Category: Innovation Leadership

Overview

The Municipality of Loon, Bohol faced the challenge of monitoring the implementation of LGU-funded projects across its 67 barangays and safeguarding the collections made by deputized barangay treasurers. To address this, the LGU implemented automated systems collectively called LGU-Barangay (LB) Connect. These systems include the ETRACS, eBUDGET, eNGAS, EDIT, and PMMS applications, which provided an efficient monitoring tool for both the LGU and the barangays, and enhanced collaboration and data sharing for better program implementation. The LB Connect applications also incentivized barangay officials by providing ease in performing their functions, especially in fiscal responsibility and financial reporting. These cloud-based systems were implemented between 2009 and 2017 to promote efficiency, transparency, and participatory project implementation.

Challenge

The main productivity challenge that the project addressed was the inefficient management of funds and delayed project implementation in the barangays. The lack of proper tracking and monitoring of funds and projects resulted in delayed disbursement of funds, inaccurate financial reporting, and non-compliance with COA regulations. There were instances where funds needed to be correctly classified and transferred, and incomplete supporting documents caused delays in the verification process. The situation was compounded by the involvement of multiple offices in tracking projects, which made coordination and collaboration difficult. The project aimed to address these challenges by providing a data-sharing platform that promotes transparency and accountability in financial reporting and project implementation. The project sought to enhance its capacity to manage funds and ensure timely and accurate reporting by streamlining the process and providing tools and training to barangay treasurers.

Solution/s

The LB Connect initiative addresses the main productivity challenge of a uniform and efficient approach in monitoring the downloaded funds and project implementation of 67 barangays in Loon. It provides a digital transformation platform to the barangay level, which includes ETRACS, eBudget, eNGAS, EDIT, and PMMS. These applications serve as monitoring tools by enhancing collaboration between the LGU and the barangays for better program implementation through data sharing.

The LB Connect initiative is innovative as it triggers the digital transformation in the barangay level, providing value-added features that capacitate the barangay treasurers in their tasks, particularly with compliance to COA rules and regulations. It also provides a data sharing and monitoring interface, providing accurate, timely, and standardized financial reports that help comply with regulatory agencies’ transparency requirements.

The LB Connect initiative’s management strategies include project buy-in, which aligns all stakeholders with the initiative’s need to succeed. Its value-added features help sell the idea to the target market, making it easier to roll out and sustain implementation.

Productivity Gains, Outcomes, and Impact

Implementing LB Connect produced significant productivity gains and outcomes. For instance, the initiative addressed the problems of erroneous classification of funds, delayed project implementation, and incomplete supporting documents, which led to more accurate and timely financial reporting. The system also facilitated compliance with regulatory agencies’ transparency requirements and improved service delivery across the LGU’s departments and 67 barangays.

The system’s innovative features, such as its value-added components, contributed to its success. LB Connect is not just a data-sharing platform but also capacitates the barangay treasurers in complying with COA regulations. The project’s roll out and sustained implementation were due to its value-added features, which were helpful to the barangay counterparts.

Based on interviews with stakeholders, the initiative had a significant impact on end-users and beneficiaries. It enabled the municipal treasurer to monitor unremitted collections and the use of accountable forms by the 67 deputized barangay treasurers, leading to more accurate and timely financial reporting. The LGU management and 67 barangay officials gained a clear monitoring and efficient control of project implementation through the Project Management Monitoring System (PMMS).

Furthermore, the project helped improve the delivery of essential services in different barangays and Loon LGU’s overall performance by automating disbursement processes, tracking budget-related transactions, and improving the recording of collections. The Loon LGU also minimized costs by developing EDIT and PPMS in-house and by using local hosting for the four applications, while PMMS was a cloud-based solution.

In summary, the LB Connect initiative addressed the productivity challenges faced by the Loon LGU and its 67 barangays which resulted in significant productivity gains and outcomes. Its innovative features, value-added components, and cost-saving measures contributed to its success and positive impact on end-users and beneficiaries.

Lessons Learned/Challenges in Implementing the Intervention

Despite the successes of the project, there are still potential areas of improvement that can be explored. One of the main challenges encountered during the project implementation was the computer literacy skills of some of the barangay treasurers. While the LGU provided more computers for the system, some treasurers may still need help inputting data due to their lack of computer skills. To address this, the LGU can provide training programs for the treasurers to improve their computer literacy skills and ensure that they can maximize the benefits of the system.

Another area of improvement is the need for continuous updates and enhancements of the system. While the LGU hired IT professionals to maintain and enhance the system, there is still a need to regularly update and improve the system to ensure that it remains relevant and caters to the needs of the stakeholders. The LGU can establish a feedback mechanism where end-users can provide suggestions and feedback on improving the system and use this feedback to drive continuous improvements.

