the private sector, through the NGOs and POs may get involved and actively participate in the conception, formulation and evaluation of the LGU legislative activities as a guiding approach for effective and productive social and economic programs for the community.

During the deliberation at the Sangguniang Bayan, the PPCC representatives, as the primary stakeholder of the presented legislation (bill), scrutinize resolutions and ordinances, considering their needs and preferences. The PPCC also compiles their resolutions as they convene at their council meetings, addressing timely issues that need immediate legislative action from the Sangguniang Bayan. The PPCC also conducts monthly rotational meetings where a host NGO and PO resides. The drafted legislative documents are presented to the respective SB committees, where the related pieces of the draft legislation are being debated on for approval.

On the other hand, the Sangguniang Bayan must accredit the POs and NGOs to be a part of the legislative activities. The committee on NGOs and POs processes the application for accreditation and monitoring in compliance with the conditions for accreditation. The SB, however, in consultation with PPCC may impose other requirements and conditions as deemed necessary. Once SB-accredited, the NGO/PO will automatically become a member of the PPCC, and said membership is valid until the end of a term of the present elected officials of the Sangguniang Bayan.

The PPCC is entitled to three (3) seats in the legislative activities, such as the regular SB sessions, committee meetings, and public hearings. As the number of NGOs and POs grows, it is assured that their long-term partnership with the local government will bear the fruits of policies passed and planned in collaboration with the PPCC.

Milestones/Next Steps

The adoption of a People’s Consultative Council was pioneered in Paracale among the twelve (12) municipalities of Camarines Norte. Twenty-seven (27) Paracale-based NGOs and POs, active members of the PPCC, have been accredited with the Sangguniang Bayan from 1 July 2019 to the present.

Since the adoption of the PPCC on 10 October 2016, the LGU has supported it with budget allocations for the host-NGO and PO during rotational monthly meetings, catering services for the quarterly meetings hosted by the Sanggunian, capability enhancement training activities, and honoraria for PPCC members attending committee meetings or public hearings. In 2020 the budget for PPCC activities amounted to One Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php 150,000.00); this fund allocation ensured the sustained participation of the council in the Sangguniang Bayan’s committee hearings, public consultations, and other legislative activities.

The next step of the Sangguniang Bayan is to encourage the mainstreaming of the PPCC at the barangay level for barangay governance to be more effective and beneficial to constituents. In line with this goal, the SB hopes to prioritize the development of an easy step-by-step process of accreditation, user-friendly forms, and a basic information dissemination strategy encouraging the newly registered NGOs and POs to consider applying for accreditation.

Organization

City Government of Tagum

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

1 March 2020

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

The practice labeled as HEAL Boost or Health Education, Employment And Livelihood Boost, is the LGU of Tagum’s packaged program that integrates recovery strategies, which signifies a crucial intervention duly established to heal and help the masses recover from the pandemic, particularly in adapting to the new educational setting, significantly alleviating the psychosocial concerns and improving access to employment and livelihood opportunities. The practice comprises a loan grant capitalization with zero interest to spur livelihood; an accessible online database for local job vacancies; actual and online livelihood demonstration; online lectures and discussions on adapting the new types of learning and mental health concerns; and financial grants through emergency employment.

Background and Problem

The unprecedented outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the city to enforce lockdowns and other stringent restrictions to contain the virus. Unfortunately, those impositions led to chains of events that particularly aggravated the standard mode of education and psychosocial concerns of the people. It affected public service as it incurred impairment in the businesses and economies, stimulated the spike of the unemployment rate, and canceled/stopped most of the government’s face-to-face services.

The LGU of Tagum cannot allow for its programs and services to be impeded, considering that the people heavily rely on the government. The LGU of Tagum cannot neglect the people’s dire situation. This was why it developed a strategic approach to the citizens’ well-being. As the city strives for health, education, employment generation, a better standard of living, and improved quality of life for all, the LGU of Tagum produced the HEAL Boost. This is an intervention to develop policies and a responsive strategic plan to help improve the quality of life of the people amidst the pandemic.

