Strong institutions, accountable governments, disciplined citizens as well as participatory governance play a big part in a country’s long-term growth and development. This was the gist of the messages delivered by resource persons Dean Ronald Mendoza of the Ateneo School of Government and Director Aida Maria Talavera of the Commission on Audit during the Development Academy of the Philippines’ Kartilya Session entitled “Citizen-Engaged Governance” last April 6 at the DAP headquarters in Pasig City. Mendoza presented a cross-country comparison of economic setbacks and recoveries in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines and pointed out that a country recovers faster when its institutions are strong because they serve as an economic foundation for that country.  He said that institutions or behavioral norms, values and unwritten rules play a big part in a country’s long-term growth and development.

Plans and policies not enough Mendoza further explained this by stressing that plans and policies alone do not make a country prosperous if there is continuous corruption and “rent-seeking” in the government – a practice where individuals or companies secure certain projects, positions or protection by virtue of connection to government officials in return for political support or campaign funds – or there is a lack of discipline on the part of the citizens. Development and stability, he said, occur when they are built on the foundation of transparent and accountable governments, disciplined citizens, and a stronger social cohesion and sense of community in the country.  Thus, in order to build this kind of institution over time, Mendoza affirmed that it is imperative to continually push for improving transparency and participatory governance. Talavera, on the other hand, presented an example of a participatory governance project in discussing citizen-participatory audit or CPA, which involves civil society organizations and citizens as partners in auditing government projects at the grassroots level. ‘Stronger and wiser when together’ “Government and civil society are stronger and wiser when working together and this has served as the core philosophy of the CPA,” she said. Talavera then cited some best practices such as the audit of a farm-to-market road project in Palawan.  The CPA, which won the 2013 Bright Spot award at the Open Government Partnership Summit in London, is deemed to be the first of its kind in the world. DAP Senior Vice President for Services Bernardo Dizon had opened the session by saying that citizen-engaged governance aims to ensure representation, empowerment, accountability and transparency in the government.  “When citizens are involved in the government, they feel more valued, more empowered, and more active in contributing to the country’s development, which will result in an increase in citizens’ satisfaction and a better quality of life,” he said. The Kartilya Session on citizen-engaged governance was attended by 32 participants from different public sector agencies.  It is the fourth installment to the Productivity Series that aims to stimulate thinking and spur collaboration between public sector agencies and other stakeholders on issues that are key to improving public sector productivity.

The first Future Center and Innovation Laboratory will be set up in the country as the Development Academy of the Philippines plans to establish a dedicated facility that is envisioned to help government agencies and other stakeholders co-create solutions to “wicked” problems through a new, innovative approach. The first step to this trail-blazing project was taken when Naoki Ogiwara, managing director of Knowledge Associates Japan Ltd., visited the Academy last March 19-23 to help in the concept development of the planned Future Center and Innovation Laboratory for the public sector.  The said assistance was part of the Asian Productivity Organization’s Technical Expert Service (TES) for the Philippines in relation to the country’s designation as the APO’s Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity in 2015. First of its kind Although already a trend in European countries, the planned Future Center and Innovation Laboratory would be the first of its kind in the Philippines.  The DAP has received funding from the national government for its facilities expansion plan for DAPCC Tagaytay, which involves the construction of a 14-storey building that will serve as the Future Center and Innovation Laboratory.  The said building will provide state-of-the-art facilities and training to help government agencies and other stakeholders solve their persistent problems through collaborative and innovative problem solving. As part of the TES, Ogiwara conducted an executive orientation on knowledge productivity for DAP officers in Pasig where ideas regarding the planned facility were generated.  The same orientation was conducted at DAPCC Tagaytay where the APO expert was also given a tour of the planned construction site. Stakeholders’ appreciation In order to understand stakeholders’ expectations for the Future Center and Innovation Laboratory, Ogiwara also conducted interviews with top officials of some of the Academy’s partner agencies such as Civil Service Commission Chairperson Alicia de la Rosa-Bala, Department of Budget and Management Undersecretary Lilia Guillermo, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, and National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro.  These partner agencies were very positive about the prospect of developing the country’s first Future Center and have agreed to work closely on pilot studies for the said facility.

Ogiwara also worked with key DAP officers on developing the concept paper for the Future Center and Innovation Laboratory.  Using information gathered from various stakeholders, they discussed and formulated the purpose, program, people, business models, and pilot plans for the Future Center.  The output of the workshop was then presented to DAP management, which also gave a very positive response.

