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Galing Pook 2008 • 1

2 • Galing Pook 2008

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ContentsContentsContentsContentsContents

Cover Design Concept by Dr. Eddie Dorotan • Layout and Main Articles by Allen M. Mariano • Photos submitted by LGUs

3 The Galing Pook4 Beacons of Good Governance: Hope for the Country6 Energizing local economies through partnerships7 Helping promote local economies8 Children of Peace Cotabato Province10 An Empowering Barangay Code Barangay Sanito12 Transforming Payatas Dumpsite Quezon City14 Alliance Building for Landscape Development Allah Valley16 Service Without Delay through Centralized Warehousing Marikina City18 Orchestrating Efforts Toward a Sustainable City San Carlos City20 Disaster Risk Reduction Albay22 Governance as a Shared Responsibility City of San Fernando, Pampanga24 Condo Living for the Urban Poor Taguig City26 From Ash to Cash Pampanga Province28 Special Citation: Local Incentive Mechanisms that Work32 Award for Continuing Excellence33 The 2008 Finalists35 2008 Regional Selection Committee36 2008 National Selection Committee38 Galing Pook Foundation Board of Trustees and Secretariat


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The Galing Pook awards is a pioneering program thatrecognizes innovation and excellence in localgovernance.

It started in October 21, 1993 under the joint initiativeof the Local Government Academy-Department ofthe Interior and Local Government, the FordFoundation, and other individual advocates of goodgovernance from the academe, civil society and thegovernment.

The Asian Institute of Management carried on theawards program until 2001. Earlier in 1998, the GalingPook Foundation was formed as a juridical institutionto sustain the program.

Since 1994, more than 230 programs from 152 localgovernment units have already won recognition. TheGaling Pook winners are chosen each year from awide array of programs from local governments afterundergoing a rigorous multi-level screening process.

The winning programs are selected based on positiveresults, promotion of people's participation andempowerment, transferability and sustainability, andefficiency of program service delivery.

VisionVisionVisionVisionVisionWe are a leading resource institution that promotesinnovation, sustainability, citizen empowerment, andexcellence in local governance.

MissionMissionMissionMissionMissionWe promote excellence in local governance throughrecognition, sharing of information and support ofefforts to replicate best practices at the local level.

We encourage partnerships among civil societyorganizations, private sector, and governmentagencies at local, national and global levels to improvequality of life.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACADEMY

FORDFOUNDATION


Amidst the continuing controversies and theeconomic intricacies all around us, we never fail

to find local government units that keep the light ofhope for our country. On this occasion, we honoranother ten beacons of good governance after a fullyear of thorough searching.

At the southernmost part of our archipelago, we findone barangay in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay that is ableto set aright its financial position. It introduced sensibleregulatory fees for its basic services and economicand environmental programs, while promoting peaceand order by unleashing the potentials of its mandatethrough the Sanito Barangay Government Code, aunique innovation coming from the most basic localgovernment unit.

The two provinces of South Cotabato and SultanKudarat showed how the involvement of various LGUs,where not only livelihood but lives are at stake, canwork in an inter-government and multi-sectorcomprehensive and concerted action to addressurgent multi-territorial concerns. The duty bearersand stakeholders in Allah Valley spanning twoprovinces get their acts together on a sustained majorenvironmental task, a feat that most LGUs in thecountry should consider in the face of ominousenvironmental trends.

Among our three winners from Mindanao, we oftenhear Cotabato Province being besieged by armedconflicts and natural disasters causing the displacementof Muslims, Indigenous Peoples and Christians. TheCotabato provincial government thought of focusingon the interests of the children first being the mostvulnerable group. They undertook multi-dimensionalinitiatives to guarantee the welfare and protection oftheir young while effectively entrusting them thesignificant mission of promoting harmony as Childrenof Peace. Now, let me take you to the center of our archipelagowhere we have San Carlos City in Negros Occidentalas the lone champion of good governance in the

Visayas this year. Vying for the Galing Pook Awardfor Continuing Excellence, this time, they showed thateconomic growth and ecological balance must beintegral to LGU’s development initiatives ensuring theinvolvement of all sectors in the process. The City ofSan Carlos continues to transform its rural communitiesinto agro-industrial areas that are economically viableand leads their people to be socially responsible andmindful of the environment. Moving up to the south of Luzon in the Bicol Region,the area most prone to strong typhoons and volcanicactivities, the provincial government of Albayinstitutionalized their Public Safety and EmergencyManagement Office to protect and preserve life andproperty during emergencies. They promote disasterrisk reduction in the framework of climate changecapacitating communities to be proactive and disasterresilient to ensure that not a single casualty inemergency situations ever take place. Their programhas made them the laboratory and knowledgeresource of such undertakings in the Philippines andabroad.

For this batch of champions in good governance, wehave three from the National Capital Region. One isthe City of Taguig whose Family Townhomes Projectfor the Poor provides opportunities to their homelessconstituents for decent but affordable shelter withefficient utility services while capacitating themthrough livelihood programs to afford the amenities.They demonstrated that housing for the poor neednot be, literally and figuratively, cheap.

Second is Quezon City which showed us how toundertake what is thought to be an insurmountabletask – the rehabilitation of the Payatas waste disposalsite. The Quezon City government proved that tacklingenvironmental health and safety, sustainable livelihoodand clean development processes are altogetherdoable even with comparably lesser fundingrequirements and far considerable benefits as whenthe area was left barely managed.

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Third is our perennial winner, Marikina, with their CentralizedWarehouse Management System. Their example of procurementand supplies management and judicious utilization of expendablematerials are already catching the interest of other LGUs. Marikinamade operational the virtue of prudence in the use of the city’sresources and the efficient supply chain and propertymanagement to address the present and future needs of the city.

Up North, we have the City of San Fernando in Pampanga whichmade governance a shared responsibility. They established aperformance measurement management system used in businessesto improve governance. The City raised the standards of publicmanagement through citizen’s participation and institutionalizeda pact to achieve their collective aspirations articulated in theCity’s roadmap.

Completing our current roster of excellent and innovative LGUsis the Province of Pampanga whose contentious quarrying programshould not deflect us from the underlying reasons why it is chosento be among this batch’s prestigious winners. Faced with all theodds right from the onset, the Provincial government of Pampangamustered the will to institute the necessary fiscal managementand accountability measures in its quarrying operations. Amidstformidable interests, it chose to pursue the long needed reformto allow its people to genuinely benefit from the quarryingrevenues. With these fine examples of good governance, the challengefor us now is to make them ripple through to more LGUs, to alllevels of government, to the entire country. We should take thenext steps from celebrating and promoting these successes, toconcretely endeavoring for these examples to be actuallyadopted, to reach the point of redirecting our collectiveconsciousness towards good governance as the norm rather thana peculiarity. Like the LGUs that we honor on this occasion, let usall seize the opportunities at hand and create them where thereare none. Let these LGUs be our inspirations, the bearer of hopethat what is needed and best for our people should come to pass.

Rafael L. CoscolluelaChairperson

Galing Pook Foundation

With these fineexamples of good

governance, thechallenge for us now is

to make them ripplethrough to more LGUs,

to all levels ofgovernment, to the

entire country


Energizing local economiesEnergizing local economiesEnergizing local economiesEnergizing local economiesEnergizing local economiesthrough parthrough parthrough parthrough parthrough partnershipstnershipstnershipstnershipstnerships

In behalf of the Development Bank of the Philippines,I would like to congratulate the winners of the 2008

Galing Pook. It is certainly heartwarming and inspiringto hear the stories of this year’s awardees, and howthey have brought progress to their communities whilewinning back the trust of their constituents.

DBP’s support to the Galing Pook Awards reflects ourcommitment to encourage the development of localgovernment programs that can fast-track positivesocio-economic impacts and people empowerment.We hope that through this initiative, more localgovernment units can institutionalize good governanceand consequently bring more effective service to theFilipino people. It is also our way of thanking the localgovernment sector for the strong linkages we haveharnessed with them.

For the past 62 years, DBP has banked on its solidpartnerships with various local government units inspurring progress in the countryside. We have workedclosely with them for a number of relevant initiativessuch as water systems, infrastructure, housing programs,and other projects that enable our society to progressas it should.

REYNALDO G. DAVIDPresident and CEO

Development Bank of the Philippines

DevDevDevDevDevelopment Bank ofelopment Bank ofelopment Bank ofelopment Bank ofelopment Bank of the Philippines the Philippines the Philippines the Philippines the Philippines

I commend this year’s Galing Pookwinners for their efforts

to provide greater serviceto our primary stakeholders —the Filipino people. They have

definitely raised the bar in publicgovernance a few notches higher.

We don’t intend to let up this year. We want to domore, especially with the need to energize thedomestic economy in light of the financial crunchaffecting major economies around the world. We thusencourage local government units to partner with usfor their priority development projects — be it ininfrastructure and logistics, community developmentprograms like housing, hospitals, and schools, orenvironmental initiatives. We have P47.6 billion inavailable funds that LGUs can tap for their differentdevelopment thrusts. We are looking at the rightprojects and the right LGU-partners.

I commend this year’s Galing Pook winners for theirefforts to provide greater service to our primarystakeholders—the Filipino people. They havedefinitely raised the bar in public governance a fewnotches higher. At the same time, they have helped indispelling misconceptions of corruption andincompetence in government particularly in the locallevel. I hope they can continue to build on these gains,and that together with DBP, we can continue to makea difference in the lives of millions of Filipinos.


Helping promote local economiesHelping promote local economiesHelping promote local economiesHelping promote local economiesHelping promote local economies

Greetings to the men and women behind the Galing Pook Awards and congratulations toall the winners of this prestigious award.

We commend this effort to recognize innovative and sustainable programs of our LocalGovernment Units (LGUs) which can be replicated by other cities and municipalities in thecountry.

This is parallel to our thrust of helping promote the growth of local economies throughfinancing and provision of technical and marketing assistance to key players in rural growthand development.

To our partner LGUs, may you continue to implement more effective programs and exercisegood governance that would benefit your constituents particularly in the promotion oflivelihood opportunities, improvement of agricultural productivity, establishment ofenvironmental protection and disaster management systems, and development of housingand educational facilities.

For our part, LANDBANK will remain supportive of LGUs as we consider you among oureffective allies in fostering growth and development of our communities.

GILDA E. PICOPresident and CEOLAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES

Land Bank of the PhilippinesLand Bank of the PhilippinesLand Bank of the PhilippinesLand Bank of the PhilippinesLand Bank of the Philippines

. . . . may you continueto implement

more effective programsand exercise

good governancethat would benefit

your constituents. . . .


camaraderie among the Moro, IPand Christian youth by having themshare their experiences andaspirations. The program alsoseeks to develop confidence andtrust among the youth andencourage them to activelycampaign for peace in theirrespective communities. Lastly, theprogram provides avenues for selfimprovement through formal andtechnical education.

The CFP has many components butthe Children of Peace (COP) is itsbanner program, which is designedto create better and long-lastingties between the youth in theprovince. Essentially, the COPprogram brings the youth from thetri-peoples of Cotabato togetherat a four to seven-day workshop

in a learning, sharing and livingenvironment to make themunderstand and appreciate eachother’s culture and belief systems.Among the topics they discussinclude Peace Building,Understanding the Muslim, Christianand IP faith and children’s rights.

