Category: Performance Management

The LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System is a web-based mobile application used by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to organize and modernize planning, patrolling, and the response of patrollers and managers to environmental threats. It utilizes a web-based, open-source software called “Cyber-Tracker” for data collection and the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) for data analysis, mapping, and report generation.

Background and Problem

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB) is the principal implementer of the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992 and the Expanded NIPAS Act of 2018, which provides the system framework for the conservation of 240 ‘protected areas’ ( 5.44 M hectares of biodiversity areas) or PAs. Despite more than 2 decades of implementation of the NIPAS Act and the recent enactment of eNIPAS, the DENR-PAWB is still strained with challenges in the implementation of protected areas management which further facilitate drivers of biodiversity loss. A report published on the state of PAs suggested that the lack of innovative governance and limited capacity for protected area management are still among the key issues in PA management: “ there are limited resources for demarcation; enforcement is weak; there are deficiencies in management systems and tools; the structure and functioning management boards of protected areas need improvement, and there is no systematized framework for monitoring and evaluation for keeping track of the management effectiveness.”

Solution and Impact

With the conscious will to strengthen conservation efforts, the DENR actively sought the support of its stakeholders in addressing systemic barriers in protected area management. In partnership with the United States Agency for International Development Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (USAIS B+WISER) program, the agency developed the LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System (LFBPS) to enhance the agency’s response mechanisms on addressing threats and to ensure sustainability of conservation efforts inside the country’s PAs on a long-term basis. The LFBPS project or LAWIN project provides accurate, real-time information on the status of PAs covered by NIPAS through the application of free, open-source software called CyberTracker for geo-referenced data collection and the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) for data analysis, mapping, and report generation.

At the grassroots level, the LAWIN project has been particularly advantageous at quickly reporting environmental crimes by allowing wildlife officers and community volunteers to upload observations and photos of evidence of environmental crimes to concerned law enforcement agencies. In the same manner, it aids managers and patrollers at the national and local levels in speeding up the creation and utilization of data and information for the formulation of informed reports and implementation of action plans aimed at monitoring and resolving environmental crimes.

Milestones

The DENR and USAID’s B+ Wiser Program started developing and pilot-testing the LAWIN System in seven protected areas in the Philippines in 2015. At the time, there had been 780,000 hectares of key biodiversity areas analyzed, conservation areas identified, and conservation objectives formulated to enhance Protected Area Management Plans. There had also been at least 670 resources, data managers, and community volunteers trained for the project. On March 10, 2016, after the results of pilot-testing and further improvement of the system, the DENR formally adopted LAWIN as a national strategy for forest and biodiversity protection. A Joint Forest Management Bureau (FMB) and Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) Technical Bulletin had also been signed during the LAWIN launching event to serve as a guide in the national level implementation of the project.

A series of capacity-building activities had been conducted afterward in DENR local offices to capacitate forest guards and technicians on the use of LAWIN equipment and system. In 2017, the DENR and USAID B+WISER updated the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) software of LAWIN from SMART 4.1 to SMART 5.0.1 in response to feedback that there were delays in availability of information at higher DENR levels because of difficulties in uploading data due to file sizes of images. This upgrade in the LAWIN system prompted another series of training for data managers in all DENR levels. DENR reported that for 2017, LAWIN accomplished key outputs such as (1) training of more than 3,200 forest patrollers and data managers; (2) formation of LAWIN Unit at DENR-FMB; (3) increased and enhanced access of DENR offices to patrol data, and; (4) formulation of response protocols, LAWIN manuals, and LAWIN Department Administrative Order. Then in February 2018, a national workshop had been organized by DENR to assess the results of the implementation of the LAWIN system in 2017 and to formulate a plan for its continued implementation. More than 200 participants from 16 DENR regional offices participated in the workshop.