Solution and Impact

To assure that they have disseminated the practice in the grassroots, the Barangay Education and Employment Desk Officers (BEEDOs), being the implementing affiliates of the organization and who are respectively dispersed in the 23 barangays of the city, were promptly coordinated. To efficiently deliver the practice’s wide-ranging facilitations to the greatest number of people, it utilized other platforms, such as social media, to reach the people to access the program’s services conveniently.

They tapped reputable and knowledgeable speakers to deliver online lectures and discussions addressing different concerns about coping with the new teaching styles and assuring the citizens of the different issues arising.

There was also the active participation of reputable health professionals in the locality and Guidance Counselors and Career Advocates of Tagum City (GCCAT)–an organization that comprises adept professionals that helps to widen the reach of participants amidst restrictions and bridge connection between the people. They implemented the program through social media, reaching many vulnerable populations, especially learners.

The HEAL Boost per se will heal the mental health aspect, boost the employment status and adapt to the new scheme of education through information and education conducted through social media. Social media is a good channel for people to gain a greater awareness of the various issues concerning education and promote the enrichment of knowledge and empowerment among the constituents.

Also, engaging people, especially the underprivileged, with technical assistance, capability enhancement, and livelihood assistance through micro-credit; introducing them to employment opportunities through the digitized repository for job vacancies (which is being constantly updated through active coordination with private sector establishments in the local context) and finally, endorsing those affected by the predicament through the provision of financial grant assistance in the form of compensation for a temporary work of community service.

The practice served over 32,000 citizens from the one hundred ninety-six (196) Tagumenyos from different sectors. They were given loan capitalization with zero interest for their livelihood undertakings with a total consolidated grant of Php 1,499,000.00.

Milestones/Next Steps

The program or the best practice became an instrument to substantially address serious issues highlighting limited job vacancies, mental health issues, difficulties adapting to the new academic learning, and inadequate livelihood opportunities.

Through the joint efforts of the different stakeholders, the practice catered to countless individuals who have engaged in employment activities. This was perceived as one of the major contributors by the Department of Labor and Employment since it exceeded its target in employment generation in Region XI. With the social media content available not just on online platforms but also in schools, there was no reported incidence of suicide among the learners.

Also, a total number of nineteen (19) actual livelihood demonstrations were facilitated in conformance with the new normal catering to 315 participants, while seven (7) online livelihood demonstrations were published and catered to 422 clients. The organization is optimistic that the clients’ knowledge will be very handy as they begin their journey toward self-employment activities. Six (6) educational lectures and discussions were posted online, such as providing mental health awareness through its 3rd episode entitled, “Mental Health: Its Implication in the Development of Depression and Suicidal Tendencies among Teenagers,” which garnered a consolidated number of over 30,000 viewers and still counting. It can be concluded that it played a vital role in the zero incidence of suicide in the community, especially among the learners.

The organization achieved 4,063 consolidated employment opportunities for over hundred (100) legitimate employers encoded in the online repository for jobs. Last, the program assisted 1,216 Tagumenyos displaced and affected by the closure of Tagum City Night Market, namely the ambulant vendors, locally stranded individuals, and returning OFWs. There were also emergency works for social, community, and government projects such as barangay disinfection, the campaign against the pandemic, and agricultural works themed as “Gulayan sa Pamayanan,” and provided the beneficiaries with insurance, personal protective equipment, and compensation of Php 3,960.00 each.

In addition, it exceeded the target goal of the organization in terms of the number of clients benefitted, totaling over 32,000 clients, a lot of times higher than before. Because of this, it has earned appreciation from the clientele and fellow associates in government service. Guided by its declared policies to boost employment, adjust to new learning schemes, and improve the mental health of vulnerable sectors, the program incessantly attained its goals and objectives.

Organization

Bukidnon State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Citizens / Customers, Human Resource

Year Implemented

26-28 February and 4 March 2019

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

Participatory Governance Assessment (PGA) assesses good governance practices in community groups. A group of selected participants evaluates the extent to which a community group’s decision-making and management practices comply with the four pillars of good governance: transparency, participation, accountability, and predictability.