By encouraging the children toshare, learn, understand andappreciate each other’s culturesand beliefs, the program hopes tocorrect misconceptions anddevelop better relationships. Theidea is to enable the young togrow and learn to live together inpeace and harmony. Since 2003,six batches of children, or a totalof 239 children, have participatedin the program. Some of them

In war-torn areas, it is thechildren who are usually the

victims and are even recruited tobecome soldiers. In the conflictareas of Cotabato, the localgovernment has taken a morepositive approach by recruitingand forming children to becomepeace advocates who can lead theway to resolving the armed conflict.

The Cotabato provincialgovernment realized that thearmed conflict in the region is partlyrooted in the underlying distrustbetween the three peoples ofMindanao—the indigenous people,the Moro people and the Christiansettlers. And that it would be a farmore difficult task to change theperception of the adults who havealready made up their minds thanto convince the children who aremore open to new ideas.

Thus, in August of 2003, theprovincial government of Cotabatobegan implementing its ChildrenFirst Program (CFP). The objectiveof the CFP is to promote

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became scholars of the provincialgovernment and seven havealready graduated from variouscolleges and universities. The COPgraduates are organized in a waythat encourages them to maintainties and to work for peace in theircommunities. In time, a critical massof peace advocates wouldhopefully form in their respectiveareas.

The other components of the CFP—Study Now, Pay Later Plan; BalikEskwela; Books for Peace; OSYSkills Training; Oral Hygiene; andSanitation; and Tele Eskwela—helpenhance the children’s education.The Pasko Alay sa mga Bataprogram enables the indigentchildren to enjoy Christmas.

With the Study Now, Pay Later Plan,deserving students were able to getan education. A total of 2,380scholars have been supported bythe Provincial Government since2003. A total of 1,235 havegraduated and a total of 1000students are currently enrolled invarious colleges and universities inCotabato Province. Meanwhile, theSkills Training enabled the out-of-school youth to learn livelihoodskills. Twenty out-of-school youthwere given technical scholarshipsin cooperation with TESDA. Theseyoung people now have the meansto earn livelihood through the skillsthey have learned.

The Provincial Government haslimited resources but it managed toenlist the help of other institutionsand agencies like the UnitedNations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)and the ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc.These agencies donatededucational materials such asbooks and school supplies as wellas equipment like television sets

and VHS players. A total of 75schools received the packages oftechnology which proved veryhelpful in teaching math andscience concepts. An assessment ofthe Tele Eskwela program showedthat participating pupils achievedscores which were 10 to 15 percenthigher than those who did not. Theprogram also promoted higherpupil-teacher interaction in class.

In the Books for Peace componentprogram, a total of 101 schoolswere able to access books from theBooks for the Barrios, Inc., an NGObased in the United States. Thecreation of the mini-libraries in therecipient schools developed thestudents’ love for reading,increased their reading abilities andwidened their horizons.

Every year, the ProvincialGovernment celebrates Christmasday with the institutionalization ofthe Pasko Alay sa mga Bata. Withthe assistance of the ProvincialDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment, indigent childrenfrom selected barangays aregathered for the Christmascelebration. A simple party and

gift giving is conducted for thechildren.

The CFP was borne out of theardent desire to find a strategic endto the festering conflict plaguingthe province of Cotabato. It ispremised on the belief that bychanging paradigms among theyoung, peace might becomeattainable in Mindanao. Whenthe children’s perceptions of eachother change, they might learn tolive more peacefully together. Andwhen the young are bettereducated, they also have moreopportunities to become moreproductive and are more likely topursue a life of peace andprosperity.

The program is simple, sustainableand highly replicable in many areasof Mindanao. Among themechanisms that make it sustainableare the following: theinstitutionalization of an office thathandles the planning,implementation, and assessment ofthe projects under the program; thepassing of the Children’s Code, anordinance that spells out programsthat the young need for theirdevelopment and protection; thecooperation of institutions whosecontributions ensure that theprogram will go beyond anyleadership in the ProvincialGovernment; and continuedlinkages with development partnersfrom various sectors who aim toensure the continuity of theprogram.

By encouraging thechildren to share,learn, understandand appreciate

each other’s culturesand beliefs,

the programhopes to correct

misconceptions anddevelop betterrelationships

Governor Jesus N. SacdalanTel. No.(064) 278-7001Fax No.(064) 278-7053

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The sanity of the residents ofBarangay Sanito was sorely

tested when the population of theircoastal village was more thandoubled by the influx of informalsettlers in their area. In a short time,Barangay Sanito became infamousas the “mother barangay of Ipil”—a place of squatters andlawlessness. The huge presence ofinformal settlers resulted in chaos;there was no zoning, no sanitationand criminality worsened.

After the Abu Sayaf raided Ipil in1995, more people poured intoBarangay Sanito as they sought theprotection of the 102nd Brigade ofthe Philippine Army and theProvincial Police Office which werestationed there. But povertyremained pervasive, criminality washigh and the sewage and garbageproblem was worsening with themismanagement of the municipaldumpsite.

Fed up with the dire conditions, thebarangay’s leadership conducteda series of consultative meetingswith its constituents in 2003 to tryto impose order to the chaos.Together, they designed theprogram called Avante Sanito(Forward Sanito) which they laterrenamed to ProgramangPampatatag ng Barangay Sanito.

The barangay’s finances were thenin shambles and there was anurgent need to exact appropriateregulatory fees to increase fundsfor the delivery of basic services.The barangay officials alsorequired a better mandate thatwould empower them to motivateand elicit the participation of theprivate sector in the governanceof the barangay. Hence, the SanitoBarangay Government Code of2004, which was later amended as

the Sanito Barangay GovernmentCode of 2005 was introduced.

The barangay code called for thestrengthening of the inter-officelinkages and the barangay’srelationship with the private sectorthrough the Kapit-bisig structure ofgovernance. It also mandated theimposition of additional fees suchas the Barangay Public WorksDevelopment Fee, BarangayWater Development Fee and theCoastal Resource DevelopmentFee. Vagrancy was penalized. Solidwaste management was improved.And the military and the police whowere based in the barangay werecompelled to be members of thedifferent barangay bodies. Lastly,the various purok were madeaccountable for their actions.

With the implementation of thecode, Barangay Sanito was able tonurture a business-friendlyatmosphere. It began to restorepeace and order and build theinfrastructure of the barangay.

Barangay Executive Orders,backed by barangay resolutionsimplementing the provisions of thecode, were issued. Barangayassemblies were held every sixmonths while a consultativemeeting with the purok officials isheld every three months. Thisparticipative process ensuredcontinual evaluation of the efficacyof the measures put in place.

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Among the innovations adoptedwas the establishment of the SanitoAgro–Eco Tourism Park. Thebarangay was able to tap theresources of various governmentagencies and the private sector inimplementing various programssuch as aquasilviculture, seaweedsprocessing, construction of farm-to-market roads, environmentalprotection and coastal resourcemanagement. Farm trainings wereconducted and seedlings weredistributed to the initial batch offarmer-beneficiaries to encouragecrop production. The barangay inassociation with the provincialgovernment tapped theDepartment of Agriculture andestablished linkages with otheragencies in the packaging,promotion and marketing oflivelihood products. Marketinglinkages were established region-wide through the BarangayBagsakan (Barangay Market).

The barangay’s advocacy onenvironmental protection, coastalresource management, and globalwarming compelled the residents topractice recycling and composting.Open burning which used to berampant is now rare. The BarangayEnvironment Code and CoastalManagement measures have alsoproven effective in safeguardingthe environment.

The increased income of thebarangay enabled it to enter intocounter-parting scheme. With


counterpart funds, the barangaywas able to draw more fundingfrom donor agencies such as theUSAID and the World Bank-fundedprojects of the Department ofAgriculture and other agencies.

Gender sensitivity was alsomainstreamed through the Pag-asaWomen and the Sanito ResponsibleWomen Association and was abuilt-in mechanism in the “MiniKibbutz” for women and theWomen Agar-agar CrackersProducers, as well as the SanitoMudcrab and LivelihoodAssociation.

The behavior of the people turnedfrom passive to pro-active. Byimposing the barangay codethrough the participatoryapproach, the barangay was ableto complete its projects, resuscitateits economy, improve itsinfrastructure and impose peaceand order. The residents are nowmore receptive to training andseminars. They have also becomemore conscious of their socialresponsibilities and are motivatedto improve their communities.

The success of the program stemfrom the will ingness of thegoverned to comply with thebarangay code. But theircompliance was also ensuredbecause of the multi-sectoralparticipatory process whichinvolved the different stakeholdersin the planning and implementationof the code.

The new barangaycode empowered

the local leadershipto motivate and elicit

the participationof the private sector

in the governanceand improvementof the barangay

Eventually, Barangay Sanito’ssuccess gained the recognition ofthe provincial government andencouraged the different nationalagencies to extend technicalassistance and funding for theconstruction of more farm-to-market roads, the construction ofa permanent Bagsakan Buildingand funding for the Sanito Agro–Eco Tourism Park which includescoastal resource management,wildlife protection and livelihood.

Today, it looks like the program willcontinue to be implemented evenbeyond the present barangayleadership because it is anchoredon community participation whichcreated a sense of ownership,responsibility and sense ofbelongingness among thestakeholders. Moreover, protectivemeasures and programs have beeninstitutionalized. All of these bodewell for the continuing stability ofthe formerly chaotic barangaywhose constituents’ energies wereeffectively redirected to achieveconcrete community developmentgoals.

Punong Barangay Jose Cabaral TiuTelfax. No. (062) 333-5596

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Payatas is a solid waste dumpsitein Quezon City. Back in 2000,

it was also home to thousands ofthe city’s indigent families. Close to300 people died when thegarbage slid down and buriedsome of the houses which wereclustered at the bottom of aparticularly precarious, steepsection of the cliff-like hill ofgarbage during a pouring rain.

The following year, the legislatorsissued Republic Act 9003 or TheEcological Solid WasteManagement Act of 2001, whichmandated the closure of all opendumpsites in the country byFebruary 2006. The Quezon Citygovernment promptly began toimplement pioneering andinnovative programs to ensure notonly the continued safe operationof the site, but also its successfulconversion into a controlled wastedisposal facility.

The rehabilitation of the Payatasdumpsite has been a multi-disciplinary and sectoral effort, withthe City Government in the leadand the community, the Barangay,non-government organizations(NGOs) and people’s organizations(POs), and the scavengersthemselves participating in theimplementation of the project. TheCity Government also tapped theexpertise and services ofgovernment organizations (such asPNOC), the academe (University ofthe Philippines, MAPUA and the

University of Singapore) andprivate groups such as IPMEnvironmental Services, Inc. (IPM-ESI) for the planning andimplementation of the project. Theyworked together in therehabilitation of the dumpsite toaddress the City’s concerns inPayatas: environmental health andsafety, stability of the dumpsite,safety of the surroundingcommunity, livelihood needs ofthose dependent on the site forincome, and compliance with RA9003.

Constant dialogues and discussionswere held with the scavengers andthe nearby communities regardingthe state of the dumpsite and thenecessary developments to ensuretheir health and safety and thestability of the dumpsite. Thescavengers were also providedfinancing and skills training thatallowed them to go into smallbusiness ventures and prepare foralternative livelihood, inanticipation of the closure of thedisposal facility.

With the cooperation of NGOs suchas the Homeless People’sFederation Philippines, VincentianMissionaries for SocialDevelopment Foundation, Inc., Starof Hope Philippines and the IPM-ESI, almost 1,000 families livingalong danger zones adjacent tothe dumpsite were relocated.Various organizations are alsohelping the City Government

provide healthcare, non-formaleducation and livelihoodopportunities to the scavengers andnearby communities.

