Category: Innovation Leadership

Organization

Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy, Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management

Year Implemented

Approved on 21 November 2016, and implemented on 17 January 2017

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

The Barangay Empowerment, Synergy, and Transparency (BEST) program was approved under Municipal Ordinance Number 17 Series of 2016 and is known as the “BEST Program” of the Municipality of Paracale. The BEST Program is an initiative of the Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale that aims to strengthen the competency of barangays in undertaking their legislative functions. The program equips barangay officials of the 27 barangays of Paracale, particularly the newly elected members, with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in legislative processes, craft responsive legislations and regulatory policies, therefore becoming advocates of good governance.

Background and Problem

The Sanggunian Bayan of Paracale, headed by its Presiding Officer and Vice Mayor, is aware that our country needs a competent government leader to promote public welfare, especially at the grassroots level. Also, there must be barangay leaders capable of discharging their functions and can assume the duties and responsibilities of a barangay official. A barangay official must be knowledgeable, effective, and well-equipped, especially in crafting relevant legislation to improve the delivery of basic social services and uplift a community’s quality of life.

However, there is a common perception that most people who run for political positions are merely influenced by their family members who were traditional politicians or rose to fame and won the election solely because of popularity and not competency. This is why the Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale conceptualizes the BEST Program to strengthen barangay legislative functions by capacitating barangay officials, especially the newly elected members, to participate in legislative sessions, craft responsive, responsive responses to legislators and regulatory policies, therefore becoming advocates of good governance.

Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale headed by Vice Mayor Bernadette Asutilla conducting Barangay Orientation on the Field of Legislation to different barangays of Paracale to strengthen barangay legislation functions.

Solution and Impact

One of the main problems with the barangay system of governance is its leader’s incompetence, which stems from insufficient academic qualifications and legislative and parliamentary procedures. Thus, matters such as legislative action that could contribute to barangay development are not immediately carried out or done poorly. The BEST Program aims to orient and prepare the newly elected officials of the barangay to face and overcome the challenges of leading the smallest political government unit toward improving the lives of its people and developing the countryside.

To increase and strengthen the skills of the barangay officials, the Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale is conducting a three-phase mechanism/program in every barangay:

  1. Symposium/Forum on Barangay Legislation – a two-day seminar focusing on legislative functions, parliamentary rules, and adherence to local government laws.
  2. Sesyon sa Barangay – the Regular Sangguniang Bayan Session is held in barangays to observe the actual proper conduct of the session and the processes of passing and approving ordinances and resolutions.
  3. Outstanding Sangguniang Barangay Award – the search for Outstanding Barangay Award serves as an annual evaluation and appraisal of performance in every barangay.

The success of this program depends on the support and cooperation of the Sangguniang Barangay leader, continuing support from the Sangguniang Bayan, and the Local Government Unit of Paracale.

Milestones/Next Steps

Since the creation of the BEST Program on 21 November 2016 and its implementation the following year, the Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale BEST Program was recognized by the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines Camarines Norte Chapter and was awarded the Best Practice in the Field of Legislation 2018. Only the Sangguniang Bayan of Paracale has been honored with such recognition in the Province of Camarines Norte.

Organization

City Government of General Santos

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Human Resource

Year Implemented

February 2018- Present

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

High-Personal Effectiveness Through Resource Allocation or HI-PERA is an unconventional initiative for the development and sustainability of sound financial management among the regular employees of the City Government of General Santos (LGU-Gensan). From the first quarter of 2018 to the present, the Human Resource Management & Development Office (HRMDO) has pioneered the radical move to revive, re-strengthen and innovate the ways to aid in the enduring problem of uncontrolled and deteriorating credit behavior of the employees in the city government.

Background and Problem

In 2017, verified reports showed that many employees were seriously charged with complaints from money lending institutions and private individuals due to uncontrolled and deteriorating credit behavior. Employees have reportedly surrendered their payroll ATM as loan collateral, thus draining the proceeds of their salaries, bonuses, and incentives. Subsequently, this has caused habitual absences, underperformance, and a low level of productivity that affected their performance in particular and the city government as a whole.