Finally, the LGU can also explore integrating additional features and functionalities to the system, such as mobile access and data analytics tools. These can further enhance the system’s capabilities and improve the productivity performance of the organization while also ensuring that the beneficiaries can enjoy the benefits of the latest technological innovations.

Resources

Municipality of Loon. (2018, October 24). Loon, Bohol – Top Winner In DICT 2018 Awards For Municipalities [Facebook status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/lguloonofficial/posts/loon-bohol-top-winner-in-dict-2018-awards-for-municipalities-loon-mayor-elvi-pet/1131426167011844/

Jhunie Ray Suarez. (2019, August 02). LGU Loon’s ELBI Connect [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/At-taWotfQg

Photos and Other Attachments

Name of the Organization

Quezon City Government

Name of the Office/Unit that leads the implementation of this best practice entry

Quezon City Health Department

Focus Area of the Best Practice

Strategy, Citizens / Customers

Date the best practice was first implemented

06 November 2017 – up to present

Summary of the Best Practice

The Community-Based Mental Health Program (CBMHP) of Quezon City is an integrated and comprehensive approach to delivering appropriate services to promote mental health in the community and provide services to those with mental illness. The program aims to promote a shift from hospital-based care to a community-based mental health care delivery system. This can be achieved by integrating mental health care in primary health care services; prevention, control, and treatment of mental illness at all levels; and promotion of mental wellness in the community.

The CBMHP ensures that mental health services are delivered by primary mental health care facilities that support or treat people with mental disorders in a home rather than a psychiatric hospital.

Community services:

1. Mental health services integrated with primary health care in all the health centers of QC
2. Diagnosis and initiation of treatment by specialists either in the hospital setting or in community outreach activities.
3. Psychiatric wards of general hospitals (for scale-up)

Program Strategies:

1. Capacity building of health center staff and community leaders
2. Promoting mental health in the workplace and the community includes the Young Healthy Mind interactive learning for adolescents integrated with the Teen Walk To Health.
3. Decentralization of patients from QCGH through the Mental Wellness Access Hubs (MWAH) facilities to provide psychotropic drugs in health centers.
4. Outreach ‘mentoring’ sessions in the community for diagnosis and treatment of patients with mental disorders.
5. Provision of Psychosocial support in HOPE Facilities and the community in lockdown areas.

Because of this initiative, Quezon City may yet be the only LGU wherein all the health centers can integrate mental health services in primary care. Thousands have already been reached through community activities in all city districts. At the moment, there are over 180 patients registered and receiving free medicines in barangay health centers.

The Challenge

The Philippine World Health Organization (WHO) Special Initiative for Mental Health conducted in 2020 shows that at least 3.6 million Filipinos are encountering mental health issues as the Philippines continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Department of Health (DOH) Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, about 1.14 million Filipinos have depression, 847,000 are battling alcohol-use disorders, and 520,000 others were diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Amid the increasing burden of mental illness, the country has limited human resources and mental health facilities. Furthermore, even fewer general practitioners are trained in managing common mental health problems. In addition, to support from healthcare services, people with mental illness require social support and care to enable them to be active community members.

Mental health care gaps between the supply and the demand for services always existed and were further magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feelings of vulnerability, uncertainty, fear of death, stress, and isolation were experienced by most people, especially those who were quarantined.

In the Philippines, there needs to be a mental health registry that localizes patients. The exact burden of the disease in Quezon City can only be estimated. The Quezon City General Hospital (QCGH) reported 1,083 cases of accessing the OPS from June 2017-March 2018. Hospitals like the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC), Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC), Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC), UERM Medical Center, and Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) have difficulty in identifying and reporting cases involving QC residents.

Mental health services in Quezon City have been highly specialized and institutionalized, but patient care has to continue beyond institutional facilities. Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) have identified mentally ill patients discharged from the hospitals with recurrence of symptoms because of lack of follow-up and inability to purchase maintenance medicines. Mental health services were not within reach of the residents, especially the poor and underserved. Hence, the need for a community-based mental health program–to make services within reach of the people.

Solution and Impact

The Quezon City CBMHP, was developed to integrate mental health into primary care and to make mental health services accessible in the community. The CBMHP Ordinance of the city was passed in 2015, way ahead of the Mental Health Act of 2018.

