Category: Innovation Leadership

Organization

Pangasinan State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Research, Extension and Innovation

Year Implemented

April 2020

This is a GBPR for COVID-19 Response entry

Summary

The university realized it had strong monitoring practices, which prevented them from attaining continuous improvement. It conceptualized an array of strategies and processes for the university to engage in Measurement, Analysis, and Improvement of Organizational Performance. Strategies ranged from creating documentation tools to conducting regular gap analyses. Overall, the university has deemed these practices useful; not only have they improved the individual performance of the university personnel, but collectively, these have led to improvements in organizational performance.

Background and Problem

Pangasinan State University acknowledges the need to measure its organizational performance if it aims to implement effective projects and achieve continuous improvement. Notably, this sentiment has even been articulated by Dr. Dexter R. Buted, the university’s president, and Dr. Paulo V. Cenas, their Vice President for their Research, Extension, and Innovation (REI) Office.

This has been brought to light because it has been a pattern that their projects start with planning and end with implementation—more often than not, monitoring and evaluation of projects are not done. Review and trend analysis are also not taken into consideration. Overall, the university had strong monitoring practices, which has prevented them from their goal of continuous improvement.

However, the university understands that simply engaging in organizational measurement is not so easy. For instance, successful measurement is dependent on the knowledge and persistence of the people involved, and they may not have such expertise available. On top of this, while a measurement endeavor may expose some issues, they may only be surface-level if done poorly; likewise, the proposed solutions will also not address the root cause of an issue. Moreover, measurements may not be accurate since realities on the ground are dynamic and constantly shifting, particularly in large organizations like Pangasinan State University (PSU).

Solution and Impact

In line with the issues raised, PSU, through its REI office, conceptualized an array of strategies and processes for the university to engage in Measurement, Analysis, and Improvement of Organizational Performance.

A key component of their solutions was the creation of the Monitoring and Evaluation Office under the Office of the Vice President of Quality Assurance (OVPQA), which institutionalized the whole endeavor of measurement and continuous improvement. Additionally, they also institutionalized many organization-wide strategies involving data gathering and analysis.

Their strategies included:

  • Creating documentation tools to be completed within a specific period and submitted regularly (weekly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually)
  • Benchmarking against external criteria to gather comparative information from other universities and organizations at all levels.
  • Creating feedback mechanisms so the university’s management could better understand its students, stakeholders, and the rest of its clientele.
  • Ensuring that organizational performance is reviewed at different levels of the organization through the conduct of all sorts of reviews, planning sessions, and the compilation of accomplishment reports.
  • Conducting regular Gap analysis and Root Cause Analysis to evaluate the differences between the targets set and actual accomplishments

In terms of specific strategies they have implemented, one, in particular, is their utilization of a Balanced Scorecard (BSC). The BSC shows how the campus performs vis-à-vis its targets. And every quarter of the year, the university uses it to evaluate its performance against its targets and likewise apply the necessary interventions.

Another specific strategy they have adopted is their utilization of performance reviews to identify priorities for improvement and opportunities for innovation. These have been instrumental for the university in identifying needs across all aspects, from mentoring and coaching, training and hiring, their instructional delivery system, research, financial management system, and even their response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Crucial to performance improvement is also sharing and implementing best practices. Hence, the university also monitors its high-performing units and incorporates their practices across the university.

Moreover, the university has expanded its efforts to adopt external bodies to measure its performance. In particular, the university submits its programs for accreditation to the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP). Through this, the university’s performance is evaluated against the agency’s standards.

Overall, the university has deemed these practices useful; not only have they improved the individual performance of the university’s personnel, but collectively, these have also led to improvements in organizational performance.

Milestones

PSU has been a consistent qualifier for Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) since the implementation of this project. The university has complied with all of the mandated indicators for the PBB based on performance and its fourfold functions: instruction, research, extension, and production. The university’s performance is based on targets and indicators. Monitoring and measurement strategies have helped the university keep sight of these targets and indicators.