One of the mechanisms employed by loaning agencies and private lending individuals to ensure the collection of payments is to require creditors to deposit their payroll ATM from where their regular payments will be directly withdrawn. This places the employees at the mercy of these lenders and stops them from accessing their salaries. When policies prohibit employees from applying for loans resulting in net take-home pay lower than Php 5,000.00, employees can still circumvent ways to apply for loans from private lending individuals who require the same collateral deposit. Furthermore, these loan sharks reportedly collect more than the required payment putting their other monetary benefits at risk, such as mid-year & year-end bonuses, CNA incentives, and other allowances.

Consequently, poor work performance was evident in the observable and habitual absences of the concerned employees on the salary days allegedly because of purposeful evasion from loan sharks who personally visit offices to collect due and unsettled payments. These circumstances have led local leaders to legislate policies to mitigate the growing number of employees at risk of not rising to financial stability due to undesirable credit behavior. While the employees can be blamed for availing these types of loans, the HRMDO needs to devise an intervention to prevent this deplorable practice.

Screenshots from the Webinar on Personal Effectiveness Through Resource Allocation (PERA)

Solution and Impact

Founded on the philosophy that an employee’s financial wellness directly affects work productivity and job performance, Hi-PERA implements a strategy that deals with the employee’s lack of sound financial management skills by operating with a certain degree of discipline with a compassionate end in mind to implement policies and interventions helping employees to get through their financial struggles. As such, Hi-PERA is designed to implement mechanisms that will help develop and sustain sound financial management skills of the regular employees through interventions such as one payroll ATM-ID system and one-bank-loan policy; consistent financial literacy programs; sustainable savings facilities; and reliable income expansion programs.

With the aid of local legislation, the initial approach of Hi-PERA is implementing an integrated ID-ATM system that combines biometrics scanning through facial recognition and ID-ATM confirmation. The administration has also called for prompt implementation of establishing an exclusive partnership with a reputable banking institution under the One-Bank Policy, granting salary loans to city government employees with longer terms of payments and lower interest rates. This is complemented by the efforts of HRMDO to sustain the consistent conduct of capacity-building activities on financial management skills, the introduction of accessible and reliable savings facilities offered by banks, cooperatives, and other financial institutions, and the initiation of income expansion or livelihood literacy programs.

The practice has brought a quantum leap in the financial status of the affected employees that has a direct positive effect on their work performance, as demonstrated by the curve of improvement in their Individual Personal Commitment Ratings (IPCRs) since the onset of Hi-PERA implementation up to the present. This is proven true by the recent study and analytics of the figures that make up the opposite trend in the decreasing number of employees with a net salary lower than Php 5,000.00 and the increasing mean of their IPCR ratings.

HI-PERA has consistently ignited interest from other benchmarking government agencies who have explicitly expressed appreciation and intent to adopt the same practice in their respective workplaces. Ultimately, the program is significantly valued in the level of personal development of employees and the organizational development of the city government, as proven by the local and national recognitions.

Milestones/Next Steps

Data shows that Hi-PERA significantly reduced the number of employees whose net take-home pay is equal to or lower than Php 5,000.00 since the onset of the program implementation. This positively projects that the program continues to realize its aim to implement mechanisms to develop and sustain the sound financial management skills of the regular employees.

Furthermore, the recent study and focus group discussion (FGD) with the purposely selected employees for the first and second quarters of 2020 revealed that the HI-PERA positively affected employees. Validated reports also disclosed that their financial status is simply improving, with some who could pay off all their debts and others who have been diligently propelling their business ventures for expanded income sources.

As a significant achievement, this innovation has attributions to the notable distinctions conferred to HRMDO and LGU-Gensan in the nationwide search for People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) organization in 2019 wherein the HRMDO Department Head, Ms. Leah Y. Tolimao, was awarded as the “People Manager of the Year Award,” while LGU-Gensan was conferred the “The Employer of the Year” award. The Civil Service Commission also granted the organization the PRIME-HRM Level II status because of the best governance and administration practices, including Hi-PERA.