In 2004, the conversion of thedumpsite into a controlled wastedisposal facility began. It involvedseveral measures, such asreshaping the slope of the garbageheap, stabilization and greening,drainage system improvement,fortifying roadways and access tothe site, gas venting and recovery.In May 2006, the City Governmentimplemented the Final Closure Planfor this facility. In 2007, the QuezonCity Controlled Disposal FacilityBiogas Emission Reduction Projectwas approved and registered as aClean Development Mechanism(CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol bythe United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change lastFebruary 1, 2008. The project, anoffshoot of the earlier Gas toPower Generation Project, involvesextraction, collection, processing,flaring and conversion intoelectricity of the biogas emissionsat the disposal facility.

The program is pioneering.Quezon City is the first UrbanCenter to implement the SolidWaste Management Act. TheDepartment of Environment andNatural Resources’ Special Awardgiven to the QC-LGU in August2004, recognized the LGU’s“promising and innovative programin achieving environmental

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improvements with the conversionof the Payatas Dumpsite into aControlled Facility and being thefirst in the country to capturemethane gas from the dumpsite asan alternative energy source, thusensuring the health and safety ofthe community.”

The program for dumpsiterehabilitation remarkablyimproved the dumpsite’soperational efficiency, cut downoperating costs and at the sametime made the facility safer andmore environment-friendly. Asidefrom the DENR award, the CityGovernment has received severalother commendations for therehabilitation program, which hasmade the Quezon City ControlledDisposal Facility a laboratory andshowcase for solid wastemanagement initiatives and amodel for other LGUs.

Many LGUs continue to visit thedisposal facility to see first-handthe development of the dumpsiteand to learn, and possibly replicate,the measures and practices appliedby the City in the successfulrehabilitation of the dumpsite. ThePayatas dumpsite has become adestination and a must-see inQuezon City for students, bothlocal and foreign, as part of theirlearning experience, and for othervisitors who simply want to see thevast improvement in the disposalfacility.

Clearly, Quezon City has createdthe model by which other localgovernments, not only in thePhilippines, but also in otherdeveloping countries, cansuccessfully manage and maintaina safe, controlled solid wastefacility. The remaining challenge forthe city government is how to give

new life to Payatas after the closureof the dumpsite.

The dumpsiterehabilitation programremarkably improved

the dumpsite’soperational efficiency,cut down operating

costs and at the sametime made the facility

safer and moreenvironment-friendly.

Mayor Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr.Tel. No. (02) 924-3592Fax No. (02) 921-6750

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The major river systems traversingthe provinces of Sultan Kudarat

and South Cotabato are both ablessing and a curse to the people.The rivers are a blessing becausethey provide abundant water forthe adjacent rice and corn fields.But they become a curse when thewater levels rise and inundate thefarms.

So far, the inhabitants havesuffered two major flashfloods andhave witnessed massive soilerosion along the riverbanks. Theintermittent flooding and siltationcost an estimated P5 million ofdamages to productive rice landsyearly. These problems affect 65barangays along the Allah andBanga rivers as well as 30,000hectares of irrigated rice land. Andthe risk posed to productive ricelands and public infrastructurefacilities have worsened becauseof the erratic climate conditions.

These problems were traced to themassive changes to the 252,034-hectare Allah Valley watershed.Among the human-induced factorsinclude massive tree cutting and

land clearing in the uplands andagricultural production alongriverbanks. The low level ofcommunity awareness about theimportance of protecting uplandareas and river systemsexacerbated the problem. Thedestructive practices stem frompoor environmental managementand weak policy implementation ofenvironment protection measuresby the authorities.

The only way to reverse thedamage was to institutionalizewatershed management and bringstakeholders together to implementthe required changes. This wasachieved when the Allah ValleyLandscape Development Alliance(AVLDA) was created in 2003. TheAVLDA brought together twogovernors, nine mayors, fiveregional directors of nationalgovernment agencies, and the chairof the Coalition of SocialDevelopment Organizations inSouth Cotabato (CSDO-SC).Together with two SangguniangPanlalawigan representatives, theycompose the Board of Directors of

AVLDA who meet every quarter ofthe year.

The AVLDA was created to addressthe pressing problems beingexperienced in the Allah Valley ina cooperative and coherentmanner. Its primary function as analliance is the protection andmanagement of the Allah ValleyLandscape through interventionsanchored on environmental,economic, social, cultural andorganizational development andinstitution building through anintegrated approach.

A Project Management Office(PMO) serves as the Secretariat ofthe AVLDA. It is tasked to overseethe day-to-day operations andpursue the implementation of theEnvironmental Management Planand annual operation plan.

In the ensuing years, the AVLDAemployed technical and socialmethods to address environmentalproblems. It developed criticalthematic maps based on the 2002-2005 satellite images as well asfrom the 1,000 aerial photos it took.These maps formed the basis forenvironment, socio-economic andcomprehensive land use planning.The AVLDA also conductedinformation and educationcampaigns in 70 LGUs andundertook a flood hazardassessment. It has also mobilized theprivate sector and involved thecommunities in project planning andassessment, project site studies andobservation, disaster management,forest and upland management,and river management.

Its most popular project is theRiparian Zone Revegetation, whichentailed the planting of bamboostalks along the banks of majorrivers. The project aimed to protectrivers and streams from erosion,improve water flow, and minimize

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siltation. This project elicitedsupport from 19 Barangays, 1banking institution, 2 water districts,2 electric cooperatives, 2 miningcompanies, 1 agro-industrial com-pany, 4 agricultural cooperatives,4 NGOs and 2 civic groups. Theyshared their labor, time and money.The program resulted in theplanting of 15,000 bamboo hills ina 30-kilometer stretch at the banksof major rivers. The AVLDA alsopursued the construction of dikesat critical sections of the rivers andthe re-channelling of water flow tosave prime lands, settlements andinfrastructure facilities. Otherprojects include the Reforestationand Upstream ResourceManagement (RURM) programwhich aimed to improve forest landcover, reduce river siltation andprovide livelihood opportunities toupland dwellers.

The AVLDA has encouraged closercooperation among the politicalleaders despite their differingpolitical inclinations. In fact, fromthe original LGU membership of 11,the alliance now has a total of 13LGU members, when two LGUsjoined the alliance in 2006. Themayors formulate and implementsimilar policies and strategies atinterconnected areas to create asubstantial impact. Regularmeetings, discussions, planning andassessments led to a betterunderstanding of issues andproblems and to the developmentof common solutions and strategies.

The program could never havesucceeded without the cooperationof many stakeholders. Since itsinception, many LGUs, NGOs/POs,civic groups, private businesses, andcommunity members participated inthe situation analysis, project

planning, project implementation,monitoring and assessment.

At the time of its creation, thealliance included the Coalition ofSocial Development Organizations(CSDO) in South Cotabato, whichrepresented civil society. Last year,the Board approved themembership of the Sultan KudaratEnvironment Protection Network(SKEPNet) which is also a group ofNGOs operating in Sultan Kudaratprovince to balance representationat the provincial level. Themembership of these NGOsensures widespread, active andsteady involvement of civil societyin the promotion, protection,conservation and development ofthe Allah Valley watershed. It alsoensures linkages between LGUsand NLAs, which strengthen theintegration process of projects andplans for local development andenvironmental sustainability at thegrassroots level.

The Community Based ResourceAssessment Mapping wasemployed to ensure communityownership of planning documents.The CBRAM was conducted in 11barangays. The workshops had anaverage of 25 participantscomposed of barangay councilmembers, purok leaders, seniorcitizens, youth, women, health

workers, day care workers,farmers, and civil society groups.The municipal planning officers andpersonnel also participated. Theresulting documents providecomprehensive information aboutthe Barangays and become basesfor LGU planning and investmentprogramming.

The foundation for programsustainability has already beenestablished. The AVLDA Boardpassed key resolutions for allmembers to consider forimplementation. The ProvincialDevelopment Councils of the twoprovinces and RegionalDevelopment Council of Region 12have already approved andendorsed the projects of theAVLDA. The landscape maps arealready substantial bases forwatershed planning andmanagement of LGUs, NGO/POsand NGAs operating in the AllahValley. The maps projectedinseparable, integrated programsof public service organizations.

The program can easily bereplicated in other areas which areexperiencing similar problems andissues. But the key stakeholdersand local leaders must agree tocome to terms and draw up onecommon agendum.

Governor Daisy P. Avance-FuentesTel. No. (083) 228-3754Fax No.(083) 228-2620

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While the trend in government service deliveryhas been decentralization, Marikina City

undertook the opposite track (at least in supplymanagement!) in 2002 and seems to have attainedmore efficient delivery of services as well as costsavings since then.

Apparently, after making a critical assessment of theway it has been doing things, Marikina’s localadministration concluded that decentralized supplymanagement has become impractical with respect tocost, space and time components. There were roughly45 departments with a total of 135 personnelengaged in supply bidding, procurement andmanagement, which entailed a labor cost amountingto a minimum of P9.5 million a year. This amount doesnot include the equipment cost of P697,500 for theoperation of the various stockrooms, the rental costfor storage space of P200 to P300 per square meter,nor the possible cost of purchasing storage lotsamounting to P5,000 to P10,000 per square meter.The Marikina administration also learned that projectimplementation would be greatly hastened if they havesupplies on hand that they could put to immediateuse.

Thus, Marikina’s local government established a 900square meter Central Warehouse containing suppliessuch as lumber, paint, bolts, nails, electrical componentsas well as office and school supplies and equipment.It even houses disaster and relief goods. Themechanics and systems of the best private warehousesas well as leading hardware enterprises in the countrywere adopted and put in place with somemodifications. In centralizing supply management, thesupply chain is handled by one department tasked tomonitor, inventory, deliver and inspect the proper useand distribution of materials to end users and projectsites.

By introducing the advanced withdrawal concept, thevarious project implementing departments couldimmediately obtain the materials they need from thecentral warehouse while at the same time undertake

the public bidding of replacement materials that wouldreplenish the stocks at the warehouse. This way, theimplementing department could immediately proceedwith the completion of projects such as the repair orconstruction of roads and still comply with the law onpublic bidding.

To properly cope with demand, the central warehouseis stocked with supplies that conform to the trendanalysis of the consumption of items by various endusers during different seasons. This means that thewarehouse’s inventory of materials could cover peakrequirements like construction materials for the summerseason, lifesaving gadgets and relief goods duringthe rainy season, decorative materials for eventsduring festivities as well as school supplies andmaterials during the school season.

The Central Warehouse has a bar coding system andwide area network (WAN) in place which enables itto make a quick inventory as well as properly andquickly release supplies and materials. The mayor caneven inspect the inventory of supplies online. Thiscomputerized system allows the strategic positioningof fast moving items vis-à-vis slow moving items. It alsoprovides objective information for managementdecisions such as the determination of prioritypurchases of materials and supplies. The system alsoprovides a better safeguard against pilferage as itenables close monitoring of the proper use of thematerials and the retrieval of excess materials fromthe finished projects. Hence, wastage is reduced oreven eliminated.

With the central warehouse in place, the number ofpersonnel engaged in supply administration wasreduced to only 34, which also reduced labor costs toroughly only P2.4 million yearly. The city did not needto hire additional personnel as the General ServicesOffice was tapped to manage the warehouse. Officeequipment cost was also reduced to between P50,000and P100,000. And since the warehouse was orderingsupplies in bulk instead of on a per item basis, thecost of materials was also obtained at a discount.


With the implementation of RA 9184, the CityGovernment also generated savings throughcompetitive public bidding for all its projects, supplies,and materials. From January to November 2007, theCity Government of Marikina had 414 work programswith a projected cost of roughly P391 million that weresubjected to public bidding. After the bid evaluation,the total aggregate amount was approximately P375million, which translated to a savings of roughly P16million for the city.