Innovative strategies cited in the city’s CBMHP ordinance include:

1. Capacitating health center staff and community leaders
   • Training of BHWs and Barangay leaders on “Kalusugang Pangkaisipan,” a module developed by the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) for community lectures on promoting mental health and erasing the stigma of mental illness.
   • Training of health staff on the Mental Health Gap Action Program (mhGAP) of the WHO.
2. Health Promotion
   • Workplace – conduct of the Mental Health Summit, which is the “All is well” series in 2018 and 2019 for the Quezon City Health Department (QCHD) staff.
   • Community – “Kalusugang Pangkaisipan” lectures in health centers using flip-tarps reproduced by the city; Community-based Mental Health Handbook for Community Health Workers (CHWs)
   • Young Healthy Mind interactive learning for adolescents integrated with the Teen Walk To Health.
   • Decentralization of patients from QCGH.
3. Mental Wellness Access Hubs (MWAH) were identified per district where psychotropic drugs are stored. MWAH doctors were assigned as coordinators for districts to facilitate patient referrals and care.MWAH facilities keep an inventory of medicines and maintain a Mental Health Registry.
4. There are currently six functional MWAH facilities (one in each of the six districts of Quezon City).
5. Mentoring sessions – outreach activities for patients with symptoms of mental illness conducted by health center staff in partnership with UNILAB, PMHA, and QCGH.
6. Provision of Psychosocial Support in HOPE Facilities and lockdown areas, including services like Basic Services and Security (shelter, vaccines, food), Community and Family Support (inquiry desk), Focused Non-specialized services (psychological first aid, 112 helpline access), and Specialized services(referrals, MWAH psychotropic drugs, and teleconsultation)

Replicability

Mental disorders are prevalent in all societies and create economic and social difficulties for the community. In the Philippines, the Mental Health Act was passed in 2018 – ensuring access of patients to mental health services at all levels of the national healthcare system.

In Quezon City, the program has been initiated ahead of the national law, and the city has been investing in its implementation for the past five years. Other communities must also prioritize mental health concerns and develop programs to address them. Here are the reasons we invest in integrating mental health services in primary care:

1. Mental health disorders can lead to high psychosocial and economic costs for the community.
2. Early diagnosis and treatment can decrease the disease burden of MH disorders*
3. The treatment gap for mental disorders is big.
4. Primary mental health care services are less expensive than psychiatric hospitals.
5. Mental and physical health problems are interwoven
6. Mental health care is important to address the needs of those with mental disorders and promote the mental health of all people.

The risk for mental illness spares no one, as experienced during the pandemic. An effective program must be tailor-made and focused on meeting the needs of a specific community. Barangays all over the country have health facilities where mental health services can be integrated with proper training of health workers. To improve health-seeking behavior and prevent stigma, residents must be taught to see mental illness as important as any other disease being treated in health centers.

The DOH and other agencies can be engaged to provide technical and funding support for training, health promotion materials, and medicines. The initiative, though, has to come from the community creating an opportunity to strengthen health governance.

Review/Next Steps Planned

While the CBMHP of QC is focused on promoting MH in the community, other sectors of society also have mental health needs that must be addressed.

1. In scaling up, there are plans to expand the CBMHP services:
   • Expand and institutionalize the outreach ‘mentoring’ activities through the “Adopt a District” project by hospitals in Quezon City, wherein a regular quarterly activity will be conducted per district. This project will eventually expand the network of facilities included in the decentralization of patients for integration into the community.
   • While there are challenges to the limited outreach schedules on community lectures, online materials must be developed to increase reach in integrating MH promotion in health centers.
   • For continuity of care, an acute inpatient service can be established in any of the LGU hospitals, providing pediatric psychiatric services.
   • Organize a community support group to be an advocate for promoting mental health in the community. This may be composed of but not limited to family members of patients with mental illness.
   • Screening for anxiety and depression in the health facility aligned with the risk assessment of adults 20 years old and above.
   • The challenge in reporting is that MH services in institutions are available to all, not only to Quezon City residents. A policy must be developed with the institutions to facilitate more comprehensive and accurate data collection.
2. Adopting other provisions of the Mental Health Health Act:
   • Workplace – The MH program developed by CSC needed to be implemented in public offices and will be piloted in QCHD. Currently, QCHD is being assisted by a psychologist and will be utilizing a screening tool for depression and anxiety for health workers returning from quarantine.
   • Schools – There needs to be an improvement in the capacity of the Schools Division Office to implement the ”We care for your Mental Health” program in all the public schools in the city. This is being piloted in District 4 before its full implementation.
   • Suicide Prevention Strategy – A crisis management program framework needs to be developed in the city, including setting up a crisis hotline in collaboration with DOH and NCMH.