The DENR and USAID B+ WISER attempted to expand the scope of LAWIN to include a peace and development component. As a commitment to Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Peaceful and Prosperous Community) or PAMANA, the national government’s program and framework for peace and development, the DENR Region 7 and USAID B+ WISER trained PAMANA forest guards on LFBPS and provided simulation exercises on patrolling, planning, and submission of reports, among others. In August 2018, the DENR and USAID B+ WISER organized 2 LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System Data Management Conferences in which over 200 key decision-makers and data managers of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) convened to enhance knowledge and skills in various types of data analysis and report results. Finally, the DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu issued DENR Administrative Order 2018-21 entitled “Adoption of the LAWIN Forest and Biodiversity Protection System as a National Strategy for Forest and Biodiversity Protection in the Philippines” on October 3, 2019.

Summary

RIPPLES, an acronym for Responsive, Innovative, Proactive and Passionate Leaders by Example and for Social Change, is a seven-day intensive training camp for all student leaders of the four campuses of Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC). It was initiated, proposed and organized by the Director for External Affairs, Rhoderick K. Samonte in April 2017 which brought together the Office for Student Affairs, Center for External Affairs, Guidance Services, Sports Affairs, and Cultural Affairs. The camp is an intensive course which covers leadership principles, values, skills, and best practices for students to emulate and exemplify.

Background and Problem

Prior to 2017, the CHMSC did not have an institutional training program for its student leaders. Evidence for lack of training manifested in the way students managed their organizations, activities, and resources. If CHMSC was to realize its mission of empowering “a human resource that responds effectively to challenges in life and act as catalyst in the holistic development of a humane society” it must introduce a viable program for its student leaders. Thus, RIPPLES Training Camp was established. The 7-day leadership camp is an intensive training course for student leaders on the premise that their collective action after the camp can have a far-reaching impact on the school and the community, just like a ripple. The RIPPLES program embodies the desirable qualities the CHMSC would like to see in its student leaders consistent with the institution’s vision, mission and core values.

Solution and Impact

Leadership is not inherent, it depends upon the traits which can be developed, and upon the application of principles and skills which can be taught and learned through training. Leaders are often good leaders because they have been trained well to become one. A good training program with a strong input on values formation, skills and character building through experiential learning will lead to the empowerment of student leaders who are mission-driven, competent, and committed to the greater good of the school and the society. Article 2, Section 4 of the Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order No. 9, Series of 2013 known as the Enhanced Policies and Guidelines on Student Affairs and Services mandates all Higher Education Institutions to provide student-centered activities which will develop holistic and well-rounded students who will become responsible citizens and leaders. RIPPLES is CHMSC’s concrete step to fulfill this mandate. A team of professors, students and alumni volunteers across the four CHMSC campuses were engaged in a series of brainstorming and planning until the proposal was submitted to and approved by the president. The school allocated a budget and committed to invest annually for the program’s sustainability. Three years after the RIPPLES training, student leaders from the four campuses became more conscious of their roles and responsibilities. They became more connected and engaged, and the school has recognized the efforts of these student leaders toward greater collaboration. These were not evident in the past when more often than not, student organizations within and across the campuses were lacking in cooperation and unity. Student initiatives are now contributing to the school’s main thrust of “One School, One System” – a point of convergence of all CHMSC campuses. This is highly attributed to the student leaders’ common leadership orientation and training.

Milestones

Because of this program, the quality of student-initiated activities significantly improved. Across all four campuses, there are new and synchronized initiatives for the first time, such as the CHMSCyanihan, (a portmanteau of CHMSC and bayanihan) a clean up drive at the start of the academic year, the integration of Greening CHMSC project, and a special tribute to campus maintenance staff among many others. Student leaders have become more creative and effective in events management. At present, they filed resolutions seeking to address concerns in academics, student services and student governance. Student leaders have also formulated the “One CHMSC Student Vision,” which developed mechanisms for stronger collaboration in support of institutional activities despite the physical distance of the campuses.