It is also remarkable that several government agencies, primarily LGUs, consistently conduct benchmarking activities in HRMDO and LGU-Gensan. This observation has led them to explicitly express the aim to adopt the same in their respective agencies. As per the consensus gathered from them, HI-PERA is proven to be an effective practice in financial management for the personal development of employees and the organizational development of the agency.

Organization

Bureau of Fire Protection – Caraga Region

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Human Resources, Operations

Year Implemented

29 October 2019

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

The Bureau of Fire Protection Caraga (BFP-Caraga) is spearheading the empowerment of female firefighters by allowing them to administer local fire stations and substations fully.

Background and Problem

Under the leadership of Regional Director Senior Superintendent Romel C. Tradio, the BFP-Caraga wants to end the pseudo-feminist point of view toward fire services. As observed, female firefighters are more often designated to administrative tasks, contrary to their oath and training, which are core to the operational essence of BFP’s mission and vision.

BFP Caraga Regional Office Personnel

Solution and Impact

This innovative scheme of creating all-female fire stations and substations is positively perceived as a projection of equal rights and opportunities involving active representation and participation of women in fire services, which stand in congruence with the (Gender and Development (GAD) program of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). This intends to upend the practice of limiting female firefighters to administrative roles and provides them an opportunity to be designated tasks commonly occupied by their male counterparts, exempli gratia being the fire marshal, fire truck driver, and crew members. Furthermore, beyond the mechanisms, the more comprehensive objective of the program aims to set an example worth emulating by other public and private sectors, particularly eradicating gender-biased delineation on what women can and cannot perform.

Milestones/Next Steps

Consequently, the BFP-Caraga further improved its presence within its area of responsibility by creating additional fire stations and substations fully occupied by adept female firefighters. Since their activation, they began to take their mandated role of suppressing destructive fires and responding to any emergency.

Organization

Eastern Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium- Leyte

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Operations

Year Implemented

2011

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

The practice unique to the Eastern Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium (EVHRDC) is called “Pioneering Public-Private Partnership Towards Sustainable Eastern Visayas Health Research & Innovation (4Ps TSEVHRI)”. This strategy enables the consortium to conduct activities needed to generate more health-related proposals, such as live-in training on Basic Research Methods (BRM) and Research Proposal Enhancement Workshops (RPEWs). The partnership of the Department of Health (DOH) EVCHD and DOST Regional Office (RO) VIII with the rest of EVHRDC’s member institutions significantly contributed to more research activities, which resulted in the highest number of consortium-funded health research based on the Regional Unified Health Research Agenda (RUHRA) compared with other Regional Health Research and Development Consortiums (RHRDCs). Adhering to the EVHRDC‘s vision as a transformative consortium, the consortium developed and disseminated evidence-informed policies adequately. These include the policy note “Improving Sanitary Conditions and Food Handler Practices Among School Canteens in Eastern Visayas” and a policy brief titled “The Seasonal Pattern of Occurrence of Aedes Aegypti by Larvitrap Surveillance,” which were based on the results of EVHRDC-funded research.

Background and Problem

In Region VIII, an increasing number of health research proposals are submitted to the consortium for funding consideration per year based on the number of proposals reviewed by the consortium’s RMC and ERC. There is also an increasing number of EVHRDC member institutions. The consortium’s series of activities, particularly to address the training needs of researchers, continue to increase every year to capacitate them further. When a researcher submits a capsule proposal identified with the region’s health priorities, the researcher is invited to attend a live-in Basic Research Methods (BRM) training. The researcher is endorsed to several Research Proposal Enhancement Workshops (RPEWs) until the paper becomes a full-blown proposal ready for funding.

The ExeCom, as the overall governing body of the consortium, discusses all administrative and operational concerns. The RMC meets to discuss affairs concerning planned, ongoing and concluding research projects. The consortium also has six (6) committees, meeting at least once every quarter. The ERC reviews research proposals and ensures that research in the region follows international and national guidelines, local laws, professional conduct and practice standards, community moral values, and needs.

The RUC is in charge of disseminating the research results to stakeholders. The CBC is responsible for building member institutions’ capability to engage in research activities and form institutional partnerships. The SOME handle concerns regarding institutions’ membership, hiring secretarial staff, and selecting committee chairs and members.