Milestones

The CBMHP of QC has achieved the following since its implementation:

1. Training of 51 doctors, 83 nurses, and 14 midwives on WHO Mental Health Gap Action Program – with all health centers having at least one trained staff. All health centers in QC may integrate MH services in primary care. Training of 300 Barangay Health Workers on “Kalusugang Pangkaisipan” of PMHA so they may conduct lectures on MH care and recognize symptoms of mental illness.
2. Health Promotion activities:
   • For the Staff:
     • “All is Well” series for QCHD staff – 600 attendees on lectures on depression and stress management.
     • Online webinar series on self-care and stress management – 221 frontline health workers attended at least one session.
     • Psychosocial counseling group session for health responders. 13 sessions with 118 participants, including doctors, nurses, contact tracers, sanitation staff, and BHERT members.
   • For the Community:
     • Regular monthly pre-clinic lectures on “Kalusugang Pangkaisipan” were conducted in health centers with approximately 20 participants per session.
     • ‘Young Healthy Mind’ interactive learning for adolescents participating in Teen Walk to Health activities. Fifty-two sessions were conducted from 2017 to Q1 of 2020, reaching 6,488 adolescents. An online version was piloted in the Teen Health Quarter (THQ), and four sessions were conducted with 49 participants.
3. Conducted 4 “Mentoring” Outreach activities, where 71 patients were seen and continuing medications
4. Hospitals, especially the LGU-owned QCGH, were engaged in integrating MH care in the community through coordination with MWAH facilities. A total of 182 patients are registered in the city and receiving free maintenance medicines.
5. During the pandemic, psychosocial support was provided to 38,440 patients in 12 HOPE facilities, with basic services like temporary shelter and food. Affected lockdown areas, with 20,995 families and 60,362 individuals given community and family support through the provision of inquiry desks, access to medical services, and vaccines.

Testimonials

1. Patients with mental illness in the community for care and maintenance of medicines. One patient in a Mental Wellness Access Hub verbalized that:
   • “Mas mabilis akong gumaling dito kasi kasama ko ang aking pamilya at meron akong gamot…importante yung gamot…Malaking bagay po na hindi natitigil (ang gamot)… di na po ako irritable… di na natatakot at nakaka-imagine ng nakakatakot.”
2. With health workers in the field, the program started with the “All is well” series. The conduct of this activity was not pushed through during the lockdown. The program opted to provide online psychosocial services in partnership with Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA). Health workers were able to avail of these services. Feedback was positive:
   • “I had simple expectations from the counseling with psychologists, and it was just to have some simple quality time to listen to a pep talk with experts. But I gained a lot more. Though I came late because of a work conflict, it was a spontaneous unloading of pent-up emotions and uncertainties since the pandemic changed our world and work scenario. It was cathartic to speak about what I valued more while in the midst of the pandemic. Though, as a public health worker, doing service was the call of duty, it was also a time to love myself (self-preservation), and I learned from the counseling team that it was alright to cry and be sad, to stop and rest awhile and to speak up for oneself when our mental stability was being threatened. It was also a time to be reminded that nothing on earth is permanent, that change would bring in the new normal, and that, as human beings, we should move forward to adopt a post-pandemic defense mechanism. I would like to commend them for coming in at the most opportune time, as we need strangers to just listen to our thoughts on the challenges of the pandemic. Thank you, as it cleared many unnecessary burdens from my mind.”
   • “Group session was very welcoming and intimate with a feeling of privacy; thus, participants could express their present feelings well. I connected my personal experience to how everyone felt and was happy to have shared it. Time seemed short because sharing was fun and helpful.”

Since Quezon City is the first LGU in NCR that enacted an ordinance and implemented strategies, this is being benchmarked by the regional DOH Mental Health Program.

Name of the Organization

Philippine National Police

Name of the Office/Unit that leads the implementation of this best practice entry

Manila Police District Mobile Force Battalion

Focus Area of the Best Practice

Operations, Basic Services

Date the best practice was first implemented

24 October 2018 – up to present

Summary of the Best Practice

In their bid to reduce the crime rate and illegal activities in their jurisdiction, the Manila Police District (MPD) has been implementing the MPD Mobile Library project, Ang Guro Kong Pulis. The project aims to provide basic social welfare services through non-formal education to Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL), street children, and indigent minors. Since its implementation, the project has received much recognition and has been replicated in many areas.

Background of the Problem

Prior to the implementation of the project, MPD has seen through its regular patrolling and personal experiences that many street children and CICL are begging, doing unsolicited car washing, serving as illegitimate parking attendants, and illegally vending along the areas of Roxas Boulevard, Malate, and Ermita. Meanwhile, they have also used the areas of Taft Avenue and Baywalk as areas to converge, sleep, and do other types of illegal activities. Their presence in these areas can be attributed to a lack of an effective strategy from the local government unit (LGU) and the MPD.

And although the LGU in tandem with MPD have already been conducting regular rescue programs for street dwellers across the entire City of Manila, their effort has not been enough as the rescued street dwellers would return to those areas after they were released from LGU Rescue Center. After all, the Rescue Center cannot accommodate all of the rescued individuals due to a lack of manpower, the burden of such logistics, and the lack of other resources required.