PGA was introduced to Bukidnon State University through the research engagement of Dr. Joy M. Mirasol with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the Conflict Sensitive Resource and Asset Management (COSERAM) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in applying and refining the Governance Assessment for Protected Areas (GAPA) methodology for assessing governance strengths and challenges of Protected Areas/ Conserved Areas (PAs/CAs). This research established PGA as an effective tool in managing protected areas, especially in identifying governance issues and challenges.

Background and Problem

The conduct of PGA at Bukidnon State University was primarily motivated by the university’s desire for continual improvement and the highest satisfaction of its stakeholders. While all organizations need to assess their performance in terms of their deliverables, the assessment process may sometimes lead to conflict, especially in giving feedback on other units’ performance or even the top management’s decisions. It would be difficult to give honest feedback on the performance of others and even accept feedback for one’s performance if the platform for assessment is not conducive to open and objective discussion.

Since the assessment method’s driving principle is the stakeholders’ participation in the direction and operation of the organization’s structure, the PGA provided a solution to this dilemma through a reflective assessment. Here, unlike other assessment methods such as answering evaluation forms, evaluation of external experts, etc., the stakeholders are allowed to assess themselves and the university vis-à-vis a platform for guided open discussion. PGA’s open-ended question approach reduces the risk of bias caused by pre-selecting issues or asking leading questions. Validation of results with the stakeholders provided a mechanism for accountability, developing a proactive action plan to address challenges.

The conduct of PGA in Bukidnon State University purported to determine the governance strengths and challenges of the university as well as the ideas for action. In doing so, the assessment results will hopefully improve the governance and establish a baseline for monitoring governance changes in the university over time. Results will also be relevant data for management review. For PGA to be effective, facilitators should be experienced, with good facilitation skills, and be perceived as neutral and unbiased. PGA documenters should also be able to competently capture rapid information in the PGA process, especially during the focus group discussion. It was good that the BukSU-IEG were trained facilitators and documentation in PGA. Their expertise resulted from the university’s partnership with the Mindanao PAMB Network, the GIZ-COSERAM, and IIED.

Solution and Impact

Assessing governance arrangements of an organization can be done as (a) a health check to determine the strengths and challenges of governance arrangements and identify issues that need attention, (b) as a diagnostic to understand the underlying cause of existing challenges and identify actions that could improve the situation, and (c) a form of monitoring to establish a baseline against which to measure governance over time. It seeks to assess the organization in seven key aspects of governance: (1) Effective participation of relevant actors in decision making, (2) Recognition and respect for the rights of all relevant actors, (3) Fair and effective processes for dispute resolution, (4) Transparency supported by timely access to relevant information (5) Effective coordination of policies and plans with those of other sectors and levels (6) Achieving conservation and other objectives efficiently and as planned and (7) Effective coordination and collaboration between different actors, sectors, and levels. Data gathering was done via focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with groups carefully selected to include various perspectives from within the organization.

The KII and FGD teams followed a reporting template that included four columns:

1. PGA Principle
2. What went well
3. What’s not working well
4. Ideas for action

Validation was also done to complement the results with additional information, and gaps in understanding were also identified. The ideas for action were presented to key officials and stakeholders for affirmation.

The impact of the PGA is evidenced by (1) the appreciation of stakeholders of the process, which is devoid of tension, a platform for everyone to be heard regardless of rank/position, and evidenced-based information to improve university policies; and (2) improved capacity of internal and external stakeholders.

Milestones/Next Steps

DENR X awarded Bukidnon State University as “Best Institutional Partner” in the region for the academe category in Northern Mindanao last July 23, 2019. This award was given in recognition of Bukidnon State University’s expertise in the PGA process. The award was given to the university for its significant contribution to enhancing the knowledge of Local Government Unit (LGU) chief executives and environmental partners towards protecting Nature and Management of Natural Resources. They were also recognized as a dedicated and significant partner in the capacity and organization development of the Mindanao Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) Network in partnership with the GIZ-COSERAM Project leading to improved Protected Area (PA) Management, sustained biodiversity conservation, and increased interaction among PA key stakeholders in Mindanao.