Foundational work More like a foundational and ongoing work rather than a finished development, the TES is set to be followed by other activities such as benchmarking visits, trainings on design thinking and facilitation, pilot test design, and client consultations, all of which are expected to further equip the Academy in designing and running its Future Center and Innovation Laboratory. Ogiwara, in addition to his spade work with the DAP, also served as resource speaker in a Kartilya session on Knowledge Productivity in the Public Sector, which was attended by various government agencies that have also become interested in the idea of such a facility for the public sector. The DAP, which has earned the reputation of revolutionizing minds in the 1970s when it was first incepted, is again trying to respond to the challenge of becoming the breeding ground of innovative government programs for future generations, DAP management said. Through the Future Center and Innovation Laboratory, it explained the 44-year-old institution believes it is taking the next big step to reinvent itself by aiming not only to provide cutting-edge facilities but also lead the whole public sector towards innovation management and creative problem solving.

The Development Academy of the Philippines recently hosted the Asian Productivity Organization’s “Workshop on Developing Productivity Specialists in the Public Sector” at the O.D. Corpuz Hall at the DAP Building in Pasig City.  The workshop, which was attended by 28 participants from 14 APO member countries, was conducted to confirm the quality and relevance of the different units contained in the modules of the course manual developed last year by APO experts. The workshop also aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools that will develop their competencies as public sector productivity specialists. Course manual development It would be remembered that a group of public sector productivity experts led by Dr. Marson, then acting as chief expert, convened in 2016 in Manila to discuss the development of the course manual on developing productivity specialists in the public sector.  This course manual was envisioned to help develop the competencies of productivity and quality practitioners who can assist productivity improvement efforts of public sector organizations in member countries of the APO.

Dr. Marson has actually collaborated with five other experts within the past two years to produce the 11 modules in the course manual.  These experts are Dr. Anwar Sanusi of Indonesia, Dr. Shin Kim of Korea, Ms. Rauzah Zainal Abidin of Malaysia, Dr. Ora-orn Poocharoen of Thailand, and current DAP Officer in Charge Magdalena Mendoza of the Philippines. Programs showcased The workshop, which was held from March 12 to 16, contained 11 sessions delivered by the above-named experts.  Aside from the lectures, group discussions and exercises, local public sector organizations were invited to showcase their programs and productivity/performance improvement initiatives. Ms. Mary Margaret Sanchez, Vice President of the Member Services Operations–NCR North East Group of the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund, described the agency’s various programs and the initiatives it has developed over the years to improve its public service delivery, particularly on  use of e-services.  The agency has utilized information and communication technology in digitizing membership registration, contribution verification, housing loan application, and payment. Philhealth reforms highlighted On the other hand, Vergil De Claro, chief of the Corporate Planning Department of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, highlighted his agency’s reforms in advancing social health insurance.  These reforms include maximizing the use of tax money to increase the subsidy for non-contributory members, ensuring fair expansion of benefits, improving financial protection and containing costs. The participants and resource persons, who came from APO member countries Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Republic of China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, also visited the Philippine Economic Zone Authority Main Office in Bonifacio Global City and the Philippine Statistics Authority office in Quezon City. PEZA, PSA initiatives shared Both agencies shared their journey in developing and implementing initiatives and programs that have enhanced the performance of their mandate in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.  The PEZA articulated its characteristics as a “one-stop shop” and as a “non-stop shop” (continuous service).  Similarly, the PSA discussed its own Philippine Statistical Development Program that has triggered the development of responsive, effective, and efficient systems in providing quality statistics and services. At the conclusion of the five-day workshop, the participants formulated performance/productivity improvement action plans for their respective countries and agencies in particular.  These action plans will be shared with their respective national productivity organizations or NPOs for them to assist in their implementation and monitoring after six months.  Daily insights and suggestions on the sessions to help enhance the content of the modules in the course manual were also solicited from the participants.

The Development Academy of the Philippines, through its Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity (COE-PSP) Program, conducted its second Kartilya session entitled “Good Governance and Regulatory Management” last March 16 as part of its public sector productivity seminar series this year.

The said session, which was held at the Virata Hall, aimed to establish the role of regulatory management in good governance and also present the significance of electronic government and regulatory reform in public sector productivity.  Dr. D. Brian Marson of the Institute for Citizen-Centred Services in Canada and Dr. Shin Kim of the Korea Institute of Public Administration served as resource persons during the activity attended by personnel from both the public and private sectors. E-government in good governance Dr. Marson started the session by differentiating e-government from e-governance.  According to him, e-government refers to the use of information and communications technology to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of the government to its citizens.  Meanwhile, e-governance he said is generally considered as a wider concept than e-government since it can bring about change in the way citizens relate to government and to each other. Dr. Marson also pointed out the significance of e-government in improving governance and as a facilitator in reducing red tape in the government and providing better service to businesses in line with the achievement of the country’s Ambisyon 2040.