Solution and Impact

The consortium’s increasing number of activities, which subsequently increases in the number of research proposals for funding, has posed a challenge for the consortium. Moreover, the number of representatives from member institutions that comprise the different committees is also increasing. Thus, more workforce support is needed under the secretariat. Although the DOST-PCHRD provides funds for the consortium’s operation and research grants, the increasing demand for research funding has prompted the consortium to develop a strategy to address this challenge.

Later, the funds were downloaded every year to DOST-RO VIII, where the EVHRDC Secretariat is lodged. Both DOH-EVCHD and DOST-PCHRD now fund proposals submitted to the EVHRDC. Together with member institutions, all consortium activities are strongly collaborated by DOH-EVCHD and DOST-RO VIII. Both offices share the operational expenses in addition to PCHRD’s fund.

The number of consortium activities increased dramatically in 2015 after the DOH-EVCHD began funding research studies. This further strengthened and sustained the collaboration and cooperation among member agencies and stakeholders. The different committees began working together toward one goal: to help researchers fund their studies and advocate and support the health research culture in the region. Every year, the consortium conducts more activities to reach its goals.

Since there were more activities to help researchers generate capsules and full-blown proposals, the number of proposals reviewed increased yearly. The consortium received fewer proposals in 2014 after super typhoon Yolanda hit the Region in November 2013. However, the consortium remained resilient, like the people of Region VIII, and even intensified efforts to call for proposals to receive and fund more health research. In 2015, a few years after the 4Ps TSEVHRI was implemented, RMC and ERC showed an increasing trend in the number of proposals reviewed.

The EVHRDC has seen an increase in the number of proposals funded starting in 2015 due to the strong partnership between DOH-EVCHD and EVHRDC and more funds allocated for health research. As the number of staff, activities, and proposals reviewed increased after DOH-EVCHD provided counterpart funds, the EVHRDC attained one goal: to mobilize and complement health research resources to generate knowledge and products in health. They have conducted more training to capacitate regional researchers further, thus helping them develop more health-related proposals. As a result, another goal was to increase research productivity aligned with the priority program.

Milestones/Next Steps

Aside from the counterpart funds for research operations shared by the two agencies, DOH-EVCHD downloads separate funds purely for research grants and hiring additional personnel to support EVHRDC operations, increasing the consortium fund base.

  1. From 2010 to 2014, EVHRDC had only one project staff who acted as the secretariat and the Project Coordinator. With the counterpart funds provided by DOH-EVCHD to the consortium, one (1) additional staff was hired to ensure that the consortium had enough staffing to conduct all its activities.
  2. From 2011 to 2019, the consortium funded twenty-five (25) health research with total funding of Php 6,567,085.00 from PCHRD and Php 8,903,373.80 from DOH. It is one of the two (2) consortia with its Manual of Operations (MOO).
  3. In 2018, the Consortium also received awards during the 12th PNHRS Week Celebration, namely:
    • Best Consortium Poster –1st place
    • CBC Best Practice Poster Contest –3rd place
    • Oral Contest- Professional Category –3rd place
  4. This best practice started in 2011 when DOH-EVCHD provided counterpart funds for EVHRDC to fund approved health research in the region
  5. Aligned with the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Strategic objective, which is to increase the financial and other resource commitment for health research, DOH-EVCHD, with its initiative as the consortium chair, allocated funds for research activities and research grants starting in 2011.
  6. The EVHRDC participated in the 13th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week Celebration on 13-16 August 2019, at Limketkai Luxe Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City, with the theme, “Achieving Health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Research and Innovation,” where EVHRDC bagged home three different awards, as follows:
    • 3-Minute Pitch to Policy Makers –3rd place
    • Oral Research Contest (Student Category) – 2nd place
    • Consortium Poster Exhibit Contest –2nd place
  7. The EVHRDC participated in the First Health Research Forum for Action in the Visayas on 25-27 September 2019, at Eon Centennial Resort Hotel & Waterpark, Alta Tierra Village, Jaro, Iloilo City, with the theme “Going LOCAL for UHC: Realizing Universal Health Care through Evidence-Informed Service Delivery.” There were two (2) competitions, and EVHRDC received the first place award for both, as follows:
    • 3-Minute Pitch Contest –1st place
    • Poster Exhibit Contest –1st place
  8. As of 2020, the consortium maintains four (4) detailed staff for the secretariat and is assigned to handle different committees
  9. The EVHRDC Ethics Review Committee (ERC) was awarded Level II accreditation by the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) in 2016 and has already renewed its accreditation from May 29, 2020, to May 28, 2023. The ERC also has its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and office, wherein all research protocols reviewed by ERC are coordinated.