Organization

Southern Leyte State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Operations

Year Implemented

April 2020 – June 2020

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

The SLSU offered support in responding to the community’s needs by providing financial assistance and psychosocial counseling to seriously affected students. These are the provision and implementation of enhanced institutional and community preventive measures against COVID-19; production and distribution of SUPPRESS COVID-19 PPEs, IEC materials, and info cast system, production and distribution of SUPPRESS COVID-19 emergency food, development, production, and the deployment of SUPPRESS COVID-19 system and innovations; and establishment of Bayan-Anihan: Aksyon Kontra Gutom.

Background and Problem

The COVID-19 Pandemic has affected people’s lives worldwide. In the Philippines, people in different sectors of society showed varied responses. The operations of Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) have changed. As the only university in the Southern Leyte Province, the SLSU initiated strategies to prevent and protect the community from infection.

SUPPRESS COVID-19 initiatives should be carried out as one holistic program to have a truly unified, proactive, and progressive set of projects and activities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. To fight as one requires each project component to be successfully implemented. To heal as one, as a common battle cry, essentially requires all the components to be successfully carried out.

Solution and Impact

The SUPPRESS Program was launched to implement a unified, proactive, and progressive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which impedes the normal flow of things in the province. Methods were applied for manufacturing and quality assurance.

One activity under the SUPPRESS Program is phone anxiety counseling and regular online monitoring among students and employees of the university, which registered Guidance Counselors and Social Workers handle. Proper protocol and procedures are followed with the utmost consideration for the confidentiality and privacy of the engagements. Production of PPEs follows a protocol and ensures that they serve the purpose. Three-ply facemasks are designed with pockets for inserting droplet traps like cloth or other similar materials. Face shields were designed based on the suggestion of medical doctors requesting the same. The production of disinfectants and liquid hand soap strictly observes the Department of Health (DOH) protocol. The preventive measures and systems innovations integrated into this project applied standard and tested theories and practices to ensure that they will benefit the users/consumers without adverse environmental effects.

Emergency food products are outputs of the university’s research and innovation faculty members. These are Intellectual Property (IP) protected and are already adopted by the community and industry. Hence, these are already in the market.

Coordination and Distribution Mechanisms: Coordination with the IATF and DRRM offices in the municipalities of the service has been done to harmonize the university’s actions based on what the community needs. The distribution of the products was based on the request of the frontliners, as suggested by IATF and DRRM, and as proactively viewed by the university based on the current situation of the communities in the service areas. Proper documentation, such as acknowledgment receipts and pictures during product distribution, are considered vital documents.

Through the SUPRESS program of the university, financial assistance, and psycho-social counseling are adequately provided and administered to at least 50 stranded students due to the implementation of ECQ and lockdowns; enhanced institutional preventive measures against COVID-19 are provided and implemented; 7,740 SUPPRESS COVID-19 IEC materials were produced; 6,000 pieces of washable facemasks and improvised facial shields and 200 gals of disinfectants and sanitizers were produced; a substantial volume of emergency foods was processed and produced; automated systems and applications to suppress COVID-19 were developed, and Bayan-Anihan and Backyard FARMacy models were established in selected SLSU campuses. All municipalities in Southern Leyte were the beneficiaries of the program.

Milestones/Next Steps

During the first month of the SUPPRESS Program, the university has undergone a complete procurement process: posting: approved purchase request, Philgeps print-out; canvassing: request for quotation, abstract; bidding: BAC resolution, a notice of award/purchase order; delivery: delivery receipt, inspection, and acceptance report. COVID-19 products such as PPEs, food products, and innovations and services have been carried out and continued until the duration of the program (Month 1-3) with complete documentation. By Month 3, terminal and liquidation reports were submitted to CHED.

Organization

Samar State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

March 2020

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

Through the SSU Bantay COVID program, the SSU community forefronted synergy in action, and fused multidisciplinary expertise among educators, researchers, innovators, health/medical experts, social scientists, security personnel, counselors, and sources of informed knowledge. This program paved the way for alliance building as stronger linkages have been established among Local Government Units (LGUs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), private organizations and individuals, frontline agencies, armed forces, hospitals, and rural health units that share the same goal of combatting COVID-19.