Organization

Department of Science and Technology II

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Human Resource

Year Implemented

January 2019

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The World Health Organization underscored that a healthy workforce plays a vital role in social and economic development at the global, national, and local levels. Employees are considered important assets of any organization, contributing to delivering quality services. Hence, organizations should consider employees’ health a top priority.

Considering the employees’ exposure to various health hazards such as pollution and diseases, as well as having a sedentary lifestyle and stressful environment, the Department of Science and Technology Regional Office 02 (DOST 02) decided to launch the DOST Care. This is spearheaded by its Human Resource and Health and Wellness Team to monitor and promote the overall health of the DOST 02 employees. The DOST Care was implemented in January 2019, starting with the patient profiling of employees and the provision of basic healthcare consultation and counseling by the DOST Care Team.

The monitoring of employees’ health serves as the basis for the constant provision of health care tips, necessary first aid, medication counseling, and recommendation to visit a physician if recorded vital signs are continuously abnormal. With the support of its Human Resource, DOST Care also initiates health-related seminars with themes that depend on the current problems the workforce is facing. The practice is still for improvement, but it has already provided vital health information to the DOST 02’s employees, most of whom had not known about their health risks. Now with DOST Care, all employees can keep track of their current health status and can prevent different possible diseases.

Background and Problem

The DOST 02, the lead agency that promotes and supports science, technology, and innovation, implies that it has a vast responsibility. From its flagship program, the Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), and the different regional committees it handles, the agency has a huge workload for its limited number of employees, making them vulnerable to certain diseases.

The agency staff spend most of their work hours in their respective offices drafting proposals and doing clerical work and are hardly deployed for field assignments. Aggravating the lack of physical exertion is the mental stress experienced by staff who usually resort to stress-eating, which further contributes to risk factors of non-communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension. Other diseases may also arise from these practices, like stroke and cancer. The combination of (1) minimal physical movements to burn excess calories and body fat and (2) relying on fast-food as a means of immediate comfort makes it almost inevitable for DOST 02 employees to be at risk of developing non-communicable diseases.

In the last quarter of 2018, the regional director and the human resource management observed that employees were gaining weight and increasing utilization of their sick leaves. The agency is aware of the hazards of exposure to situations that may affect an employee’s health and recognizes their need for protection. Additionally, the agency heads acknowledged that health challenges may still be unknown to some staff, and they anticipate the staff may ask for help in the future. These concerns led to establishing the DOST Care Team, which would provide healthcare services to the entire agency workforce.

The overall objective of DOST Care is to monitor the basic health status of the DOST 02 personnel by offering the following tests: blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and fasting blood glucose/ random blood glucose. These tests provide important information and impose a concern for health among their staff, encouraging them to be checked by a physician and educating them on the advantages of possibly obtaining an early diagnosis should they have a disease or condition needing attention. The project also raises employees’ awareness of their health situation and enables them to seek immediate intervention. Other than that, DOST Care also provides basic health interventions to address health issues experienced by the DOST 02 employees, enabling them to be more efficient in the organization by preventing further damage to their health.

Solution and Impact

DOST Care was one of the workplace health promotion practices of the agency targeting the prevention of non-communicable diseases brought forth by unhealthy habits and sedentary lifestyles. This practice provides the necessary information on the health of the DOST 02 employees, limited to blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood glucose. The DOST Care thus serves as a health promotion program that instills in its employees a mindset to prioritize their health. With continuous improvement, they will eventually consider it an effective practice in improving health-related outcomes and preventing or decreasing health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.

It was also observed that most of the agency’s senior leaders had already been diagnosed with non-communicable diseases, making them unable to undertake their respective duties. DOST Care addresses this problem by constantly monitoring senior leaders’ health to improve their health status, enhance productivity, reduce sick leaves, reduce turnover and absenteeism. They also hoped that the junior employees, who will soon be the senior leaders, would become more aware of their health status and start considering a healthy lifestyle, rendering them physically ready and fit for future responsibilities in the agency.