Organization

Bukidnon State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Human Resource

Year Implemented

2012

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

In its pursuit of organizational growth and teacher development, Bukidnon State University forged partnerships with Teacher Education Institutions in the country through the National Network of Normal Schools (3NS). The partnership continuously endeavors to champion teacher development based on international standards. This partnership has sprouted several projects in research, teacher training, curriculum development, and student exchange program. Among which is the Curriculum Quality Audit for Pre-Service Teacher Education Curriculum, the 3NS Normalite Program, the PNU-DOST-3NS Teacher Training for DOST Scholars, Bicol University as Environmental Education Learning Resource Center of the 3NS, Development of PPST-Based Prototype Syllabi in Priority Areas in Teacher Education, Development of DepED-CHED Joint Policy on Pre-Service Teachers’ Field Study and Student Internship Experiences. Aside from networking with the 3NS, the College of Education is also linked with the Teacher Education Council, State Universities and Colleges Teacher Educators Association, the Department of Education, and schools in Thailand.

Background and Problem

Optimizing Networks for Teacher Education Development seeks to adequately prepare Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers for the 21st-century learning environments by providing a well-crafted curriculum, teacher training, professional linkages, research engagement, and varied clinical experiences for student interns.

The K to 12 reform has resulted in higher education institutions. The Pre-Service Teacher Education curriculum has to transition to the new curriculum Quality Assurance requirements compelled the college to embark on this partnership. Various challenges and needs were addressed through the 3NS led by PNU and the RCTQ. One challenging aspect to address is conformity to professional standards and industry requirements. Teacher Education graduates must manifest the Beginning Teacher Indicators of the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST), which is expected by public and private schools where they are employed.

Solution and Impact

Optimizing Network for Teacher Education Development (ONETED) is a name coined after the practice and approach of the College of Education, establishing linkages and making the best out of opportunities offered or called upon by other academic agencies or organizations. The practice starts with looking at the mandates, quality assurance requirements, and program outcomes. In so doing, the college identified the needs and determined the quality objectives.

On the institutional or micro level, these linkages have created divergent pathways for the continual improvement of the College of Education, benefiting the pre-service and in-service teachers. This linkage has spread internationally through the Summer Thai Teacher Training Program. However, on the macro level, this convergence has contributed much to human resource development through various capability-building initiatives and the crafting of syllabi aligned with the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers now utilized by various TEIs. With ONeTED, the College of Education was able to gain achievements in the following areas:

  1. Compendium of PPST-Based Prototype Syllabi – The compendium resulted from developing PPST-based Prototype Syllabi for Priority Areas in Teacher Education. Teachers for the College of Arts and Sciences teaching the specialization courses served as reviewers of the curriculum materials in Social Studies, English, Filipino, Math, and Science. Meanwhile, teachers of the Professional Studies reviewed curriculum materials for Physical Education, Early Childhood Education, Professional Education, and Elementary Education.
  2. Audited Pre-Service Teacher Education Curriculum – There was a series of training for lead curriculum specialists given by the RCTQ. All the COE faculty and the teachers handling education subjects from the College of Arts and Sciences participated in the training on basic and differentiated audit and other auditing tools. Moreover, two CQA workshops were held in 2017.
  3. Approved PPST-aligned Outcomes-based Syllabi in the College of Education’s Professional Education courses.
  4. The 3NS Normalite Program
  5. Completed Research with the Bicol University as Environmental Learning Resource Center of the National Network of Normal Schools
  6. Training of Newly Hired Teachers of the Department of Education under R. A. 10162 – Held on 23-26 Apri 2019, Bukidnon State University through the 3NS partnered with Western Mindanao State University to train Science and Mathematics teachers on Instructional Planning, 21st-century Teaching, 21st Century Assessment, among others.
  7. Development of a Joint Policy on Pre-Service Teachers’ Field Study and Teaching Internship Experience – BukSU sent faculty to craft the PSTePT Framework together with faculty from other teacher education institutions.
  8. Research on the implementation of Curriculum Quality Audit – A research titled “Exploring the Implementation of Curriculum Quality Audit in a Philippine State University” was conducted to investigate the implementation of CQA and was presented during the 19th Southeast Asian Association for Institutional Research (SEAAIR) Annual Conference at National Taipei University of Education, Taiwan.
  9. COE faculty trained Thai teachers from Anuban Chonburi School in English, Science, and Math during 2014-2017.