Admittedly, the people’s participation andempowerment is indirect. But their awareness of theneeds of their communities was sufficient to drive thecity administrators to deliver basic services promptly.With the availability of materials stocked at theCentral Warehouse, the project requests from thecommunities were being addressed expeditiously.Service without delay became the battle cry of thecity.

Clearly, the establishment of the Central Warehousehas led to the effective and efficient distribution andutilization of supplies and materials by the citygovernment. It is also proving to be a wise investment

for maximizing growth, developing cutting-edgestrategies and securing a better future.

Marikina City has a policy of sharing its best practiceswith other local government units. To date, theprovinces of Quirino, Batangas and Guimaras andsome LGUs from the National Capital Region haveconsulted the city about its Central WarehousingOperations. Hopefully, they would also be able toreplicate the program in their respective domains andbegin delivering services more promptly and moreefficiently.

The establishmentof the Central Warehouse

has led to the effectiveand efficient distribution andutilization of supplies and

materials by the city government

Mayor Ma. Lourdes C. FernandoTel. No. (02) 645-52-94 /(02)6462360Fax No. (02)646-5277

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Climate change, dwindling fossilfuel supplies and food

shortages are proddingcommunities to promotesustainability strategies. San CarlosCity is among those that haveadopted the sustainabilityframework in its developmentstrategy.

In pursuing the sustainabilityframework, the people of SanCarlos City initiated a developmentproject—the San CarlosSustainable City Project—toremodel the city as the standardof excellence in sustainabledevelopment. It is unique inbalancing economic growth andenvironmental protection, and forits equal focus on rural and urbandevelopment. Necessarily, theproject entails the involvement ofall sectors of the community.

The Sustainable City Projectadopted key strategies that areinnovative. This includes theestablishment of an independentdevelopment organization—theSan Carlos Development Board,Inc. (SCDBI), which manages andcoordinates the development

initiative of the City of San Carlos.The SCDBI is a non-profitorganization that was created withthe mandate to oversee theimplementation of the city’s MasterDevelopment Plan. It is the onlytype of private organization in thecountry that coordinates a localdevelopment initiative. With asingle body overseeing all thedifferent initiatives, redundancies indevelopment efforts were avoidedor reduced.

San Carlos City developed its ownpractical and sustainabledevelopment strategy, dubbed asthe Master Development Plan(MDP), which spans a 20-yearperiod. The MDP is the city’sblueprint to transform thetraditional and historic sugar-basedeconomy to a more ecologically-oriented commerce and industry.

Among the programs outlined in theMDP include the establishment ofkey energy-efficient infrastructures(e.g. roads, solid wastemanagement, and energydevelopment), economicproductivity (e.g. special economiczone, rural growth centers, tourismfacilities), social developmentinitiatives (i.e., health, social housing,job creation), and environmentalprotection (i.e. reforestation,aquatic resource management).The PhP16M fund for theformulation of the MasterDevelopment Plan was sourcedtotally from the private sector andnon-government organizationswithout any cash outlay from theLGU.

Regular consultations wereconducted by the SCDBI withcommunities and stakeholders in the

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planning and implementation ofprograms and projects. The LocalParticipatory Planning approachwas employed in formulating thebarangay development plans,which became the basis for projectinitiatives and interventions in theeighteen barangays of the city. Thisapproach ensured people’sparticipation. The villages identifiedtheir own development needs anddesigned projects and activitiesthat were tailored to their specificconditions and resources. Thispractice ensured that thecommunities controlled thesustainable use of their land andwater resources.

The city government set the tonein sustainable practices with theenergy efficient design of the cityhall which does not utilize an air-conditioning system. This alone,translated in an annual savings ofapproximately P1.2 million inelectricity costs. Among the flagshipprograms of the San CarlosSustainable City Project is theestablishment of the first bio-ethanol plant in the country, whichcould generate forty million litersof ethanol annually or one-tenthof the national annual requirement.This substantially reduces thecountry’s reliance on imported fossilfuel.

The city government alsoconstructed the Translink Highwaythat connects San Carlos to theCapital city of Bacolod resulting ina 50% reduction in travel time. Thishighway also opened up access toremote mountain areas of the cityresulting in increased economicactivity in the rural areas. TheWater Port was also expanded withthe reclamation of four hectares ofthe sea. This extended the port to242.5 meters long which made it

more accessible to Roll-On, Roll-Off vessels.

To ensure food self-sufficiency andsecurity, the city governmentestablished Rural Growth Centers(RGCs) in three strategic mountainbarangays, which serve as nodesof development in the rural areas.The two Agricultural ProductivityTraining Centers (APTCs) operatingin two of the three RGCs haveprovided trainings in organic cropproduction as well as orientationson unsustainable economicactivities to more than a thousandfarming households. Agriculturalproductivity is evident with 36 tonsof different vegetables and cropsproduced annually.

In terms of social servicesrendered, urban congestion andhomelessness are being addressedthrough the city’s social housingprogram. Currently, 1,760 homelotsout of the total demand for 2,507homelots have been provided tothe homeless.

Because of the alternativelivelihood and the increased jobopportunities, the people of SanCarlos now earn a per capitaincome of US$1,814, which ishigher than the nationalgovernment figure of US$1,400.Subsistence incidence in the citysignificantly dropped from 15.8%in 2000 to the current level of13.8%.

In terms of environmentalprotection, the solid wastemanagement program of the cityis so effective that it has managedto divert 63% of the waste. The cityhas an Eco-Center which is anintegrated facility for handlingwaste. It has a landfill as well as acomposting and materials recovery

facility. In addition, the program forupland eco-system managementhas resulted in the reforestationinitiative covering almost twohundred hectares. The coastal andmarine resources are amplyprotected with the declaration ofthese areas as marine reserves.

As mentioned earlier, the key tothe successful establishment of aSustainable City is the people’sparticipation and the built-inparticipatory mechanisms. Even thecomposition of the Board ofTrustees of the SCDBI was designedto include multi-sectoralrepresentatives. Theimplementation of the SustainableCity Project is done in coordinationwith the NGOs and the variouscommunity institutions and people’sassociations.

The Master Development Plan wasinstitutionalized through aprovincial ordinance approving thecomprehensive development andland use plan of the City of SanCarlos. This ensured sustainabilityof the project.

The distinctiveness of the strategiesemployed by the local governmentof San Carlos gained the attentionof more than 30 LGUs who intendto replicate the project. But theformation of an independent bodysuch as the SCDBI is applicableonly if the minimal conditions andkey result areas are present, suchas a strong private sector, activecivil society groups, a transparentLGU, and a dynamic community.With these elements in place, morecities could start moving up on thesustainable development ladder.

Mayor Eugenio Jose V. LacsonTel. No. (034) 729-3050Fax No. (034) 312-5113

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When the place you call homeis prone to disaster, you are

compelled to undertakeprecautions so that you are betterprepared when the next disasterstrikes. Such is the situation of Albay.

Located on Luzon’s easternseaboard, Albay is among theprovinces which are often batteredby typhoons. Each year, roughly198,000 houses are threatenedwith destruction from storm surgesand at least 350,000 people needto be evacuated. Another 300,000of the population are threatenedby tsunami. And with an activevolcano in its midst, three cities andfive municipalities are under threatfrom volcanic eruptions that occurfrom time to time. An estimated 127villages or 11,000 to 12,000families are also threatened bymudslides and eight municipalitiesand two cities are threatened byfloods.

Thus, in 1995, Albay’s provincialgovernment institutionalized theAlbay Public Safety andEmergency Management Office(APSEMO) which was tasked todesign and implement a disasterrisk management and reductionprogram. Its main objective was todevelop more pro-active anddisaster resilient communities.

APSEMO managed to attain itsobjective by pursuing a community-based, disaster risk managementapproach. The communities areinvolved in formulating earlywarning markers and disseminatingalarm information and advisories

for disaster avoidance. Thecommunities are also involved inplanning activities essential indisaster management before,during and after an emergency.Family disaster preparednessactivities are also undertaken sothat people become more awareof what to do before, during andafter a disaster. There areassigned roles for everyone anddesignated pick up points havebeen identified to make evacuationmore organized.

The communities are alsoempowered to decide when toundertake pre-emptive evacuationbecause they are proper lyequipped with ear ly warningdevices and tools. Themanagement of evacuation centersduring the initial onset of a disasterare also undertaken by theBarangay Disaster Coordinating

Councils with the help of theevacuees. The communities alsoconduct quarterly drills andexercises. This approach enabledAlbay to chalk-up zero casualtiesfrom typhoons and volcaniceruptions for the first five years.

However, evacuating andrebuilding affected communities iscostly and the communities remainat risk. APSEMO found a bettersolution which it refers to asgeostrategic intervention(GUICADALE). It identifiedcommunities and areas that areprone to disasters through riskmapping. Then it also identifiedsafe areas and drew upcomprehensive land use plans. Theprogram entails the relocation of10,076 households in eightresettlement sites. It also involvesthe construction of a new airportand road network. By relocating

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the disaster prone communities andcommercial centers to safer areas,Albay hopes to reduce the impactof natural disasters on its people.And since the communities areinvolved in the planning andimplementation of the program, thefamilies willingly render labor astheir counterpart in the constructionof their relocation homes. With theCLUP, Albay managed to integratedisaster preparedness witheconomic development and hasenticed more entrepreneurs toinvest in the area.

As a department of the provincialgovernment, APSEMO receives aregular budget. But Albay dependson calamity funds for disasterresponse and risk reductioninitiatives and relies on the nationalgovernment and international aidfor extreme calamities. To fortifyits limited public resources, Albayvigorously nurtures partnershipswith international aid agencies suchas the UNDP, USAID, JICA, WFP,FAO, EC-Dipecho, ItalianCooperation, ADPC, Christian Aid,

Oxfam, Manila Observatory,Habitat for Humanity and numerousNGOs and civic organizations.

The success of the ProvincialGovernment of Albay ininstitutionalizing APSEMO wasgiven recognition by theDepartment of the Interior andLocal Government. The program isnow included in the DILG’s GoodPractices in Local Governance:Facility for Adaptation andReplication Project (GO FAR). Thisis a process designed to build thecapacities of LGUs by providingopportunity to improve localgovernance performance throughsharing and replication of goodpractices that are participatory,innovative and sustainable.

Several “peer to peer” replicationand inception workshops have alsobeen conducted in the Provinces ofSorsogon, Sarangani andPampanga. These provinces arealso disaster prone and are keenon creating a similar office in theirrespective provinces. Through

these inception workshops, theparticipating LGUs learn about theactual operation andimplementation of the programsand gain a better understanding ofthe importance of strengtheningcollaborations between disastercoordinating councils, supportinstitutions, NGOs and thecommunities.

APSEMO has also been workingwith the Asian DisasterPreparedness Center and theEuropean Commission in thecreation of disaster managementoffices at the municipal level inAlbay. The municipalities ofCamalig, Daraga and Oas wereselected as pilot areas and are nowin the process of creating theirrespective disaster managementoffice.

Today, the people of Albay arewell ahead in guaranteeingclimate-proofed and disasterprepared communities.

By relocatingthe disaster pronecommunities and

commercial centersto safer areas,Albay hopes

to reduce the impactof natural disasters

on its people.

Governor Joey Sarte SalcedaTel. No.(052) 481-2555Fax No.(052) 480-3444

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Tools are created to facilitate thecompletion of various tasks.