During dialogues with members of CICL and through our investigations, we found out that a majority of our target audience are also “solvent users” or are inhaling illegal chemical substances, engaged in gang rivalry—and potentially violence, robbery, and the women, in particular, have also been engaged in prostitution.

Solution and Impact

To reduce the crime rate, the MPD Mobile Library Ang Guro Kong Pulis project was established on 24 October 2018. It hoped to achieve its objective by providing basic social welfare services through non-formal education to CICL, street children, and disadvantaged minors.

Before implementation, MPD conducted an area study and a survey of affected CICL and non-affected street children to identify their needs. They devised a plan in collaboration with higher education institutions and government agencies.

For the project’s actual roll-out, the unit’s issued troop carrier vehicle was converted into a mobile library outfitted with detachable bookshelves. As time progressed, an LED TV, a laptop, and some rechargeable speakers were added to the mobile library to make the learning activity more interactive.

The project is implemented every Wednesday and Friday along Malate Baywalk, Roxas Boulevard, Luneta Park, and the Ermita area. Every day, they could accommodate about one hundred fifty (150) beneficiaries who belong to the poorest of the poor. Beneficiaries ranged from 5-year-olds to 19-year-olds.

Aside from the regular police teachers, there have also been volunteer students, teachers from private schools, and private individuals who have provided teaching services. NGOs have also provided sponsorships such as medical, dental, feeding, and outreach activities. The project has also received donations such as LED TVs, toys, sports supplies, school supplies, and groceries, all of which have been used to supplement their services.

Overall, the MPD has considered the project a success since its commencement. It has been so successful that—although sessions are only held twice a week, they have considered conducting more frequent sessions as they have seen demand from the students. Moreover, students of the project and their parents have also expressed that this is a rare opportunity where they felt the support of the LGU, and they were incredibly grateful for the basic services and donations are given through the mobile library. Likewise, this uplifted morale has led MPD to consider the presence of police teachers an effective tool in crime prevention.

Because of its proven success, the project has also engaged in a replication process that inspires other groups to do the same. Notable examples include the Alegado Foundation based in the United States, The Philippine National Police-Special Action Force-Special Action Companies (PNP-SAF-SAC) 55, SAC 61, The Philippine Army 68 IB, and The Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team 1 in the areas Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Negros Oriental, and with PNP Region 10 in areas such as Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Cagayan de Oro. Notably, the project was replicated by PNP Region 10 to see its effectiveness in countering local armed conflict.

In replicating the project in other areas, most PNP units adopted the same concept: their issued mobile vehicles were also converted into rolling libraries. On the other hand, the Philippine Army and Philippine Navy converted their large vehicles into mobile libraries. Crucially, in Mindanao, the PNP SAF, Philippine Army, and Philippine Marines rolled out their projects in far-flung areas, in the homes of ethnic people, and areas of local armed conflict.

Over time, the MPD has also adopted the project as part of its service of providing non-formal education. It also serves as a pipeline for students to eventually enroll in formal education under the Alternative Learning System established in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) Manila. In June 2019, the MPD Alternative Learning System was launched, and it started with 40 students from former students, other less fortunate constituents, and CICL.

Milestones

The project received recognition from the National Capital Region Police Office’s (NCRPO) Press Club 3rd Anniversary Special Awards for Innovative Programs. It was awarded by none less than the NCRPO Regional Director PDIR Guillermo L Eleazar. The project’s representative was also invited as a Guest of Honor and Speaker and to be the recipient of recognition from the University of Santo Tomas Volunteers for United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). And also, during the celebration of Manila Police District 2019 Culmination of Police Community Relation Month, Police Brigadier General (PBGEN) Vicente D Danao Jr bestowed the program as Best Practice of the Year. Likewise, it was also recognized by the NCRPO as the 2019 Best Practice of the Year.

Name of the Organization

Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office VIII

Name of the Office/Unit that leads the implementation of this best practice entry

Regional Resource Operations Section (RROS) under Disaster Response Management Division (DRMD)

Focus Area of the Best Practice

Strategy, Operations, Management and Perspectives on Productivity and Quality

Date the best practice was first implemented

5 March 2018 – up to present

Summary of the Best Practice

Regional Resource Operations Section (RROS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VIII is changing the game in emergency response. Since 2018, the field office has been implementing the Family Food Packs (FFP), which introduced the following innovations:

• Transition from plastic bags to Family Food Pack boxes
• Installation of racking systems
• Use of the assembly line method and rollers

Altogether, these innovations improved how FFPs were packaged, produced, and stored and are currently being implemented at RROS.