Milestones/Next Steps

The hallmark of a university is research. University professors are obliged to conduct research in order to improve people’s lives and society. With the partnership with Bicol University, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the 3NS, COE faculty could research the mainstreaming of environmental education in the Teacher Education Curriculum.

  1. The 3NS, of which Bukidnon State University is a member, is an innovation among normal schools in the country. This network started in 2012 during the administration of Dr. Victor M. Barroso, University President, and Dr. Oscar B. Cabańelez, Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  2. Australia Awards Fellowship – In 2018, Dr. Oscar B. CabaÅ„elez and other presidents of the 3NS were recipients of the Australia Awards Fellowship at the University of New England, New South Wales, Australia.
  3. Recognition of Curriculum Specialists and CQA Partners – Held in May 2018 at Tryp Hotel, Manila, the event recognized schools involved in the CQA process.
  4. As a Center of Development in Teacher Education, the College of Education received a P1.2 million grant for Continuing Professional Education on the New Teacher Education Curriculum in October 2018.
  5. The partnership with 3NS has resulted in more projects for teacher development, such as the Training of Newly-Hired Teachers under RA 10162 in April 2019. BukSU collaborated with WMSU in this endeavor. BukSU was actively involved in the basic education reform, serving as a service provider for the 2013 to 12 training. Teachers from Anuban Chonburi, Thailand, came to BukSU during the summers of 2014-2017 to be trained in English, Science, and Math.

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

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.

Title

Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital Anesthesia Care Nurse Program

Organization

Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Human Resource

Year Implemented

September 2, 2013

Summary

The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) Anesthesia Care Nursing Program (ACNP) was developed in 2013 to address workforce shortages and enhance service delivery by training nurses to become competent at perioperative anesthesia care. CLMMRH developed this program by integrating into its curriculum the training of nurses who can assist physician-anesthesiologists, especially in rural government hospitals. With anesthesiologists operating as frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic, those trained by the ACNP program have also proven to be important contributors, as their specialized skills allow them to perform delicate procedures such as the intubation of patients who need ventilators.

Background and Problem

As the only government tertiary hospital on Negros Island, CLMMRH is the end-referral hospital for Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and neighboring towns in both Regions VI and VII.[2] However, despite the increase in the number of beds in 1981 by virtue of Batasang Pambansa Bilang 118, there was no corresponding increase in personnel positions up to 2013.

The lack of corresponding increase in the hospital’s workforce for those 32 years resulted in a shortage of healthcare workers for the growing population. Bacolod City alone grew from a population of 364,180 to 511,820 from 1990 to 2010, and there was still no increase in bed capacity or personnel services. In 2008, Region VI only had 234 doctors and 401 nurses in government and 0.78 beds per 1,000 population.

The services of the Department of Anesthesiology suffered during 2013, as the doctor-to-patient ratio was one doctor to every 21,632 population in Bacolod City, and was 1 for every 47,527 in Negros Occidental. From 2011 to 2012, only five full-time consultants and six resident anesthesiologists manned six operating rooms and attended to 5,816 cases annually. This was when there were very few medical graduates due to the exit of nurses from the country. There were no applicants for residency training in the department for 2012 and 2013. The two-year gap resulted in only two residents remaining in the middle of 2013.