Best practices Before ending his talk, Dr. Marson shared some international best practices in e-government that originated from Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong and Malaysia.  He then gave a number of recommendations to the Philippine government on how to improve good governance and productivity performance, and these included (1) making e-government channels more client friendly, (2) enabling technology and service managers to work better together, and (3) integrating e-government information technology platforms. Dr. Kim, on the other hand, started his talk by laying down the negative correlation of regulation to labor productivity, income and economic growth as well as its positive correlation to informality and corruption. Development framework He also shared the development framework of regulatory reform, which starts at deregulation, is then followed by better regulation, and ends with regulatory management. At the end of his presentation, Dr. Kim shared the practice of Korea in terms of regulatory governance and eventually recommended strategies for a successful regulatory reform.  These include (1) having a good political leadership, (2) communicating the need for reform, (3) considering a comprehensive reform program rather than piecemeal reform, (4) considering evidence-based reform, and (5) considering international cooperation and coordination to promote reform.

The Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity is sponsoring 11 Kartilya sessions for the 2018 Productivity Series centering on relevant issues and concerns affecting national development and productivity. These issues have been identified as tax reforms, e-government, regulatory management, knowledge management and innovation, citizen-centered governance, lean management, business excellence, big data analytics, fair competition, phronetic leadership, 5S, and quality circle.

The first of this series of Kartilya sessions started last March 9 with the theme “Implications of the Tax Reform on Public Sector Productivity,” with Director Juvy Danofrata of the Department of Finance and Executive Director Jose Enrique Africa of the IBON Foundation as resource speakers. Ms. Danofrata discussed the principles and application of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law provisions vis-à-vis the key provisions of its Package 1 that is supposed to uplift the lives of Filipinos especially in the long term.  Africa, on the other hand, identified what certain sectors claimed as the loopholes and disadvantages of the said law to the Filipino public.

The tax reform

Danofrata emphasized that the said law, or Republic Act No. 10963, aims to correct a number of deficiencies in the current taxation system and hopes to reduce poverty and inequality through a system where the rich would have a bigger contribution in tax payments while the poor would benefit more from the government’s programs and services.

The DOF, according to Danofrata, acknowledged that the TRAIN Law definitely has an effect on prices of commodities; however, it should not be a very significant increase owing to the research that they conducted that showed the increase should only be 0.3 percent for food and 0.7 percent for other basic commodities.

To address the issue of those who would be directly affected by the oil excise tax, the DOF proposed a P200-per-month cash transfer to the poorest 10 million households in 2018.  This will then be increased to P300 per month in 2019 and in 2020.

Infrastructure projects

Danofrata said the TRAIN law envisions to improve the quality of life of all Filipinos by using 70 percent of the revenues that would be raised to fund infrastructure projects over a five-year period as part of the “Build, Build, Build Program” of the Duterte administration.  These include provisions for military structure, sports facilities for public schools, and potable drinking water in public places. 

The remaining 30 percent, meanwhile, will be used to fund certain social services especially for sugar farmers, investments in education, health, social protection, employment, free skills training at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the conditional fund transfer to the poorest 10 million households as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Through these infrastructure developments, the government hopes to yield a higher quality of education among the workforce, higher income for farmers because of the cash transfers, more efficient farming practices and farm-to-market accessibility, as well as increase in mobility by improving mass transport system in the country.  The BIR Director shared that the vision of the TRAIN Law is not to burden the people but to make sure that in the long run, all will benefit from it to provide everybody a better future.

The critique

Africa, for his part, stressed that although the government was able to come up with a comprehensive tax reform program through the TRAIN Law, such law did not consider the context of the Filipino public and the unintended consequences of the so-called “most comprehensive taxation system” in the country.  He stated that one of the loopholes is that the gains are only concentrated on the rich while the system takes so much from the poor.  Such law, he said, would only increase the productivity of the BIR and Bureau of Customs at the expense of the tax system’s effectiveness in delivering vital social and development outcomes.

Moreover, Africa stressed that the claim that the TRAIN Law will eventually rescue 21 million Filipinos from poverty is an overstatement.  Based on the data they have acquired from the Philippine Statistics Authority, it is not true that 99 percent of Filipinos will benefit from it despite the purported cash transfers that will then be lifted by 2021.  He emphasized that the real effect of the TRAIN Law would only be felt in 2021 by the poorest of the poor after the Cash Transfer Program of the DSWD has ended.

More than TRAIN

The IBON official said that although the TRAIN Law supposedly aims to improve social services, healthcare and education, it would take a lot more factors to be able to address poverty and inequality in the country.

Both speakers encouraged Filipinos to continuously inquire and enter into dialogue with government officials and other sectoral organizations as they assess the implications of the TRAIN Law to the Filipino public’s everyday life.  They said that all people need to be vigilant in order for them to be able to assess later the impact of such law to national development and to the people’s collective aspirations.

Africa conveyed his last point that the government need not actually collect taxes from all.  Ms. Danofrata concluded by reminding everyone to do their respective shares for the realization of a better life for every Filipino.  In the end, both agreed that the common good has to be articulated by every Filipino citizen.