During emergencies, especially during post-disaster response, the FFPs become a common sight to affected families, who often depend on these boxes for survival, as these boxes contain enough food to feed a family of five for two to three days.

As the chair of the Food and Non-Food Item (FNFI) Cluster of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), DSWD is responsible for the production, storage, and distribution of these FFPs. And true to its commitment, DSWD has indeed produced and distributed these relief items where they are needed–from the Yolanda-ravaged communities in 2013 to the highlands of San Jose de Buan in 2019, and even to the locked-down municipality of Burauen during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, FFP made a difference.

It all started when the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s RROS under the Disaster Response and Management Division (DRMD) thought of a response to DSWD’s Administrative Order 01, Series of 2018. RROS was responsible for ensuring the availability, accessibility, and readiness of resources, food and non-food items, and the administration of necessary support before and during disaster operations. The RROS is further subdivided into the Warehousing and the Donations Unit.

The Challenge

A few years ago, DSWD FO Vlll’s FFPs were packed in plastic bags. The production process needed to be more streamlined. All raw materials (canned goods, rice, coffee, etc.) would be placed on low tables. Volunteers and DSWD workers would gather around these tables, sort and place these raw materials into plastic bags marked with the DSWD logo. After repacking the food items into FFPs, these plastic bags would then be placed inside a sack and then stacked on top of pallets and on top of each other. Each sack was then marked with the production date and the expiration date. The expiration date was based on the food item with the nearest expiration date. Using this information, it became easier to plan which sacks should first be distributed.

This method required plenty of effort and was slow and exhausting. The goods were more susceptible to damage due to compression in the stacking and were not environment-friendly due to the heavy use of plastic materials.

Solution and Impact

The evolution of Family Food Pack (FFP) from plastic to carton boxes did not happen overnight. Gradual improvements had to be implemented in stages.

Stage 1: Transition from Plastic Bags to Boxes (2018)

The transition from plastic bags to boxes started in 2018 when DSWD FO VIII outsourced boxes from DSWD Field Office X, 51,777 pcs of slotted carton boxes costing Php1,967,526.0–a considerable Savings generated by the department since those were considered extra boxes of Field Office X.

Stage 2: Installation of Racking System (2018)

By mid-2018, DSWD acquired a racking system, a storage solution designed to stack materials in rows with multiple levels, which was handed over when the local branch of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shut down its office. This paved the way to generating another savings of Php 231,034.40 for 20 sets of racks. Resulting in easier storing of relief items, protecting contents from stacking pressure and extra storage space available for more FFPs and raw materials.

Innovation

Stage 3: Assembly Line Method and Rollers (2018-2019)

Taking inspiration from the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in NCR and Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Cebu, RROS implemented an assembly line method.
Using this method, repackers would stand alongside the table, FFPs would be pushed from one end of the table to the other, making small stops along the way and sealed by taping the boxes.
This streamlined system sped up the process and more FFPs were produced. However, this method had one challenge as this entails more effort in pushing the boxes along the table.
RROS devised an alternative solution through recycling materials (PVC Pipes, ball bearings, found steel, nuts/bolts) to create a fully functional Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y) roller system. This effectively reduced strain on the part of the repackers, making the process smoother.

Performance and Results

These innovations resulted in more efficient production, storage and delivery of the FFPs, as follows:

• More environmentally-friendly. Due to the switch to boxes, DSWD was able to reduce the usage of plastic.
• Easier identification of the DSWD brand. Beneficiaries are easily able to differentiate between relief items from the LGUs and OSWO through the packaging.
• Boxes are more secure. Once sealed, beneficiaries are assured that the relief items packed at the RROS are exactly what they will receive. Boxes also prevent accidental spillage of relief items due to rough handling during relief operations.
• Easier organization and storage. The FFP box is stackable up to 100 FFPs per pallet, enabling easier storage compared to plastic bags.
• Vertical storage frees up floor space. Due to the racking system, FFPs are stored vertically increasing Storage Capacity and meeting the required minimum of 20,000 FFPs. (See Annex I)
• Faster production of FFPs. Increased number of FFPs produced in a day reaching new heights at 5000 FFPs (during Odette Relief Operations)–double the previous production figures.

Replicability

This ingenuity has already caught the attention of several DSWD Field Offices and Local Government Units.

In July 2019, RROS staff participated in the 2nd National Resource and Logistics Management
Conference held in Cebu City, where each DSWD Field Office across the country presented its Best Practices. Later that year, these innovations were also featured during DSWD NCR’s benchmarking activity, where a visit to inspect these innovations at RROS.

In 2020, RROS was invited as a resource agency by the Provincial Local Government Unit of Western Samar for the training of Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers (MSWDOs) and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers (MDRRMOs), imparting these best practices, encouraging them to replicate at the local level.