The practice started with profiling DOST employees to determine who already had underlying diseases and who were prone to acquiring such so they could be prioritized in health monitoring. The priority health check is immediately conducted upon request of the employees or those staff who are manifesting symptoms. From that point onwards, the team has been conducting the tests once a month, analyzing the results so that those whose numbers fall outside the normal range are provided with non-pharmacological interventions.

They gathered normal values for the different tests from these reliable sources: American Lung Society for Oxygen Saturation, American Heart Society for Heart Rate; Joint National Committee -7 for Blood Pressure; and WebMD for Blood Glucose.

The team records all data gathered in its database, which is kept confidential and can only be accessed by them. Thus, they can monitor the trends in each employee’s health status. The employee may request the results from check-ups for personal purposes, and if results continue to fall outside the normal range for three (3) consecutive check-ups, they would advise the employee to see a physician.

DOST Care, with the support of the agency’s Human Resources, has initiated seminars necessary to provide additional knowledge regarding one’s health. They conducted a seminar last October 2019 that addressed two health issues the agency currently faces: Tobacco Smoke and Mental Health in the workplace.

Milestones/Next Steps

The DOST Care was recognized as one of the agency’s leadership approaches contributing to the agency’s success in achieving PQA Level II, considered the highest award given to an organization. It will also expand its tests to include Body Mass Index (BMI) monitoring, which is essential in managing and preventing non-communicable diseases.

DOST Care will also provide statistics and necessary information to HR to plan other health-related seminars that will provide additional health information to its employees. The agency initially planned a seminar focusing on non-communicable diseases, basic over-the-counter drug knowledge, and coping with workplace stress. However, these activities were postponed because of the pandemic but will resume once everything goes back to normal.

With the current situation of the country, persistent and more tedious health monitoring is needed. People with co-morbidities like hypertension, diabetes, respiratory illness, and other diseases are more prone to be infected by the coronavirus. DOST Care promotes the welfare of its staff through the early provision of the necessary information for monitoring their health, indirectly preventing the spread of COVID-19.

In coordination with its HR, DOST Care is currently crafting systems that would monitor other necessary information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The system would include a temperature monitoring and symptoms survey, which will greatly help the DOST 02 employees prevent the spread of the virus, especially if a DOST 02 employee is found to be a COVID-19 carrier. DOST Care, through HR, also initiated its Contact Information Sheet and monitoring system for clients; it will be useful in contact tracing if one of their customers is diagnosed with COVID-19.

Agency staff is asked to maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep their immune system strong. Through DOST Care, the DOST 02 employees are constantly aware of their current health status, which helps prevent the spread of diseases and other health issues that would be detrimental to them.

Organization

Ifugao State University (IFSU) Ifugao Rice Terraces as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System Research and Development Center

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

July 2019-Present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

In recent years, indigenous peoples in the Philippines have experienced discrimination in textbooks produced by the Department of Education. In particular, Ifugao youth are losing interest in continuing their cultures and traditions. So, through the collaboration of Ifugao State University (IFSU) with many local and international organizations, they initiated a program around creating learning materials for junior and senior high schools in Ifugao.

Background and Problem

In recent years, indigenous peoples in the Philippines have experienced discrimination in textbooks produced by the Department of Education. Specifically, there have been textbooks that depict indigenous people as backward, uncivilized, and uneducated. These types of content contribute to the long history of discrimination against indigenous peoples, not just in the Philippines but even across the globe.

Notably, research has also shown that the Ifugao youth, in particular, are losing interest in continuing their cultures and traditions, and this discrimination is just one of many factors contributing to this. It has been evident that most young Ifugaos prefer to move out from their communities and find work elsewhere. This exodus of young Ifugaos contributes to the degradation of the Ifugao heritage.

Solution and Impact

Through the collaboration of Ifugao State Universityhttps (IFSU), Department of Education-Ifugao (DepEd-Ifugao), Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo), Gohang National High School in Banaue, Knowledge Holders under the Ifugao Indigenous Educators Training Program, the Center for Taiwan-Philippines Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge and Sustainable Studies (CTPILS), a program was created.

