2019

This is an Entry to the Government Best Practice Recognition Awards

Title

Nagkakaisang Lingkod-Bayan ng Davao Oriental Barangay Outreach Caravan

Organization

PLGU-Davao Oriental

Year Implemented

2016

Summary

Nagkakaisang Lingkod Bayan ng Davao Oriental – Barangay Outreach Caravan (NLD BOC) is a Peace and Development program of PLGU-Davao Oriental initiated by Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang. It aims to reintroduce Government and bring services closer to the People. It is a convergence of all public servicing agencies in Davao Oriental. The program was launched on November 25, 2016, and pilot tested in the remotest barangay in Davao Oriental. To date, it has 75 peace and development partners consisting of national, regional, provincial, municipal government agencies; private companies; and civil society organizations, benefiting 12 of 183 barangays with 478,914 individuals. NLD BOC is an innovation on the whole-of-nation approach.

Background and Problem

Communities in the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) always lament that they do not have ready access to government services. Such sentiment was usurped by the insurgent left; hence, they can sustain a rebellion against the government drawing support from the disillusioned masses. Governance methods are generally carried out according to mandates. However, observations and experience have it that:

  1. Development programs are more often delivered to target clients separately from the peacebuilding agenda;
  2. Implementation processes and community development curricula of service providers are often not congruent with each other;
  3. Government services are mostly stationary and inaccessible to basic communities in areas geographically detached from urban centers;
  4. While target-based, the beneficiaries are not profile-specific; hence,
  5. Program interventions are relatively not sustained both by interveners and beneficiaries;
  6. There is an absence of a unifying vehicle that can facilitate matching needs to applicable interventions.

Solution and Impact

The program follows a basic log-frame (Table 1) and process (Table 2) that guides its program implementing unit in charting out and conducting the required activities. Process management is centralized, but central decisions are focused only on the conduct of the caravan and other activities related to program development. Inputs in the program are mostly coming from the participating peace and development partner agencies and offices based on their respective and decided PPMPs (Project Procurement Management Plans) for the given period, hence, self-utilization of internal funds.

This is for both PLGU departments and participating agencies/entities. The NLD BOC program also maintains a reserve fund of Php 15,000,000.00 to fund other expense items in the course of conducting the service caravans such as fuel, office supplies, and some materials for the major services that the caravan brings such as medicines, agricultural inputs, and others.

Milestones

Remarkable Results:

  1. 36% increased accomplishment by the local branches of the AFP
  2. Program Implementation Processes upscaled
  3. Program Replication by C/MLGUs
  4. Increased number of P&D partners
  5. Increased number of beneficiaries

Awards:

 The NLD BOC, as a program, has not yet received an award from official award-giving bodies mostly because it is still a young program. But it is already being recognized as a good governance model and mentioned by the AFP in its commemorative book, “Filipino-AFP Strong”. It was also cited as Seal of Good Local Governance 2017 and Regional Award for the Presidential Lingkod-Bayan 2018

 Next Steps:

  1. Conduct of the NLD BOC in the remaining 61 barangays of Davao Oriental
  2. Conduct NLD BOC Partners Workshop
  3. Commence implementing sustainability projects for the 122 barangays that had already been served
  4. Sum up NLD BOC impact on governance and community development