Insights of these innovations were also put into practice during the augmentation of the relief operations related to the Cotabato earthquakes last October 2019. RROS assisted in organizing the arrival of relief items and donations from various DSWD Field Offices and other agencies.

These innovations are incorporated in the Operations Manual for the Disaster Response Management Division, aiming to achieve full mechanization in the efficient production of FFPs and provide quality relief items for its dependents.

Milestones

Last January 2022, the good practice documentation “Nang Dahil sa Kahon” of DRMD Field Office VIII gained recognition when it was awarded as the Best Knowledge Management Initiative under the Innovation Category of the 2021 Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) Awards.

In July 2019, DSWD FO VIII also gained recognition when it won the Over-all Winner in Good Practice Presentation on Resource and Logistics Management during the 2nd National Resource and Logistics Management Conference held in Cebu City participated by the DSWD Field Offices across the 17 Regions in the Philippines.

RROS was also invited in 2020 as a resource agency by the Provincial Local Government Unit of Western Samar for the training of Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers (MSWDOs) and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers (MDRRMOs) from the province and imparting these best practices, encouraging them to replicate at the local level. Another LGU, the Municipal Government of Catarman, Northern Samar, is currently arranging with the RROS for the conduct of a similar training this August of 2022.

These innovations were also practiced during the relief operations for the families affected by the Cotabato earthquakes last October 2019 during the augmentation for the relief operations, providing technical assistance in organizing and proper storage of relief items and donations.
Furthermore, these innovations are continually being implemented as RROS enlarges its operations in 2019 when the new warehouse in Palo, Leyte was opened.

These new innovations are also incorporated in the Operations Manual for the Disaster Response Management Division in the pursuit of full mechanization in producing FFPs ensuring efficiency and providing quality relief items to families who depend on them after disasters.

Testimonials

The continuous improvement of the operations of RROS in producing FFPs gained positive feedback from beneficiaries who witnessed the transformation of FFPs distributed in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda to its latest and more dignified form.

“Isa akong survivor ng bagyong Yolanda at yung bagong dating na bagyo, yung bagyong Odette. Nakatanggap ako ng relief goods mula sa DSWD Regional Office. Para sa akin, dati, di natin alam kung yung mga ipinamigay mula sa DSWD Region, di natin alam kung binawasan, dahil kapag naka-box siya, malalaman agad kapag binawasan kasi selyado siya ng packing tape.” – Nanay Lenny (Yolanda Survivor 2013 and Odette Survivor 2021)

“Ayos naman, mas maganda ko yung ngayong naka-box kasi selyado talaga siya hindi na makakasabing kulang.” – Nanay Yolanda (Yolanda Survivor 2013 and Odette Survivor 2021)

More so, the innovations applied yielded improvements of how FFPs are stored to ensure the quality and further increase the number of FFPs produced and stored through the Racking System and in speeding up the production through the Assembly Line Method and Rolling System.

“‘Yung storage dati, nilalagay lang yung paleta sa floor. Di talaga kami nakaka-storage ng marami kasi limitado lang ang lugar. Tapos ngayong may racking system na tayo, nakakapag-storage na tayo ng mas marami. Nama-maximize na natin yung lugar. Mas marami na yung goods na pwede nating i-stack at mas mabilis mag-store, mabilis bilangin at mabilis na rin ang pag-imbentaryo,” said Mark Anthony Tabones, Project Development Officer (Logistics).

Name of the Organization

Cagayan Economic Zone Authority

Name of the Office/Unit that leads the implementation of this best practice entry

Community Affairs and Development Division

Focus Area of the Best Practice

Strategy, Inclusive Development, Social Innovation

Date the best practice was first implemented

14 March 2006 – up to present

Summary of the Best Practice

The Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (CSEZFP) was rife with environmental, social, economic, and institutional issues that impeded the area’s development and livelihood. However, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) saw that livelihood diversification could help address these problems and saw the opportunity to develop the area for tourism. To achieve these goals together, CEZA initiated a Community-Based Sustainable Tourism (CBST) Program, a pilot test in Palaui Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (PIPLS). Through a range of activities around organizational development, community management, and resource generation, the program managed to help secure livelihoods for its residents, beautify the area, and earn an income of over Php 50 million that benefitted the community.

The Challenge

In the early years of taking over the CSEZFP, CEZA was confronted with environmental, social, economic, and institutional issues that have impeded the area’s development. The rich biodiversity of the area was threatened by abusive and uncontrolled practices. The forest lands were slowly deteriorating due to illegal logging, timber poaching, and the conversion of forest lands into agricultural land for the daily needs of the local population. Similarly, marine resources were also exposed to illegal fishing, marine products extraction, and other activities that had detrimental effects. With the main sources of livelihood being fishing and agriculture and with limited livelihood and income opportunities available for the residents back then, there was a struggle between sustaining people’s needs and preserving and protecting the area’s natural resources.