Summary

The GSIS implemented the Parameters on Health and Wellness Participation as a Measure in the Scorecard to address lifestyle-related health issues, improve the overall wellness of employees, and increase employee engagement and productivity. The Medical and Wellness Services Department, Human Resources Office (MWSD-HRO) developed programs focused on promoting healthy lifestyle, which consist of parameters or sports, fitness, and wellness activities that sum up to two percent (2%) of the scorecard per office.

Background and Problem

The launching of the Parameters at the Central Office in July 2018 coincided with CSC MC No. 21-2009 on “Civil Servants’ Health and Wellness Month.” This extended to 42 Branch Offices in 2019. The MWSD-HRO is tasked to submit an annual report (Health Profile) to the Management regarding the state of health of GSIS employees. This serves as the basis for developing and enhancing health care and wellness activities for the employees. Based on the CY 2017 results of the Annual Medical and Physical Examination, Annual Executive Check-up, HMO Utilization Report, and records of patient consultation at the GSIS Infirmary, the top illnesses of GSIS employees include the following: hypertension, impaired fasting glucose/diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperuricemia. In order to address the lifestyle-related health issues and improve the health condition and overall wellness of the GSIS employees, MWSD-HRO developed health and wellness programs for CY 2018 that are focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle. Thus, the active participation of the employees in the said health and wellness programs shall be considered in the calculation of their respective office’s scorecards.

Solution and Impact

Each office is required to submit monthly and quarterly reports on the participation of their employees to the MWSD-HRO for monitoring purposes. Since its launching last year, employees have an increased awareness on the benefits of various activities or a heightened consciousness about health and fitness. There is an appreciation of individual contribution to the scorecard as well as a sense of camaraderie and teamwork in attaining the two percent (2%) target per office. The gradual change in perspective and shift in culture from sedentary to mobility are evident based on the participation of the employees.

Milestones

The MWSD-HRO will come up with measures in the programs scorecard that will complement the continuous active parameters in support of the health and wellness of GSIS employees.

Summary

The nomination is for the Security Analytics Project, implemented to be the backbone of the GSIS Information Security Office (ISO) in monitoring, detecting, preventing and responding to cyber threats in the shortest possible time. The project was initiated by CISO Jonathan Pineda and is an innovation to have an overall view of the GSIS Information Security Posture, including cyberattacks and threats to GSIS IT infrastructure in near real-time. Logs from various security tools are captured, aggregated, and processed using automation and machine learning techniques, enabling GSIS to respond faster. The project was started in 2016 and is continuously being improved.

Background and Problem

According to the Ponemon 2019 Cost of Breach Report, it takes an average of 279 days for a company to identify and contain a breach. The GSIS is under constant cyber-attack from various threat actors 24×7. Just the public websites alone receive more than 25,000 attempted attacks per day. The objective of the project was to identify and profile these attacks, and filter out the noise and false positives, so that the lnfoSec personnel can act on notable incidents only. To protect its IT infrastructure, GSIS implemented multiple security tools to implement its Information Security Program. However, these tools generate millions of logs daily and it is impossible for lnfoSec personnel to filter out notable incidents and respond to them faster. Investigating and remediating incidents takes so much time that the GSIS may be exposed to data breaches if these threats are not detected and acted upon sooner.

Solution and Impact

Traditional Security Incident and Event Management meant that you can aggregate and correlate logs so you can review them from a single platform. The Security Analytics Project improved this traditional practice to, not only aggregate and correlate logs, but also to create profiling and validation with public threat intel sources. This also led to creation of alerts based on user or adversary behavior such as multiple attacks from the same IP source, multiple login failures, multiple malware infection, attempts to connect to command and control servers, to name a few. This also enabled the lnfoSec analysts to focus more on the notable incidents, rather than on learning to operate the security tools. Cybersecurity is a very complicated discipline as the adversaries use various and multiple threat vectors to compromise their target. They need to be successful just once and that is what GSIS is trying to prevent. While no system is hack proof, the same Security Analytics tool helps us in detecting these notable incidents faster as we can detect these in near real time and have set up alerts to notify us for priority incidents. The GSIS information Security Program took many years to mature and we have implemented various tools to mitigate specific cybersecurity threats. The Security Analytics tool gave us the capability to see beyond the tools and understand our threat landscape better. This helps our security analysts focus more on the actual incidents rather than guessing what is happening. The tool provides them the “needles in the haystack” immediately so immediate response can be made. This methodology ensures that we can provide information assurance to our users and stakeholders when they use our technologies.