One of the program’s components was about creating learning materials. So far, the program has developed and produced at least 40 contextualized indigenous learning materials for junior and senior high schools in Ifugao. These learning materials were locally developed and carefully crafted to contain appropriate content for Ifugao schools. In particular, the contextualized materials contain a range of learning topics; Ifugao biodiversity, rice terraces, music and dances, gender roles, and heritage sites.

These were also validated on different levels by indigenous knowledge holders, education supervisors, and curriculum experts, and they were also quality assured by the DepEd Ifugao. Notably, research has shown that contextualized indigenous learning materials are considered one of the more important platforms in promoting and conserving the rich indigenous knowledge, systems, and practices (IKSP) among school children.

As of writing, twelve of the contextualized learning materials are in the process of copyright with the National Library of the Philippines. Moreover, these materials are being used by teachers in delivering their “Alternative Delivery Mode” to introduce IKSP among the students. As per Senate Bill No.3220, alternative delivery mode refers to the nontraditional education program recognized by the DepED, which applies a flexible learning philosophy and a curricular delivery program that includes non-formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills.

Milestones

  1. Development and Production of 40 Contextualized Learning Materials on:
    • Ifugao biodiversity
    • Music and dances
    • Ifugao values
    • Gender roles
    • Heritage sites
    • Ifugao traditions and practices
  2. Copyright of 12 Contextualized Learning Materials
  3. Upcoming 20 additional IKSP Learning Materials
  4. Continuing copyright of the learning materials
  5. Sharing of these learnings

Organization

Governance Commission for Government-owned-or-controlled Corporations

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Human Resource, Operations

Year Implemented

11 May 2020

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

At the onset of the pandemic, GCG personnel experienced several difficulties concerning their regular work operations. Their issues were around adopting work-from-home arrangements and health concerns around the ongoing pandemic. In light of this, the agency implemented interventions specific to each problem they observed. Namely, their interventions were remote access to their Data Management System (DMS), a weekly health status survey, reformed policies on alternative work arrangements, an Identification Barcode System, and an Online Employee Information Management System (EIMS). These interventions have helped their personnel adapt to the new normal, and these interventions were so successful that they continued to be implemented long after.

Background and Problem

At the onset of the pandemic, GCG personnel experienced a number of difficulties in relation to their regular work operations. One of the main issues was around the adoption of work-from-home arrangements. Personnel raised many questions relating to other office policies. For example, what to do if they contracted the virus, to whom they should report, how they could file a leave, how their leave credits would be charged, and alike. And in relation to the previous point, monitoring personnel’s time-in and time-out of GCG became near-impossible given the disruption in work arrangements. Also, given the alternative work arrangements, there were some difficulties in delivering outputs as some outputs are heavily dependent on official documents or submissions from their stakeholders. These were only accessible via the agency’s Data Management System (DMS), their central repository for official documents.

There were some health concerns around the pandemic. Health Monitoring was limited and relegated to immediate supervisors rather than some formalized system. Moreover, there was concern about the agency’s dependence on the Biometrics System in timing. This was a concern since the virus can be contracted through surface contact.

Solution and Impact

To address these problems, the agency employed solutions addressing each problem.

  1. Remote Access to the DMS was enabled so that even those who are working from home could access the agency’s central repository for official documents.
  2. A weekly health status survey was developed by the Human Capital Management Division (HCMD) to have a centralized weekly monitoring system for the health and well-being of its personnel. Particularly, it is cascaded every Wednesday of the week, and the report per office is sent to the respective Directors for them to be apprised of the health and well-being of their respective personnel every week. This was further improved to include monitoring those who have already been vaccinated or are waiting for their respective schedules.
  3. Policies on alternative work arrangements were also developed for GCG personnel on what to do, who to report to, what their rights are with respect to their leave availments, and their respective work arrangements.
  4. An ID barcode system was developed to circumvent the biometrics system’s necessity of touching surfaces.
  5. An online Employee Information Management System (EIMS) was developed to enable even those working from home to time-in and time-out through the comfort of their homes using their laptops or cellphones. Daily Time Records could be generated for payroll purposes as an added benefit. Directors were also given their dashboards to monitor the physical reporting of their personnel as well as the time-in and time-out.