This workforce shortage burdened anesthesiologists-controlled processes in the operating room and resulted in long turnaround times, the cancellation of scheduled surgeries, and overall decreased capacity. Dr. Julius Drilon, the Medical Center Chief, challenged the department in 2013 to innovate and empower the nurses to address this problem, with the main goal of fulfilling the organization’s mandate to deliver accessible, safe, equitable, efficient, and affordable anesthesia care. The initiative also sought to train nurses in the necessary competencies to complement the physician anesthesiologists so that service can be delivered to every patient consistently.

Solution and Impact

The solution to the workforce shortage was to design and implement a program that will empower nurses and enable them to be effective and efficient members of the anesthesia care team.

The training program introduced medical knowledge essential to understanding concepts in anesthesiology through a series of didactic lectures and case methods. These were aimed at developing anesthesia-related clinical competence among the nurses, subject matter beyond the scope of the usual medical, surgical and intensive care nursing. Trainees were made to demonstrate skills in performing safety checks, drug preparations, and assisting in performing anesthetic techniques. Emphasis was also given to non-technical skills such as communication skills, use of technology, and practice of evidence-based medicine. Most importantly, the trainers integrated values of professionalism, integrity, and teamwork to cultivate a culture of safe, humane, and compassionate care among the trainees.

On September 2, 2013, the CLMMRH Nurse Anesthesia Assistant Training Program (NAATP) started with four nurses, but the program was soon renamed to ACNP following the issuance of Department of Health (DOH) Administrative Order No. 2014-0014.The CLMMRH ACNP retained several features of the NAATP, including earlier exposure to clinical cases for skills-learning and a hands-on approach during tutorial sessions with consultant and senior resident anesthesiologists, which has proven essential to developing clinical competence. The program immediately contributed to easing surgical backlogs in the first year of implementation, as it was found that while only 85.02% of cases scheduled in October 2013 were performed, the figure had reached 99% by November 2014.

On March 14, 2020, the department deployed its team to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a paradigm shift in the role of anesthesiologists in emergency care. The CLMMRH COVID-19 Airway Team is composed of a consultant or senior resident anesthesiologist and an anesthesia care nurse who are capable of performing intubations for suspected, probable, and confirmed COVID-19 cases. This is unique to CLMMRH as there have been no reports of any other institution in the Philippines where anesthesia care nurses have successfully performed this role–the CLMMRH COVID-19 team has had no record of failed intubation or any breach in infection control procedures.

Milestones/Next Steps

Since September 2013, the program has had five batches–one as NAATP and four as ACNP–with a total of 17 nurses trained. In October 2014, DOH conducted a site visit to inspect the program’s learning activities, instructional design, and implementation of said learning activities, as well as to interview four of the program’s trainees. Overall, the DOH found ACNP to be satisfactory and advised modifications to adopt specific topics in didactic lectures. Subsequently, the training program duration for the second batch was extended by six months.

References

Drilon, J., Tagbilaran, J., & Marisol, R., Quality Management System manual QMS.QM.001 Issue No. 006 (2020). Bacolod City.

Local Water Utilities Administration. (n.d.). Philippine Population Census. Provincial Population Data. chart. Retrieved June 18, 2020, from http://122.54.214.222/population/index.htm.

Manyazewal, T. (2017). Using the World Health Organization health system building blocks through survey of healthcare professionals to determine the performance of public healthcare facilities. Archives of Public Health, 75(1), 1-8.

Office of the Secretary, A.O. No. 2014-0014: Guidelines on the Department of Health Anesthesia Care Nursing Program (2014). Metro Manila; Department of Health.

Philippine Statistics Authority, The 2015 Census of Population (POPCEN 2015) (2015). Quezon City.

Department of Health. (n.d.). The Philippine Health System at a Glance. Department of Health. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/basic-page/chapter-one.pdf

Center for Health Development Western Visayas, 2013 Field Health Service Information SystemAnnex 3B.1 (2014). Iloilo City; Department of Health Center for Health Development Western Visayas.