Management tools are designed sothat an organization can besteered towards achieving itsgoals. The City of San Fernandodecided to adopt a newmanagement tool—the PublicGovernance System (PGS)—topursue its objective of becomingthe foremost business center andtourist destination and gateway toNorthern Philippines.

The PGS is a management systemthat enables executives andstakeholders to channel the entirecommunity’s energies, abilities andspecial knowledge towardsachieving long-term strategicgoals. It calls for effective, sustainedand systemic contributions fromindividuals for the common good oftheir organization or community.The PGS is an adaptation of theBalanced Scorecard (BSC), arevolutionary measurement andmanagement system used inbusiness and developed at theHarvard Business School. Due to itssuccess, the BSC has been used inimproving the governance of manypublic institutions worldwide. TheInstitute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA)has initiated the application of theBSC in Philippine publicgovernance. The ISA is anindependent, non-partisan, not-for-profit institution that seeks toraise the standards of publicgovernance through citizen’sparticipation. The PGS usesscorecards to monitor and trackprogress, mainly as a positiveinstrument to improve governance,cooperation and performance.

the shared goals of the city. Thescorecards measure their actualperformance against theircommitments. The governance ofthe city then becomes a commonresponsibility of all, with officialsand citizens sharing in the task ofimproving it, raising its standardsand making it yield public benefitsfor the common good of all. Someof the items measured and“graded” in the scorecard areSocial Services and Security,Business Friendliness, Greennessand Cleanliness, Efficiency,Infrastructure quality, etc.

There are several stages in thePGS—Initiation Stage, CompliantStage, Proficiency Stage andInstitutionalized. The City of SanFernando was declared PGS-Initiated on February 28, 2006. Itwas declared PGS-Compliant onAugust 30, 2006 and PGS-Proficient a year later. SanFernando is now close to attainingPGS-Institutionalized status.

The city mayor learned about thePGS when he attended theconference hosted by ISA in August10, 2005. Two months later four cityrepresentatives were sent to anISA-sponsored technical training inMakati City on October 2005.These representatives became theCity Government’s PGS TechnicalWorking Group. Then, onDecember 21, 2005, the scorecardsand the city roadmap were craftedduring a working session ofdedicated departments.

The distribution of responsibilitiesis what the PGS is all about. Thecity mayor has a clear set ofresponsibilities and a scorecardthat measures his accomplishments.Apart from the mayor and citydepartments, the major sectors ofthe city also have their scorecards.Even the youth, the academe, thecivic and professionalorganizations, business and mediahave their commitments andresponsibilities to contribute toward

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The people of San Fernando Cityseek to pursue the common visionof transforming the city into abusiness center and tourist junctionor the Gateway to NorthernPhilippines. They aspire to makethe city as the Regional Center ofCentral Luzon and a Champion ofGood Urban Governance in 2015.The long term goals are to makethe city as the Global Gateway by2020 and A Habitat for HumanExcellence by 2030.

San Fernando has since attractednew businesses numbering 2,200 ora 16% average increase per yearduring the last three years. The CityGovernment has tied up with smalland medium enterprises andpartnered with the local chamberof commerce to curbunemployment which was at an alltime high of 17.60% in 2004.Livelihood assistance was providedto organized groups with thecapacity to manage their ownprojects. The city also became aconsistent awardee as the “MostBusiness-Friendly City in NorthLuzon,” a “Most Competitive Mid-sized City,” and the “Best LGUPractitioner in the Streamlining ofthe Mayor’s Permit.”

The city currently hosts a total of6,587 business establishments. Thecity’s Business One-Stop Shop(BOSS) program has consistentlyadhered to the ISO 9001:2000quality standards. In 2004, it tooktwo to three weeks for the issuanceof a Mayor’s Permit. These days,new and renewing business entitiestake only a minimum of two hoursto a maximum of two days toobtain a permit. In 2004, the SEFwas only 28 million. This year theSEF amounted to 78 million or anincrease of 178%. The InternalRevenue Allotment (IRA)dependency of the city has alsodecreased from 52.85% in 2007to 49% in 2008 because ofincreased collections from businessand real property taxes.

With the leadership’s strongpolitical will, the bureaucracystreamlined its workforce. Thenumber of personnel was reducedfrom 1,297 to 1,054 with a resultantlabor cost savings of PhP20.5Mannually.

To strengthen the Executive-Legislative partnership, the CityMayor issued an Executive Ordercreating the Local ExecutiveDevelopment AdvisoryCoordinating Council (LEDACC).The LEDACC meets every year andhave succeeded in formulating theELA. In 2007, the SP was adjudgedas the Regional Champion and oneof the three in the National levelin local legislation by theDepartment of the Interior andLocal Government.

The City Government of SanFernando implements its policy of

transparency in governance via astrong communication advocacy.The Office of the Mayor createdits Public Affairs and MediaProduction Unit (PAMPU) and itsManagement Information System(MIS) in order to ensure thatinformation about governmentprojects and local governmentoperation and, more importantly,financial transactions are sharedwith constituents through variousforms of media. The Office ofStrategy Management (OSM) wasput in place to undertake thefollowing: scorecard management,organizational alignment, strategyreviews, strategy planning,strategy communication, initiativemanagement, planning andbudgeting, workforce alignmentand best practices sharing.

There are areas that have yet tosee improvements. One such areais barangay governance. For along time, the culture of patronagepolitics permeated at this level,making it difficult to smoothly enticewould-be partners and/orstakeholders to practice the PGSprinciples. But the city’s leadershipis persistent. Thus, every effort ismade to organize barangayassemblies, seminar workshops andPGS cascading through theBarangay Development Plan bytapping the Association ofBarangay Councils and Associationof Barangay Kagawads with thesupport of the DILG.

The PGS Scorecard has helped theCity Government level-off, thinkingin very definite ways on the samewavelength and direction and isbringing the City closer to attainingits grand goals. Pretty soon, SanFernando could emerge as one ofthe champions of the ISA’s PublicGovernance System.

The PublicGovernance System

makes governance ofthe city a common

responsibility,with officials and

citizens sharing in thetask of improving it,raising its standardsand making it yield

public benefits for thecommon good of all

Mayor Oscar S. RodriguezTel. No. (045) 963-3342Fax No. (045) 961-5022

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Most condominium units are priced well beyondthe capacity of probably most of the middle-

income earners let alone the low-income families. Yethundreds of Taguig City’s formerly urban poor dwellersare now living it up condo-style.

As one of the fastest developing cities in the countrytoday, Taguig is confronted with the problem ofrelocating informal settlers. Out of the total population,25,000 families are informal settlers, illegally occupyingpublic and private lands and danger zones across thecity. In September of 2006, the Taguig CityGovernment began addressing the problem bylaunching the Family Townhomes Project, which aimsto provide decent but affordable shelter to thousandsof homeless residents. They hope to completely build20,000 housing units for homeless families in variouslocations by 2020.

Building the townhomes, even at the lowest costpossible, would require resources that are beyond thecity government’s capacity. Fortunately, three non-government organizations (NGOs)– Gawad Kalinga

(GK), Habitat for Humanity, and the Coalition for theHomeless Foundation (CHF)–share Taguig City’s visionand committed to extend their assistance, experienceand expertise in building homes for theunderprivileged. Hence, the city governmentshouldered site development costs, while GK, Habitatand CHF extended housing subsidies, which werecrucial in jumpstarting the housing project.

In implementing the project, the city governmentintroduced the usufruct arrangement. This means thatthe land will continue to be owned by the governmentbut the beneficiaries of the housing units will be issuedseparate Condominium Certificates of Title (CCTs).From the start, it was made clear that the awarding ofthe property titles to beneficiaries would not be forfree. The housing beneficiaries were required toamortize their newly-acquired property throughfinancing with Pag-IBIG and the Social Housing FinanceCorporation. As project originators, the citygovernment and its partners believe that beneficiarieswould only have the strong sense of ownership, if theythemselves contribute to the project.

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The housing units are quite spacious and well built butamortization is affordable. Some houses can beamortized for as low as P500 per month for 30 years;others have a monthly amortization of as much asP1,800. This meant that recipients are carefullyevaluated and selected by a Family SelectionCommittee, composed of the Taguig Local HousingOffice and the respective NGO partner. Those whobelong to the underprivileged class that do not havepermanent homes but have the earning capacity arequalified awardees.

In lieu of the down payment in a normal housing loantransaction, the beneficiaries provide “sweat equity.”Qualified beneficiaries are required to render 1,000hours of volunteer work building houses. With thesweat equity, beneficiaries are not only recipients,but also participants in their own housing project.

In order to house more beneficiaries in a single landtitle, the Taguig City Government designed Medium-Rise Buildings or condominium-type housing units. Eachthree story MRB is equipped with 12 housing unitsand uses Habitat for Humanity’s award-winning housinginnovation: the concrete interlocking blocks (CIB) andsteel frame technologies.

Since its inception in 2006, the Family TownhomesProject has already completed 322 housing units atthe Pinagsama Village and FTI Compound in Brgy.Western Bicutan and in Brgy. Bagumbayan, benefitinghundreds of underprivileged families from all overthe city.

In August 2006, model units of the Family Townhomeswere built by the city government along Diego SilangAvenue, Brgy. Ususan, Taguig City. Some of thecountry’s most popular architects and designers, aswell as artists, contractors, furniture makers andsuppliers donated their products and services for theconstruction of the model units. The building servesas a showroom for beneficiaries to learn how theycan maximize the use of their unit given the limitedspace.

Last June 2008, the Taguig Rotaryville FamilyTownhomes in Western Bicutan was completed,benefiting 96 families some of which are cityemployees, teachers, PNP and military personnel, andqualified informal settlers. This project with Habitatfor Humanity involved the development of a 6,000-

sq. m. property at the FTI Compound, where eightMRBs were constructed or a total of 96 units. Goodfor a small Filipino family, each unit has a floor areaof 26.10 square meters, has height allowance for anoptional loft, and has provision for a shared servicearea for each floor.

The Gawad Kalinga Community at Pinagsama Villagein Western Bicutan on the other hand features a two-level row-house type housing. Currently, this GKVillage, which was built together with members of theInternational Bazaar Foundation – Spouses of Houseof Missions (IBF SHOM) and the Rotary Club of Makati- West, houses 35 families.

Meanwhile, the Family Townhomes Project has alsohelped ease the problem of informal settling on thenational level. The clearing of the structures alongthe Philippine National Railways in Western Bicutanand Bagong Tanyag has already been completed.Some 4,000 affected families have been relocatedto Trece Martires City in Cavite. For its part, the TaguigCity Government committed to take in some 300families for its In-City Relocation Program, inpartnership with either Gawad Kalinga Foundationor Habitat for Humanity.

The Family Townhomes Project is envisioned and isdesigned to continue beyond the presentadministration. The program is strongly anchored oncommunity participation creating a sense of ownershipamong its stakeholders. Non-governmentorganizations fund the construction of the housing unitswhile the LGU is in charge of site development. Thisarrangement ensures that changes in the cityadministration’s leadership would not hinder thecontinual development of these communities. Variouslivelihood and social development programs are alsoalready in place to ensure sustainability within thesecommunities.

Taguig City has demonstrated that, with thecooperation of various stakeholders, the problemposed by informal settlers can be solved. And thatthe underprivileged can aspire to own a decentdwelling.

Mayor Sigfrido R. TiñgaTel. No. (02) 628-3627Fax No. (02) 642-3588

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When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in1991, it spewed volcanic ash

and rock materials which buriedseveral barangays in PampangaProvince. But those samedestructive materials were soondeemed as excellent concretemixtures for high rise buildings. Andthe lucrative quarrying of the sandbegan.