Overall, the aforementioned best practices gave the agency and its personnel ways to adapt to the new normal while ensuring the continuous operations of the agency despite the pandemic. And in terms of their long-term impact, the agency had the luxury of only needing to make minimal changes in light of changing pronouncements, given they already had the required programs in place.

Milestones

Remote access to the DMS is still being implemented in the agency, especially for those working from home. As a way forward, the agency is looking to have personal laptops that can access the DMS while also implementing supplementary protocols to ensure the confidentiality of official documents.
The weekly health survey was used in conceptualizing other programs in the agency. One program, in particular, was an onsite vaccination program. The survey is continuously improving to include personnel’s mental health. In the future, the revised survey may lead to other programs.
Policies on alternative work arrangements are still ever-changing, subject to the official pronouncements from the Office of the President. However, recent developments to the policies have been instrumental in allowing GCG personnel to physically report to the office as needed, with the added benefit of free motor pool services from the agency.

The online EIMS has been a critical monitoring tool for personnel’s observance of health protocols and their time-in and time-out. This monitoring has given directors the necessary information to change the schedule of physical reporting and WFH every month. The tool has also been updated to allow their Human Resources department other functions, such as changing whether selected personnel will work from home or on-site, generating ID barcodes for newly-hired personnel and allowing them access to the Online EIMS, and deactivating those who are separated from service.

Organization

Capiz Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy

Year Implemented

25 June 2018- Present

This is a GBPR Entry

Summary

The Capiz Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (CaPENRO) recognized the primary responsibility of locals in addressing environmental problems. They initiated the 1M Kahoy Project. It is a province-wide tree-growing activity in which the component city participates. It has also grown to support the livelihood of communities.

Background and Problem

In September 2017, the Capiz Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (CaPENRO) was created to focus more on effectively governing the environment in the Province of Capiz. Since its establishment, it has been committed to developing, promoting, and implementing programs toward an ecologically sustainable and resilient Capiz. And in recognizing the primary responsibility of locals in addressing environmental problems, they initiated the 1M Kahoy Project.

Specifically, the 1M Kahoy Project aimed to address the following identified gaps in Capiz directly:

  1. There was no existing agency in the province that conducted sustainability programs. Relatedly, there was also a lack of environmental programs being implemented.
  2. The degradation of forest cover in the province was substantially high. Particularly, Capiz only had nine percent (9%) remaining forest cover;
  3. There is a need to create Climate Change Mitigation at the local level.
  4. There is a lack of coordination and collaboration among the various local stakeholders of Capiz, from NGAs, LGUs, NGOs, Academe, and other sectors on environmental conservation, protection, and restoration.
The Municipality of Panitan through the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office and Office of the Municipal Agriculturist join the Kick Off Ceremony of the 1 Million Kahoy Project of the Capiz Provincial Government in Celebration of the National Arbor Day last 25 June 2022.

Solution and Impact

The 1 Million Kahoy Project was formulated as a province-wide tree-growing activity. And aside from the component city, municipalities, barangays, Local Government Units (LGUs), National Government Agencies (NGAs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, the business sector, civic organizations, religious organizations, People’s Organizations (POs), and even private individuals were also encouraged to join. And every Capisnon who is 12 years old and above was also eligible to participate in the activity.

The CaPENRO’s efforts brought the following results for the 1 Million Kahoy Project:

  1. 1,146,755 trees were planted in 2018, and the activity had 167,195 participants
  2. 667, 160 trees were planted in 2019, and there were 41,874 participants
  3. 1,747,518 trees were planted in 2020, and there were 40,026 participants

Across all years, not just one sector but various sectors were represented. The 2018 implementation had 74,608 from NGAs, and the 2019 implementation had 34,689 from academic institutions. The reforestation of deforested areas in the mountains of Capiz.

Over time, the project’s scope has also grown to create livelihood opportunities for communities from coastal or upland areas. One community, particularly, was from the Integrated Social Forestry’s (ISF) beneficiaries. The ISF is also a greening project initiated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which has been devolved to the LGUs of Capiz.