Milestones

The Security Project enabled GSIS to:

  1. Lower possible breach detection from months to hours;
  2. Respond faster and proactively to cybersecurity incidents;
  3. Profile cybersecurity threats and deliver technology securely; and
  4. Detect cybersecurity threats (Cyber Attack Killchain and MITRE ATT&CK frameworks).

It recently won the ASEAN Social Security Association, Information Technology Recognition Award for 2019. The next step will be to automate further using Security Orchestration and Automated Response tools (SOAR). The SOAR will leverage threat intelligence platforms and minimize further the need for human responders to act on repeating incidents (Phishing mails and malware infections.)

Summary

The BLGF instituted the policy on local fiscal and financial reporting of all LGUs, through the electronic Statement of Receipts and Expenditures (eSRE) tool to ensure transparency and accountability of LGUs. Instituted as the official reporting system of DOF on local fiscal and financial matters, to be maintained by the BLGF, the eSRE web-based system launched in 2010 established a reliable, accurate and timely reporting and monitoring system for all 81 provinces, 145 cities and 1489 municipalities. Since its adoption, LGUs compliance rose from only 30% in 2013 to 99.7% since 2017 and benefitted national and local stakeholders.

Background and Problem

The eSRE evolved from the basic Budget Operations Statement (BOS) in manual form submitted by the LG Us prior to 2001. From 2001-2008, it became the Statement of Income and Expenditures (SIE) report to include additional accounts that capture more information on local revenues and expenditures to be used in monitoring, policy making, and research. However, the processing and consolidation of the reports were manually or through excel based worksheets. Dealing with native files (e.g. MS Excel workbooks), the reports generated by the LGUs were manually processed and consolidated at the BLGF Regional Offices, before it reached the BLGF Central Office. The time lag for the information to reach full circle (i.e. returning to the LGUs) towards informed decision-making requires at least a two-year cycle. Thus, the BLGF sought solutions to serve its clientele more efficiently and effectively through computerized systems and effective policies.

Solution and Impact

Recognizing the need to harmonize local planning, investment programming, revenue generation, budgeting and expenditure management, the BLGF underscored the importance of linking national agenda (e.g., inclusive growth) to the local governance framework, and this requires systematic provision of local finance data provide to support such goal. With the BLGF mandate, the paradigm shifted towards improved interface between local planning, financial reporting and fiscal performance monitoring – where the eSRE provides the requisite evidence to support data analytics for policy decision making and reforms. The eSRE has undergone improvements over time, including:

  1. The adoption of a modified SRE format to delineate the roles and responsibilities of oversight agencies;
  2. Harmonize tools for local governance;
  3. Performance monitoring and coordination in fiscal oversight; and
  4. Updating of rules and regulations on the reports of local treasurers and assessors of all LG Us, with specific sanctions for the purpose.

With the deployment of additional eSRE modules on assessment, budget, creditworthiness, and barangay financial statements, the BLGF is now poised to capture more granular local finance data to support accountability, transparency and better governance for the people. The eSRE also serves as a means of verification of key performance indicators of Government in the Philippine Development Plan, and as basis for LGU fiscal performance, setting policy priorities through tax watch ads and recognition, and basis for informing the legislature of needed policy reforms on local finance.

Milestones

With almost 100% compliance and continual improvements, this best practice enabled greater disclosure of the state of local finance, and now officially a means of verification and reference, such as on locally sourced revenues, national transfers, credit financing, utilization of shares from national wealth, instruments of local governance, and data source for various government and private sector-led recognition programs. The BLGF will further granularize data capture on utilization of education and disaster risk reduction funds.