There were reportedly as much as3,000 trucks of sand that werehauled form quarrying sites indifferent municipalities of theprovince of Pampanga during theconstruction boom in Metro Manilaas well as during the constructionof the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Express-way and the upgrading of theNorth Luzon Expressway. Thoseinvolved in the quarrying andhauling of the sand wereapparently enjoying huge profitsbut the province did not seem tobe earning a correspondingincrease in its revenues.

This sorry state of affairs led tofriction between the vice-governorand the governor. The caseremained unresolved until theelection period of 2007. Aspiringcandidate Eddie T. Panlil ioemphasized the issue of proper

quarry levy collections during hissuccessful campaign for the post ofgovernor.

Upon assuming his post, Gov.Panlil io immediately issuedExecutive Order No. 2-ETP,constituting the Biyaya A LuluguranAt Sisikapan Committee (BALAS).Incidentally, balas is theKapampangan word for sand. TheBALAS program aimed to improvetax collection from quarryoperations. On the very first dayof implementation, the ProvincialTreasurer’s Office was able tocollect P1.2 million in tax revenues.

In implementing the program, theprovincial government recruitedand deployed checkers to theroadside outposts. These checkerswere also given increased salariesand orientations on transparencyand accountability as functions ofgood governance. The recordingsystems were streamlined andthoroughfares traversed by the

trucks were identified andguarded.

The preceding measures led to adramatic increase in the quarrycollection of the province. From2002 to 2006, the province wasonly earning an average of P22.5million yearly in quarry taxes. Withthe advent of the BALAS Program,quarry collections rose to P119million during the second half of2007 and P111 million in the firsthalf of 2008.

Yet the same amount of levy wasbeing collected at P300.00 pertruck. Of this amount, P150.00 wasretained by the province to coveroperational expenses. The otherP150.00 was divided at a ratio of30%-30%-40% respectivelyamong the province, themunicipality and the barangaywhere the quarry operations wereconducted. Thus, with the markedincrease in collections, there wasalso a corresponding increase in

Pampanga ProvincePampanga ProvincePampanga ProvincePampanga ProvincePampanga ProvinceFrom Ash to CashFrom Ash to CashFrom Ash to CashFrom Ash to CashFrom Ash to Cash


the quarry levy shares of themunicipalities and barangays. Todate, 10 municipalities andbarangays with quarry operationshave received a total amount ofP72.9 million representing theirshares from July 1, 2007 to May15, 2008. These earnings haveincreased the capacity of the localunits to deliver programs andprojects.

The success of the BALAS Programstemmed largely from theparticipation of the differentstakeholders in the quarry industry.The people contributed their shareby monitoring and reportingsuspected illegal quarrying ormineral extraction in their areasthrough a telephone hotline to theoffice of the governor. They alsomonitored the BALAS checkers inthe field and provided feedback

resources of the province. Theprogram also entailed a review oflaws governing the scraping ofagricultural lands, dredging andde-silting.

Currently, the provincial govern-ment is working hard to sustain itsgains and studying ways to furtherrationalize the levy collection toadapt to the changing marketvalues of the sand. They are alsoplanning to revise the schedule ofrevenues with the SangguniangPanlalawigan. At present, P300.00is being collected by the provinceper truckload regardless of thetruck capacity or of the kind ofmineral extracted. They are alsoundertaking a trend analysis ofmarket forces and their impact onextraction so that the collectionbenchmarks could be properlyestablished.

With the success of the BALASProgram, the provincial govern-ment of Pampanga has proven thattransparent and accountablegovernance is possible. And this hasencouraged officials from otherprovinces to study or conduct aLakbay-Aral on the possibility ofreplicating the program.

For years, theprovince was earningan average of only

P22.5 million yearly inquarry taxes.

Throughthe BALAS Program,

quarry collectionsrose to P230 million

in the first year alone.

In compliance with the Mining Act,quarry operators were obliged torenew or secure permits. Illegalquarry operators were identifiedand were given ample time tolegalize their operations. Theexact boundaries of quarryoperations were also delineated.

The BALAS program made thepeople more aware of their rightsand duties as stakeholders of the

about their performance to theprovincial government.

Subsequently, the involvement ofthe Environment and NaturalResources Mining and GeologicalBoard was revived. The authorityto supervise large-scale quarryoperations was given back to theBoard. The program also pavedthe way for the reconvening of thepreviously moribund ProvincialMining and Regulatory Board.

Governor Eddie T. PanlilioTelfax. No.( 045)961-4713

CO

NTA

CT


S P E C I A L C I T A T I O N

The enactment of the Local Government Codeushered in new opportunities to improve

governance in local communities.

Since this milestone, local government units (LGUs)have been compelled and expected to address localdemands through policy-making and implementationof programs and projects. The responsibility to accessand mobilize resources has translated into anopportunity for local governments to unlock creativeenergies in order to increase their revenues andimprove delivery of services.

While the Code has created a policy environmentconducive to good governance at the local level, ithas been up to the LGUs to deliver and meetcorresponding expectations. Local officials have oftenhad insufficient preparation, capacities and, in somecases, very limited resources, to effectively respondto these new demands and challenges. Nonetheless,some LGUs have found creative ways to better servetheir constituents, in part by looking to themselves,their communities and their peers for new ideas andapproaches.

This year’s harvest of pioneering local governancepractices of the Galing Pook attests that localgovernments have taken up the challenge ofdecentralization, and have continually innovated tomake the delivery of services more efficient.

In 2006, Galing Pook, in partnership with UNDPRegional Centre in Bangkok and UNDP Philippines,conferred a Special Citation on Local CapacityInnovations on the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) to 10 local governments in recognition of their

efforts to localize and achieve the MDG targets by2015. These 10 local governments exhibit the variousstrides, modes and levels of MDG localization in thePhilippines today.

The LoCI MDGs Special Citation has become asuccessful instrument to emphasize the link betweenstrong LGU performance and capacity development.It acknowledges local programs that have helped buildor enhance local government and communitycapacities—either in the form of a policy, program,project, process or organizational intervention—andin turn has contributed to the attainment of specificMDG targets.

These local capacity innovations are now part of apool of recommended local capacity developmentprograms for the MDGs which are being promotednationwide as part of the campaign for MDGlocalization.

Building on the gains of the LoCI MDGs Project, the2008 Special Citation on Local Capacity IncentiveMechanism (LoCIM) for Good Governance soughtout and recognized innovative approaches to theinstitutionalization of incentive mechanisms in internalgovernance systems (at either the individual,organizational or policy/enabling environment levels)that enable local governments to perform theirfunctions and meet objectives effectively andefficiently.

LoCIM for Good Governance focused on exemplarypractices that illustrate how innovative leadership andengagement with various stakeholder groups can buildappropriate local capacity incentive mechanismsholistically across local government institutions and

Local IncentivLocal IncentivLocal IncentivLocal IncentivLocal Incentive Mechanisms that We Mechanisms that We Mechanisms that We Mechanisms that We Mechanisms that Workorkorkorkork

The Special Citation has becomea successful instrument to emphasize the link

between strong LGU performance and capacity development.



enhance the overall environment for professionalismand performance in public service delivery.

This year’s 19 Galing Pook Finalists have beenrecommended to be the candidates for the LoCIMSpecial Citation. These program candidates havebeen evaluated using the following criteria:

§ Leadership (30 points) whereby the local chiefexecutive and local officials are established aspossessing integrity, and have provided directleadership inputs that built and sustained teameffort for the success of program implementation.This is evidenced by (i) investment in leadershipskills either in the leadership of the LGU staff or inleadership skills in the community / constituency;(ii) creation of the enabling environment for theadoption of innovative concepts and practices thatdeal with local problems; and (iii) provision of criticaldirections and facilitated provision of resources tosupport program imple-mentation.

§ Improved Institutional Arrangements (30 points)in order to deliver public services more effectively,efficiently or sustainably as evidenced by clarityof functions/roles of LGU staff as well ascoordination between various bodies implementingthe program. Attention to Human ResourcesManagement to streamline LGU processes andimproved LGU performance is given utmostimportance.

§ Community Participation and Commitment / Pridein the LGU (15 points) focuses on the (i) formation,strengthening and institutionalization of people’scouncils and other community based structures foractive and sustained people’s participation; (ii)investments in the capacity of the community andbeneficiaries of development programs to engageeffectively; (iii) the community, stakeholders andthe bureaucracy exhibit commitment anddedication to the program beyond the call of duty.

§ Investment in Systematic and Continuous CapacityDevelop-ment (15 points) as a reflection of thelocal government’s appreciation of the link betweeninvesting in capacities and meeting targets ofdevelopment program. This is manifested through

explicit efforts of the LGU to undertake systematicassessment of capacity assets and gaps in theprocess of developing and implementing LGUprograms.

§ Sustainability (10 points) of program is ensuredthrough built-in strategies such as the enactmentand effective enforcement of local ordinances tosupport and sustain program thrusts. This alsoincludes the promotion of program self-reliancethrough the utilization of internally generatedfunds, materials and other local resources solelyor in combination with externally generated fundsor resources, as well as, the establishment of simplesystems (structures and processes). The programimplementation ensured that complex systems arebroken down to small and manageable modulesfor easy understanding and replication.

The Citation Selection Committee is composedof a 6-person panel, headed by University of

the Philippines - National College of PublicAdministration and Governance (UP-NCPAG)Professor and Social Watch Chairperson, LeonorM. Briones, together with:

Mr. Roberto G. Bernardo/Ms. Ashley PalmerCapacity Development TeamUNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok

Dr. Emmanuel E. BuendiaGovernance Portfolio ManagerUNDP Philippine Country Office

Ms. Li-ann M. de LeonExecutive DirectorLeague of Municipalities of the Philippines

Hon. Mary Ann Z. Fernandez–MendozaCommissionerCivil Service Commission

Ms. Esmeralda Daphne N. PurnellOIC Division Chief, Research, Informationand Training Technology DivisionLocal Government Academy, Philippines



Four local governance programsare being conferred with the LoCIMSpecial Citation in recognition oftheir innovation on capacityincentives mechanisms that haveintroduced and enhancedimprovements, effectiveness andefficiency in internal governancesystems and strengthened LGUcapacities for addressingdevelopment and governanceissues.

Harnessing CommunityCapacityfor Good GovernanceBarangay Sanito in Ipil,Zamboanga Sibugay

Barangay Sanito may be a smalland low-income village inMindanao, but it is a Goliath whenit comes to building its internalcapacity to address a seeminglyinsurmountable task. It harnessedcommunity capacity by effectivelytapping and nurturing inherentsocio-cultural and traditionalpractices, values and beliefs ofindigenous sectors in the locality,such as the “spirit of volunteerism”and “pride in LGU” to contributeto program goals.

The barangay developed its ownBarangay Local Government Codethat served as the strategy tostrengthen their locale and addressimmediate needs of the community.The Code focused its attention tobuilding the institutional processesand structures (looking at fees andrevenue sources for example)which helped mobilize much-needed resources to support itsprojects and activities. TheBarangay Code called for the

strengthening of the inter-officelinkages and the barangay’srelationship with the private sectorthrough the Kapit-bisig structure ofgovernance.

Incentives were provided in theform of opportunities forcommunity members to improvetheir livelihoods by participating inthese innovative programs. Withthe implementation of the code,Barangay Sanito was able tonurture a business-friendlyatmosphere. It began to restorepeace and order and build theinfrastructure of the barangay.

Leadership provided a clear visionand created opportunities forcommunity engagement throughparticipatory processes from thecrafting of the Code to itsimplementation.