As part of the 1 Million Kahoy Project, ISF beneficiaries were given materials to kick off their livelihood projects, and they were also partnered with business sector stakeholders in Capiz. On the other hand, business sector stakeholders were also encouraged to metaphorically adopt certain ISF beneficiaries by financially supporting their production of seedlings for reforestation. Through these arrangements, business sector stakeholders have supported the 1 Million Kahoy Project and helped the ISF beneficiaries who are also part of a greening effort in Capiz.

Milestones

The project’s success led it to be recognized as a significant contributor to the DENR’s National Greening Program. Moreover, the project’s success has also come to be critical for the Philippine Coconut Authority Agricultural Research Program for Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Response, the Department of Agriculture and Department of Education’s Tree Planting and Greening Program, the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CCAM) through enabling cash for work. And because it has been so successful, other LGUs and organizations have also started their initiatives similar to it.

Organization

Municipal Government of General Luna, Quezon

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy, Citizens/Customers

Year Implemented

April 2020 – present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

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

Background and Problem

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

Solution and Impact

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

Milestone

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

Organization

National Library of the Philippines

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership

Year Implemented

May 2018- present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The Network of Emerging Filipino Library Innovators (NEFLI) is a three-year leadership training program for public library personnel in the Philippines. It is adapted from one of the Global Libraries (GL) initiatives, which is the International Network of Emerging Library Innovators (INELI), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, wherein one of the staff of the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) and the NLP Director were innovators and sponsors respectively in their first implementation for the first international cohort in 2011-2013.

Background and Problem

In 2011, one effort that the Gates Foundation began to support was the INELI, a network of library leaders worldwide who have skills and experience in developing innovative services for users. The INELI’s first cohort was conducted from October 2011 to October 2013. In March 2014, the Foundation started the GL wind down. They began to tap regional implementers to provide opportunities to explore and be connected where stakeholders can share information and best practices and not reinvent the wheel. In June 2015, the Foundation decided to exit the field of global library leadership, wanting to leave the sector strong and identify legacy partners to carry forward GL’s strategic goals of improving lives through public libraries around the world, which they call INELI Regional Network Development or INELI Track.

There were seven existing INELI Tracks: INELI-ASEAN, INELI-Balkans, INELI-India, INELI -Latin America, INELI-MENA, INELI-Oceania, and INELI- Sub-Saharan Africa. On May 4, 2015, NLP received a grant from the Gates Foundation as one of the implementers of INELI in the ASEAN region. After the implementation of the INELI-ASEAN, the INELI-ASEAN Project Team decided to come up with an INELI-like program in the Philippines while promoting it at the same time to other ASEAN countries. Last quarter of 2017, the team kept on conceptualizing INELI-Philippines. It is called NEFLI until March 2018.

Recognizing the various challenges that the public libraries in the country continuously face, such as the lack of solid partnership and collaborations among them, specifically, the lack of a common and practical platform to enable easy access to vital information and a conducive venue for relevant knowledge and information exchange, the development of an effective and feasible mechanism to address the aforementioned issues and concerns becomes imperative. In this context, the NEFLI became instrumental in identifying, adopting, and innovating strategies for developing public librarians’ leadership capacities and technical skills. It created an opportunity to capacitate emerging public library leaders in undertaking relevant innovations for optimizing the roles and functions of public libraries. Likewise, it significantly enhanced the participants’ leadership skills and competencies. Further, NEFLI provided a venue for the exchange in addressing national public library issues that have the potential to stimulate, expand, and improve public library operations and services. Thus, NEFLI became an adoption of an international best practice in building capacities of public library personnel.

The NEFLI program aimed to (1) enhance the leadership skills and build capacities of emerging public library leaders in the country; (2) create a vibrant network of public library leaders; (3) foster collaboration and strong partnership among stakeholders; and (4) implement collaborative projects in the country that will help improve public libraries and their communities. Public librarians, officers-in-charge, and staff of public libraries affiliated with NLP are the target participants of this program.