CEZA recognized that livelihood diversification could help address the people’s problems. Moreover, in seeing the area’s natural beauty, CEZA also recognized the area’s potential to be a key player in the country’s tourism industry. To achieve these goals together, CEZA envisioned a Community-Based Sustainable Tourism (CBST) Program, and decided to have the Palaui Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (PIPLS) as their pilot site.

However, an assessment of the site revealed that there was a lot to be done. Being a protected area and a marine reserve, the management of PIPLS was under the purview of a multi-sectoral body known as the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), and it complicated administrative affairs for the project, the area also lacked infrastructure to support a tourism industry, and the community was not yet open to the project. These were among the considerations that CEZA had to note in crafting its CBST Program.

Solution and Impact

On 14 March 2006, CEZA proceeded with a number of activities to mobilize the program.

1. A resource-based inventory (RBI) for PIPLS was conducted to obtain baseline information about the chosen site for tourism development.
2. CEZA also communicated pertinent topics, such as the program’s Business Model and principles of ecotourism, with stakeholders and community members through a series of consultations and IEC activities. At first, stakeholders and members of the community did not appreciate the concepts introduced under the CBST Program, especially its “high value, low volume” principle. However, this challenge was eventually overcome through public discussions, consultations, information, and education campaigns.
3. A tourism planning workshop was also undertaken with the participation of stakeholders from government entities, non-government organizations, academe representatives, civil society groups, private partners, island leaders and residents.
4. A visioning exercise was also conducted to discuss the activities, goals and objectives of the Program and provide a clear view of what CEZA intends to do with the Program.
5. CEZA also facilitated the identification of tourism products and services that could be produced at the site.
6. CEZA also helped establish tourism infrastructures and facilities by organizing resource generation campaigns and applications for grants/financial assistance.

Along the way, CEZA has also adopted the Palaui Environmental Protectors Association (PEPA), which was originally formed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). PEPA is composed of residents who have been volunteering to be the caretakers of the PIPLS. Since their adoption, they have also extended their role in the tourism development of the island.

Since then, CEZA has also expanded the program’s tourism products and services through the creation of seven PEPA sub-groups, namely (1) Palaui Island Guides, (2) Palaui Reef Ranges,(3) Palaui Women’s Catering, (4) Palaui Island Spa, (5) Palaui Weavers Association, (6) Palaui Island Honey Hunters Marketing Cooperative, and (7) Palaui-San Vicente Motor Boat Association. These community-assisted organizations were also provided interventions for organizational development and strengthening, capacity-building, resource generation, marketing and promotions. CEZA has also partnered with public and private sector organizations, which all have contributed to the successful implementation of the program.

Milestones

The CBST Program now contributes to the environmental management of the CSEZFP and it has provided secure livelihoods for its residents. The community enterprises benefit by charging competitive prices in exchange for high-value tourism products and services. Since 2011, the income generated by PEPA and its sub-groups has already totaled over Php50 million. This could have been higher if not due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the success of the Program, it has been used to benchmark the 55 ecotourism enterprises in 22 sites of DENR-PAWB’s Integrated Coastal Resource ManagementProjects’ (ICRMP’s) ecotourism sites in the provinces of Cagayan, Davao Oriental, Cebu, Masbate, Siquijor, Zambales, Benguet, and the succeeding CBST initiatives of CEZA.

The CBST Program itself was also recognized many times. To name a few:

1. PEPA was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Association of Southeast Asian Nationals (ASEAN) Community-Based Tourism Standard for 2017-2019 and 2019-2021.
2. It was also awarded by DOT for its Outstanding Community-Based Tourism in March 2019.
3. It was also a third-placer in the Para El Mar Award for its Outstanding National Integrated Protected Areas System – Marine Protected Areas in 2017, and a first-placer in the same category in 2019, obtaining a Php1 million cash prize.
4. PEPA was also recognized as the Longest Running Federated Tourism Organization and ASEAN Awardee during the Regional Tourism Forum Awards Night in May 2022.
5. During the Regional Tourism Forum and Awards Night in July 2022, CEZA was also recognized by DOT for its efforts to implement its programs, even at the middle of a pandemic.

Testimonials

The most rewarding and fulfilling remarks and actions on the tremendous success of the CBST Program come from the island residents themselves. They believe that the Program has empowered them through their active participation in the protection of their Island, and the availability of an alternative source of livelihood that they can count on. The satisfaction of the community beneficiaries is evident in the feedback they gave that rated the said Program with an “Excellent” adjectival rating.