Making Governancea Shared ResponsibilityCity of San Fernando, Pampanga

Results–based and sharedgovernance. These are principlesthat set the City of San Fernando’sbrand of governance above fromthe rest.

The city has set its developmentcourse and used a managementtool called the Public GovernanceSystem as a capacity developmentmechanism to achieve these goals.It is a tool that enabledmanagement and stakeholders topull the organization in the samedirection. It channeled the entirelocal government and thecommunity’s energies, abilities andspecial knowledge towards

achieving long-term strategicgoals.

The scorecards are the means tomeasure performance andcontribution to specific goals. Thescorecards served as a coor-dinative mechanism to monitor andtrack progress, mainly as a positiveinstrument to improve governance,cooperation and performance.

The distribution of responsibilitiesand cohesiveness of action areinherent in the process wherein theoffice of the mayor, thedepartments, to the major sectorsof the city have their scorecards.The youth and academe, the civicand professional organizations,business and media have theircommitments and responsibilities tocontribute towards the sharedgoals of the city.

Governance then becomes acommon responsibility of all, withofficials and citizens sharing in thetask of improving it, raising itsstandards, and making it yieldbenefits for the common good.

Institutionalizing DisasterPreparedness and MitigationProvince of Albay

Albay Province has been hit notonly by a volcanic disaster causedby Mt. Mayon almost every 10years but also by storm surges dueto its location on a commontyphoon route.

This is a story of how thegovernment and people of Albaymanaged to build their capacitiesand create a permanent



mechanism for preparing andresponding to various types ofdisasters through the insti-tutionalization of the Albay PublicSafety and Emergency Manage-ment Office (APSEMO).

The APSEMO is not only a storyabout the triumph of the Albaypeople over tragedy but is also apioneering initiative because it iscurrently the only functional andpermanent office in a localgovernment unit which focuses ondisaster risk management activitiesin a particular locality.

To cope with the urgent task, theprovincial local governmentneeded to assess its currentcapacities and strengthen itslinkages with other institutions aswell as build community-basedstructures for active and sustainedcitizens participation. Albayprovince managed to attain itsdaunting task by building theprovincial government’s internalcapacity to implement a community-based, disaster risk management

program. It also entailedinvestments in skills not only fromwithin the local government butalso of the community so they mayrespond appropriately to anydisaster or emergency.

Improving Market Accessfor Farmers’ Produce:Tabo sa PAONegros Oriental Province

For many of us, the weekly farmers’market or the seasonal roadsidestand is a novelty. We don’t getthere often, but we go when wecan, because we enjoy pickingthrough the bins of fresh farmproduce. What may be our whimsyis crucial for a small farmer’sexistence. With large agribusi-nesses monopolizing mainstreammarkets, small farmers are beingsqueezed out of vital market accessand squeezed out of a livelihoodin the process.

When it comes to capacity buildingprojects, market access has proven

to be the most difficult problem tosolve. The province of NegrosOriental came up with anotherinnovative idea to provide forbetter access to markets of itsfarmers’ produce. Tabo sa Pao isa bagsakan (market) of fresh andlocally produced agriculture andfish products offered for sale inretail and wholesale quantities ataffordable prices.

Tabo sa PAO seeks to contributeto poverty reduction bystrengthening the capacity of smallfarmers to participate moreeffectively in markets for fororganically produced productsfrom farmers belonging to theBarangay Agricultural Develop-ment Center BADC and GulayanPalaisdaan Alay sa Kabataan. (Bothprograms won a Galing Pookaward in 2004 and 2005respectively). It is an innovationthat builds on other previousinnovations!

The program pays special attentionto not only building the capacity offarmers to grow quality organicproduce but also ensuring betterprices by providing direct access toalternative markets. This is done bypromoting farmer organizations, bybuilding networks and relationshipswith other market actorsparticularly the end-users andconsumers.

More importantly, Tabo sa PAO isnot just about establishing thesystems and networks that enablesmall farmers to compete in today’smarketplace but also it is also aboutespousing consumer awareness inorganic food and in the role theyplay in the marketplace.

Phot

o by

Alex

Balu

yut


SAN CARLOS CITYSAN CARLOS CITYSAN CARLOS CITYSAN CARLOS CITYSAN CARLOS CITYNeNeNeNeNegros Occidentalgros Occidentalgros Occidentalgros Occidentalgros Occidental

Making land available for informal settlers was the firstprogram which gave the City of San Carlos in Negros

Occidental its first Galing Pook Award in 1996. Through theprogram Lote Para sa Mahirap, the City was able to provideaffordable housing to 600 families, with 4.7 hectares devotedto the program. This program was sustained by the City andto date, 70 percent or 1,760 of the total demand of 2,507home lots have been provided to deserving marginal familiesand informal settlers. Road, power, and water systems havebeen put in place in the village, with the program now coveringa total of 7 hectares. Lots are offered to beneficiaries atP100 per square meter, significantly lower than lots in theneighboring areas. Three hundred out of the 600 beneficiarieshave fully paid their home lots. The City’s cost recovery inthe lot purchase is pegged at 80 percent. The City implements,monitors, and evaluates the program through the Urban PoorHousing Section under the Office of the Mayor.

In 1997, the City won again as one of the 10 Galing Pookawardees for its program Road for Progress. Initiated in 1994,the road made five of the City’s eight upland barangaysaccessible, and significantly reduced the distance betweenSan Carlos and Bacolod City from 146 to 82 kilometers. Theroad also paved the way for an increase in production oftraditional, high value crops like cut flowers, coffee, andblack pepper with the opening of 15,000 hectares ofagricultural lands. It enabled the delivery of farm inputs andthe transport of produce of farmers at the least cost. Passengerfare decreased by 20 percent and transport cost by 30percent. Delivery of basic services improved along withincreased accessibility of rural areas. The City also constructeda total of 132 kilometers of secondary roads to make schoolsites more accessible, with two circumferential road networksstill in the pipeline. Land valuation in the five uplandbarangays increased by P124,437,720.00 in total assessedvalue from 1999 to 2007.

The year 2000 gave yet another milestone for San CarlosCity in Galing Pook, when it was awarded for its programPunongkahoy sa Bawat Pumanaw, which aimed both todecongest the old city cemetery and to save the forests ofSan Carlos from denudation. The City provided niches atreduced cost, with the bereaved families committing to planta tree in the tree park, which is 12 kilometers away from thecity center, for every niche used. After five years, the bonesare exhumed from the niche and transferred to the foot ofthe tree planted by the beneficiaries. Sustaining the program

after winning the Galing Pook, however, was not withoutdifficulty. Tree planting was not well coordinated, resulting tovarying spacing, height, size, and species of trees. Becauseof this, the City decided to make the City Agriculture Officedirectly responsible for the planting of trees. There werealso cases when families refused to exhume and transfer thebones of their dearly departed to the old cemetery,particularly because of fear of danger due to the location ofthe burial sites. This the City addressed by purchasing a three-hectare property for conversion into a People’s Park, with acommon tombstone surrounded by trees. This property willaccommodate about 6,000 to 8,000 bones to be transferredfrom the old cemetery.

In 2005, San Carlos City officials took a political risk whenthey imposed on water users a water levy of 75 centavosper cubic meter of water consumed through the programTubig Bayranan Pagaagay sa Kaugmaran: Water Levy forWatershed Management. The levy collected was put in atrust fund for watershed development and protection, underthe management of the multi-sectoral San Carlos DevelopmentBoard. The City’s effort was recognized when the programwas chosen as among the 10 awardees of the 2007 GalingPook Awards in February 2008. As of 2007, a total of 211,348trees have been planted. After winning the Galing Pook, theCity has increased the water levy from 75 centavos to P1.00per cubic meter, increasing the annual funds generated fromP1.2 million to P1.3 million. With improved watershedmanagement, the City’s water system has increased its capacity.The City also covered four more barangays in the waterlevy requirement after winning the Galing Pook. San CarlosCity also combined all its water-related ordinances into anOmnibus Ordinance regulating the city’s waterworks systems.The City was able to sustain and improve the above programsthrough the years, even in the face of challenges whichthreatened the programs’ sustainability. This the City did, evenafter a change in administration. The City also exerted effortsto make these programs form an integral part of its vision ofmaking San Carlos a sustainable city. Truly, a culture ofexcellence is thriving in the City of San Carlos, making itdeserving to be conferred the Award for ContinuingExcellence.

A W A R D F O R C O N T I N U I N G E X C E L L E N C E


Joint Education Reading Recovery for the YouthCity of IloiloReverse the education crisis in Iloilo City! is a call to all education stakeholdersby the Local School Board of the Iloilo City Government. They are steadfastto sustain results in terms of improved comprehension, increase in retention,decrease in the number of drop outs, and remarkable progress in theachievement tests of students.

Community Enterprise DevelopmentEl Salvador, Misamis OrientalBuild the capacities of the poor in El Salvador, create viable micro-enterprises and ensure continued marketability to increase the value oftheir labor. These commitments resulted to socio-economic uplift startingwith family and small group enterprises utilizing local resources.

BULAWAN: Vermiculture Program of BaroboBarangay Barobo, Valencia CityAn integrated approach to address poverty through solid wastemanagement, livelihood program and promotion of sustainable agriculturewas demonstrated by Barobo. Income generation from organic fertilizerproduction, utilization and marketing, and natural soil productivityimprovement have been implemented even as they solve their waste disposalproblem.

Therapeutic Massage Training Program and Health SpaLos Baños, LagunaThe local government leads in the provision of occupational skills intherapeutic massage to unemployed and underemployed residents of thetown. This program is among the key initiatives to vigorously promote LosBaños as the Wellness Capital of the Philippines.

Rice Production Enhancement ProgramOrmoc CityPoor farmers are made to adopt appropriate technology that resulted tohigher income due to better yield, release from the debt cycle, increasedpurchasing power, and the capacity to eventually finance their ownproduction. The local government employed behavioral changeapproaches with the right incentives mechanism to achieve their goals.

T H E 2 0 0 8 F I N A L I S T S


T H E 2 0 0 8 F I N A L I S T S

Tabo Marketing of Farm Produce in NegrosProvince of Negros Oriental

The provincial government harnessed local market practices called taboto develop social and entrepreneurial skills among farmers. It openedmarket opportunities for farmer-sellers, retail buyers and merchants atfarm-gate prices that proved beneficial not only for the local economybut also to the environment and the promotion of peace and order.

Organic Bio-dynamic Farming in TrentoTrento, Agusan del Sur

The local government of Trento and its people took recourse to less costlyand most efficient farming technology to effectively address the worseningconditions of its farmers. They embarked on an agricultural program thatincludes advocacy, farm product diversification, organic farm inputsproduction and knowledge sharing and enhancement.

Placer Port and Ice Plant:Service-Oriented Income Generating Facilities

Placer, Surigao del NorteDoing well economically while doing good for the small fishers has concretelybeen demonstrated in the coastal Municipality of Placer. The localgovernment set up a publicly-managed marine harvest service facility thatproved profitable and improved even further the capacity of the LGU forother services.

Bringing the Senior Citizens

Back Into the Productive Mainstream of SocietyQuezon City

Recognizing the value of human capital at any age and that the seniorcitizens can carry on their active role in the community, the city governmentaddresses the concerns of the older persons. Opportunities are providedto maximize their potentials as they continue to contribute to thedevelopment of the locality.