The National Library of the Philippines and the Network of Emerging Filipino Library Innovators (NEFLI) conducted the 3rd Convening of NEFLI Cohort 2 last 14 September 2022.

Solution and Impact

Various methods and tools were employed to ensure that the program’s objectives would be realized.

  1. As an initial requirement of the program, applicants/innovators must evaluate themselves through a Self-Assessment Tool and submit their Self-Development Plans. This self-development plan will address the weaknesses of innovators that need to be strengthened through the conduct of various activities they plan to implement in their organization/library.
  2. Online Learning Modules through the Online Learning Portal. There were ten online learning modules to be administered during the duration of the program located on the online learning platform. Each module followed a schedule and was entailed to be finished within a given time frame.
  3. Convenings and Midway Meetings. The Convenings are the annual gathering of all the NEFLI Program participants–the innovators, mentors, co-mentors, learning facilitators, the organizing team, observers, partners, and guests. The goal is to continue building a strong network of outstanding emerging library leaders with a strong vision for the future of public libraries in the country through discussions, sharing, workshops, talks/meetings, library visits, and other activities.
  4. Collaborative Projects–the innovators will be divided into five groups with a mentor and co-mentor each to work on a project that has the following themes or key areas: (1) Libraries must meet the needs of their users by offering useful, relevant content and services; (2) Libraries must offer an inviting space; (3) Libraries must demonstrate their impact by measuring the benefit they provide to individuals and communities; (4) Libraries must advocate for the support they need to deliver strong, relevant programs over the long term; and, (5) Libraries must create high-impact partnerships that best leverage community resources.

The NEFLI Program demonstrates that interventions such as those used in the program’s online learning modules, self-development plans, and collaborative projects improved and built the capacities of the innovators. These were shown in the changes in their behavior, such as being more confident, gaining communication skills, leading teams, mentoring others, being a good team member, and being promoted, among others. The innovators also learned various topics in their learning modules, which they could use in their personal and professional lives.

The innovators could partner and collaborate with their colleagues in the country through activities and collaborative projects. These projects are hoped to be carried out as the teams already have sustainability plans. The camaraderie and relationships were developed. Stories of change can be viewed through the promotion pamphlet/brochure.

Milestones

For the first cohort, 14 innovators completed the said program and continuously innovated their library programs and services. These innovators have also been invited to act as subject matter experts in training offered by PLD to public libraries. Also, some of them are mentors of the second cohort. For the second cohort, 11 innovators are completing the said program, with almost ten observers from Malaysia and the Philippines as possible third cohort innovators.

This is NEFLI’s first attempt to apply for an award. The program recognizes deserving individuals and teams during the second and third convenings. The NLP, implemented in the ASEAN region in 2018, focused on implementing it in the Philippines. INELI-MENA was recognized as WSIS 2020 Champion.

Next steps: (1) Continue to implement and improve the program, based on the recommendation of innovators and existing conditions, every 2-year; (2) Look into the possibility of having a partner national library in the ASEAN Region to implement such a program to improve the communication skills of participants further; (3) Promote further the said program and asynchronous type of training to entice more public library personnel to join.

Organization

National Kidney and Transplant Institute

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

March 2020

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

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

Background and Problem

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

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

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

The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) sets up a tent in April 2020 to serve as the receiving area for medical workers to screen possible COVID-19 patients. Photo courtesy of The STAR / Miguel de Guzman.

Solution and Impact

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

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

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

Milestones

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

Organization

National Kidney and Transplant Institute

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

July 2021

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

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

Background and Problem

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

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

The Department of Public Works and Highways has formally turned-over on last 5 May 2021 the first off-site modular hemodialysis facility completed at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI).

Solution and Impact

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

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

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

Milestones

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

There were two parallel activities required to operate this facility:

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

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

Organization

Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens, Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

June 2020 to present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

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

Background and Problem

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

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

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

The flourishing urban vegetable garden of the College of Public Administration and Disaster Management and NEUST-Faculty and Staff Union.

Solution and Impact

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

Milestones

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

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