The SSU, as a research institution, headed research and innovation initiatives that helped the LGUs efficiently make use of the few resources available while productively helping the affected communities, encouraging teamwork, empowering citizenry, and reinventing resilience. Amid a global health crisis, the SSU community was a role model of teamwork as faculty and personnel worked to serve the most vulnerable communities. Empowering citizenry also never came last, as the SSU ensured the provision of legitimate and accurate information that ultimately resulted in the communities making informed decisions. Finally, the SSU treated the pandemic as an opportunity to strengthen resilience among the communities by revisiting old practices, lifestyles, health, and the environment and developing new ways to improve resilience.

Background and Problem

At the onset of the health crisis, the SSU quickly strategized a plan to help mitigate the adverse socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Samar province. The SSU devised a holistic and innovative tactic dubbed “SSU Bantay COVID: The Smarter Way” to improve the economic, educational, health, and well-being aspects of Samarnons.

The Samar State University (SSU) was one of the first agencies in Region VIII that served as a running fortress of the Samar towns at the onset of the novel Coronavirus outbreak. The Samar province was most vulnerable due to the alarmingly high virus transmission with very few resources to make ends meet. Because of its research and innovation efforts, the SSU was recognized as one of the thirty (30) Fabrication Laboratories (FabLab) in the Philippines that helped control the further spread of the virus through various initiatives. Employing a holistic approach, the SSU Bantay COVID: The Smarter Way Program led initiatives through various SSU Bantay COVID projects and resulted in the region’s best practices. At the heart of this best practice lies the core foundations of the program—the Smarter Way.

More than a thousand COVID-19 cases have been recorded for the Eastern Visayas region alone, and several towns were forced into lockdowns. With only a few hospitals and with strict travel restrictions, the region was feared to experience despair in acquiring basic goods and other essential resources.

Solution and Impact

The SSU Bantay COVID: The Smarter Way applied a strategic, immediate, innovative COVID-19 response through different SSU Bantay COVID projects. These projects include the production of medically acceptable face shields, face masks, chemical-free mobile disinfection chamber, non-toxic disinfectants, alcohols and sanitizers, soaps, and immune system booster food products; development and distribution of learning materials for stranded children; mobilization of various information dissemination means namely, Lagidlid COVID-19 web application, “Kaupod ha Pag-uswag” radio program, SSU Pag-Himangraw COVID Response Center, and printed Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials; and the initiation of Bulig Catbaloganon outreach program.

These initiatives assisted hundreds of thousands of Filipinos around Eastern Visayas. These projects shall help create COVID-19-free communities and a less overwhelmed Philippine healthcare sector. The SSU Bantay COVID initiatives also resulted in communities recognizing SSU as a community’s research entity and extension arm. As a result, more LGUs and communities seek the university’s assistance in research and innovation as a basis for policy-making and formulation of local needs-based programs. Expectantly, the long-term impact this shall have is the creation of more scientific communities and the formulation of research-based policies and programs for the people.

Milestones/Next Steps

The efforts of the SSU helped combat the novel coronavirus in the province the ‘smarter’ way. As of June 2020, more than five hundred thousand (500,000) residents were assisted; sixty-six (66) units/offices and thirteen (13) hospitals and Rural Health Units (RHUs) around the Eastern Visayas region were given disinfectants and sanitizers; over ten thousand (10,000) masks and three thousand (3,000) face shields were distributed, and over a thousand Catbalogan and Tarangnan frontliners were fed with immune system booster food products at the onset of the novel Coronavirus. Moreover, over a thousand Catbaloganons were given financial and basic goods assistance through an outreach program that raised almost half a million pesos.

The SSU Bantay COVID Program paved the way to recognize the SSU’s Research Innovation Center (RIC) as one of the 30 Fabrication Laboratories (FabLab) in the Philippines allowed to help manufacture products that will help bring solutions to the complete eradication of the virus.

The SSU has also been identified as one of the COVID-19 front liners of Samar province and maintained an even stronger partnership with the immediate Local Government Units (LGU). Organizations also recognized the university’s efforts as it was featured online and on radio platforms.

The novel Coronavirus outbreak was an unforeseen crisis around the globe. It overwhelmed all sectors of society and pushed millions of Filipinos to further adversity.