Amy Lecciones – Ms. Lecciones’ experience in the field ofenvironment and sustainable development spans almost threedecades. Her work in the areas of environmental planning,policy and capacity development has helped shape thenational agenda for sustainable development. As theExecutive Director of the Philippine Sustainable DevelopmentNetwork Foundation, Inc. she promoted KnowledgeManagement as a key strategy for attaining the goals ofsustainable development.

Father Jose Victor E. Lobrigo is currently the Chairman of theBoard of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Legazpiin the province of Albay. He is also a member the Board ofAdministrators of the National Electrification Administration,among other organizations. He is the parish priest of TheNuestra Senora de la Porteria Parish in Daraga, Albay.

Leonardo N. Quitos, Jr. or “Leo” to his colleagues is a Ph.D.graduate in Rural Development with a Masters Degree inPublic Administration majoring in Development Planning andManagement. He is a homegrown NEDAn who started hiscareer as a Staff Economist and rose to Regional Director in1993. Director Quitos is an expert in urban and regionalplanning, population/gender and development planning,project development and investment promotion among others.

Luz Lopez-Rodriguez is the National Coordinator of theCEDAW South East Asia Program (CEDAW SEAP),implemented by the United Nations Development Fund(UNIFEM) with support from the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency (CIDA) since June 2004. Herprogramme supports national government agencies, womenNGOs and academic institutions to advocate, implementand monitor gender-responsive and rights-based developmentprograms.

Emma Lim-Sandrino has more than 2 decades of extensiveexperience in social development, specifically on enterprisedevelopment, micro-finance, cooperative management,financial management, project development, monitoring andevaluation (PDME). She was involved in the management ofseveral bilateral projects funded through the USAID and CIDA.At present, she is the Executive Director of the Foundationfor a Sustainable Society, Inc. (FSSI) and manages anendowment facility created through the debt-swap mechanismbetween the Philippines and the Swiss government.

Nichol R. Elman, Ph.D. is Director of the Silliman UniversityExtension Program. He earned his Ph.D. in ExtensionEducation from UPLB. He is former President of the PhilippineAssociation of Agriculture Education (PASSAGE) and theincumbent Chair of the Philippine Association of ExtensionProgram Implementors (2009 and 2010). He is also a formerConsultant of the Environmental Management Division of thethen Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) and a memberof the Review Team for the Bukidnon Forest, Inc., a jointproject of the governments of New Zealand and Philippines.

Charlito Zamora Manlupig is a rural development workerand peace-builder actively involved in promoting equity,development and peace through community-baseddevelopment and peace-building work, independentmediation, and coalition-building and advocacy work forpolitical parity, economic development and peace.

Edwin N. Nacionales is currently a member of the pool oftrainers of Synergeia Foundation pursuing educationgovernance in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao(ARMM) and other parts of the country. He is also a memberof the Board of Trustees of the Eskwelahan sang KatawhanNegros, Inc. (ESKAN)- a non-government organizationpromoting education empowerment to impoverished citizensof Negros Occidental to enable them to pursue their social,political and economic development.

Imelda Pagtolun-an is a teacher, educator, researcher, anddevelopment worker. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology,Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg,VA., USA, 1986; M.P.H. in Biostatistics, University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. She is currentlyprofessor of the Graduate School and Department ofSociology-Anthropology, Xavier University, Cagayan de OroCity.

Marion Maceda-Villanueva is a seasoned capacitydevelopment and governance professional. She is currentlythe Field Program Manager of the Canada-funded LocalGovernance Support Program in the Autonomous Region inMuslim Mindanao (LGSPA) based in Davao City. She has in-depth knowledge of institutional development and publicpolicy issues related to governance reform, decentralizationand more recently in complex post-conflict regions which isfurther enhanced by her educational, personal andprofessional experiences.

2 0 0 8 R E G I O N A L S E L E C T I O N C O M M I T T E E


Nereus Acosta, is a Professor of the Asian Institute ofManagement, the Ateneo School of Government, and lecturerat Xavier University, De La Salle University and the Ateneode Manila Political Science Department. Dr. Acosta was namedthe first Filipino World Fellow of Yale University in 2004 inrecognition of his advocacies on education and theenvironment. Victor Gerardo Bulatao is the Managing Trustee of theConsortium for Advancing People’s Participation throughSustainable Integrated Area Development (CAPP-SIAD).They focus on pursuing participatory local governance at thegrassroots level in more than 200 barangays. He served inthe Department of Agrarian Reform in various capacities inthe 1980s and 1990s. Rafael Coscolluela is currently the Administrator of the SugarRegulatory Administration. He was the Presidential Adviserfor Western Visayas. He served as Governor of NegrosOccidental for three consecutive terms, during which hegarnered two Galing Pook Awards.

Ederlinda Fernandez is a professor of Western MindanaoState University and is a nationally recognized expert ingender and development and governance. She hasimplemented various projects involving LGUs, women’s groupsand youth.

Jonathan David Flavier provides technical assistance tovarious agencies such as Global Fund Malaria Component,the USAID Health Policy Development Program and UP EconFoundation. He is a Professorial Lecturer on Health Policyand Administration with the University of the Philippines,College of Public Health. Jose Rene Gayo is the Vice President of the MFI Foundationand Group Head of the Farm Business Institute. He serves inthe board of trustees of a number of social developmentorganizations and is listed as one of the 2000 Outstanding

Scholars of the 20th Century in the International BiographicalCentre of Cambridge, England. Solita Collas-Monsod chairs the National Selection Committee.She is a professor at the School of Economics of the Universityof the Philippines. She is the convenor of the Philippine HumanDevelopment Network and was chairperson for 11 years.She served as Minister and later Secretary of Socio-EconomicPlanning in the Philippine Government. She is also currentlya member of the high level Task Force of the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Human Rights. Leonardo Montemayor is currently the National President ofthe Federation of Free Farmers. A former Secretary ofAgriculture, he co-authored major laws and has writtenextensively on issues about the empowerment of coconutand grains farmers, agrarian reform, cooperatives and otherimportant policy issues.

William Padolina is the Deputy Director General forOperations and Support Services of the International RiceResearch Institute (IRRI). His expertise lies in researchmanagement, science policy, technology transfer, secondaryplant metabolism, biotechnology, and intellectual propertyrights. He was the DOST secretary from 1995-1999.

2008 NATIONAL SELECTION COMMITTEE


Tina Monzon-Palma is currently the Program Director of ABS-CBN Bantay Bata 163, co-anchor of The World Tonight overANC ABS-CBN News Channel, and host of Talkback withTina Palma also over ANC. She also is a board member ofthe Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and Centerfor Media Freedom and Responsibility. Rosalinda Paredes is an organization development andinstitution building specialist who presently manages the BoholSkills Enhancement Center (BOSEC), Inc., a training andresearch institution that provides capacity development forlocal governments and small businesses. Emma Porio is Professor of Sociology, past chairman of theDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, School of SocialSciences Ateneo de Manila University, as well as of theGoverning Council, Philippine Social Science Council. Shechairs the Technical Panel for Sociology and Anthropologyin the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines. Dr.Porio has done extensive research on development issuesrelated to children, women, housing, poverty, andgovernance.

Victor Ramos was the Secretary of Environment and NaturalResources (DENR) in 1995-98. Under his watch, the Philippineswas recipient of two awards from UNEP and the U.S. EPA forthe “best country implementation of the Montreal Protocol.”He also received the Grand Anvil Award for his publiccampaign to conserve water during the El Niño years 1997-98 in his capacity as “water czar”. Marivel Sacendoncillo is the Executive Director of the LocalGovernment Academy. She is also the President of the LocalGovernment Training and Research Institutes - PhilippineNetwork. Ms. Sacendoncillo’s expertise are in the areas ofcapacity building, development management, conflictmanagement and post-conflict recovery. Veronica Villavicencio is currently Executive Director of thePeace and Equity Foundation, Inc. For more than 25 years,she has been a social development worker involved inprogram development and management, particularly in theareas of biodiversity conservation and community resourcesmanagement, gender and development, and povertyreduction.


G A L I N G P O O K F O U N D A T I O N

Board ofBoard ofBoard ofBoard ofBoard of T T T T TrusteesrusteesrusteesrusteesrusteesRafael L. Coscolluela Chairperson. Administrator, SugarRegulatory Administration. Former Governor of NegrosOccidental and Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas

Patricia A. Sto. Tomas Vice-Chairperson. Board Member,Ramos Peace and Development Foundation. FormerSecretary of Environment and Natural Resources

Austere A. Panadero Corporate Secretary. Undersecretaryfor Local Government, Department of the Interior andLocal Government

Emilia T. Boncodin Treasurer. Professor, National College ofPublic Administration and Governance, UP Diliman.Former Secretary of Budget and Management

Cielito F. Habito Trustee. Director, Ateneo Center forEconomic Research and Development. Former Director-General, National Economic Development Authority

Cecilia L. Lazaro Trustee. Founding President of ProbeProductions, Inc.

Emma E. Porio Trustee. Professor, Department of Sociologyand Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University

Victor O. Ramos Trustee. Executive Vice-President andChief Operations Officer, Philippine Racing Club. Faculty,Ateneo Law School

Ramon P. Ereñeta, Jr. Trustee. Chairperson, DevelopmentBank of the Philippines. Former Secretary of Labor andEmployment

Eddie Dorotan, MD, MPA • Executive DirectorPamela Grafilo • Program OfficerLorenzo Ubalde, MDM • Program OfficerMarie Guzman • Administration and Finance OfficerAdrian Adove • Program AssistantGigi Barazon • Program AssistantEdith Ramos • Administration and Finance AssistantChristine Beltran • Administrative Assistant

Secretariat


Galing Pookmusic and lyrics by Gary Granada

vocals: Gary Granada, Bayang Barrios, Noel Cabangon,Shane and Dave of Crazy as Pinoy, PETA kids, Luke Granada

Ang aming adhikainAy simple lang namanSapat sa pangunahingMga pangangailangan

Saan mahahagilapAng mga munting pangarap

Makaigpaw sa hirapMaalwang hinaharap

Sa punyagi at kusaMunting pamayanan

Sa husay kinilalaUmani ng karangalan

Kayraming nagsasabingAng galing galing daw namin

Saan ba nanggagalingAno ba’ng anting-anting?

Simple lang yanKaya mo yan, bay!

Sa malikhaing paraan, sa paraang malikhainKasama ang mamamayan, mamamaya’y

pagsamahinPagbabago na lantad, lantad na pagbabagoTuloy-tuloy na pag-unlad, tuloy-tuloy na pag-

asenso

Sa dami ng balakidSa dami ng hadlang

Ang diwang nalulupigNagtitiis na lang

Ngunit huwag kang papayagHuwag kang pabubuway

Tadhanang ating paladNasa ating kamay

Chorus counterpoint:Galing Pook..

Ang sabi ng iba, ang galing ng PilipinoMagaling na mang-isa, mandaraya, manlolokoAng sakit sa tenga, kahit di mo matanggapGanyan daw talaga, yan ang sabi ng lahat

Subalit doon sa aming mumunting komunidadNamayani ang maraming kabutihan ang hangadPinaghusay ang lokal na gobyernong niluklokPinagpala’t natanghal na isang Galing Pook!

Ang sabi ng marami, Pilipino ay tamadWalang respeto sa sarili, dangal at dignidadPalakasang palasak, boto na nilalakoLider na nagbubuhat ng sarili ring bangko

Di man maikakaila ay huwag nating lahatinDi mo rin maitatatwa, di man sukat akalainMagandang mga balita sa mga suluk-sulokKayraming halimbawa ng mga Galing Pook

Visit www.galingpook.org to download lyrics and music

galing pook 2008 • 1galingpook.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2008_galing_pook_souv… · 22...

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