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REIVENTING THE NAGA CITY SCHOOL BOARD

Improving Education Outcomes by:

Malu C. Barcillano, Ph.D. Director, Center for Local Governance/

Program Director, Master in Public Administration (MPA) Cluster, Graduate School Ateneo de Naga University

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The case study highlighted the replicable practice in line with the delivery of basic

education of the Local Government Unit of Naga City in the province of Camarines Sur.

As mandated in the Local Government Code of 1991, the Local Government Units are

required to be more responsible in the delivery of basic education to their constituencies, Thus,

with this end in mind, Naga City under the leadership of Hon. Mayor Jesse M. Robredo, the Local

Chief Executive launched the The Reinventing the Naga City Local School Board project in

August 2001. It was envisioned as a vehicle for enhancing local autonomy in the provision of

quality public education through administrative and organizational reforms. In the course of its

implementation, the city has been guided by its own model of governance which includes the

following elements: Accountability, Participation, Predictability, Transparency, and

Empowerment. The process of “reinvention” of the LSB is perceived by the city to adopt a

broader view of the Local Government Code by applying a deeper understanding of the law, and

shifting away from conventional wisdom and traditional practice. The major considerations lie on

the use of Special Education Fund and on the local school board that should function beyond

merely providing additional budgeting support to the Department of Education. Thus, a new

education paradigm is created within the project.

As a response to the city’s own share of educational problems experienced by the country,

the “reinvention” process pushed for strategies, structure and systems to be put in place. These are

all directed towards enhancing pupil development, facilitating professional teacher development,

increasing community involvement and building local stakeholdership. In the entire process,

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provision of strong base in terms of resources, support, knowledge and policy are significantly

given due consideration in the project.

As the major output of the the ‘reinvention’ process, the local school board has been

functioning as an empowered one. It goes beyond its regular function as a budgeting support to the

Department of Education. It becomes proactive and responsive in dealing with educational

concerns. And with the interventions employed, significant changes happened to the stakeholders,

specifically. the Local Board itself, pupils, teachers, schools and partners.

With the implementation of the project, several gains and lessons stand out: : (1) A

progressive perspective paves the way for greater innovation and reinvention, (2) The community

needs to be informed before it can participate, (3) Leadership by example is effective, (4) A

participative approach strengthens ownership, (5) Collaborative partnerships grow from mutual

trust and collective vision, (6) Building stakeholdership opens access to community resources, (7)

Good governance work! These lessons derived in the course of the implementation of the project

can still improve the reinvention process and at the same time produce more change. Further, it is

envisioned to lay the basis for policy recommendations on how Philippine LSBs can be

strengthened to become more relevant and responsive in local community.

I. INTRODUCTION

The provision of a Local School Board made in the Local Government Code of 1991

requires the Local Government Units to be more responsible in the delivery of basic education to

their constituencies. As mandated, this local body has to operate based on the following functions:

(1) determine, in accordance with the criteria set by the Department of Education, the annual

supplementary budgetary needs for the operation and maintenance of public schools within the

local government unit, and the supplementary local cost of meeting such needs which shall be

reflected in the form of an annual school board budget corresponding to its share of the proceeds

of the special levy on real property constituting the Special Education Fund and such other sources

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of revenue and other laws or ordinances may provide; (2) authorize the Local Government Unit to

disburse funds from the Special Education Fund pursuant to the budget prepared and in accordance

with existing rules and regulations; (3) serve as an advisory committee to the sanggunian

concerned on educational matters such as, but not limited to, the necessity for and the uses of local

appropriations for educational purposes; and (4) recommend changes in the names of public

schools within the territorial jurisdiction of the local government unit for enactment by the

sanggunian concerned.

In the case of Naga City, specifically during Mayor Jesse Robredo’s first three terms, its

Local School Board (LSB) initially functioned merely as a budgeting body. It operated in a very

limited and conventional manner, not until the concept of reinvention came in August 2001 with

its partnership with Ford Foundation. The Reinventing the Naga City Local School Board project

was launched with the end view of making it as a vehicle for enhancing local autonomy in the

provision of quality public education through administrative and organizational reforms. In doing

so, the city is guided with its own model of governance which includes following elements:

• Accountability, or the building of government capacity to make public officials answerable to the people;

• Participation, or an inclusive decision-making process that ensure people’s access to and utilization of institutions that promote development;

• Predictability, or the creation of a legal framework which is not only sets rules to regulate behavior, but also ensures their fair and consistent application;

• Transparency, or information openness and the availability of information to the general public, and

• Empowerment, or the promotion of stakeholders and local ownership of programs and school board projects that empowers individuals, groups and whole communities.

Further, the project is aimed to:

• improve the organizational structure of the LSB to ensure quality multi-sectoral community representation;

• improve the quality of discussions and involvement of the LSB in improving the quality of learning of the students;

• develop the capability of the LSB secretariat, technical staff, and other related working

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units so as to provide efficient and professional support for the LSB;

• institutionalize a transparent, participative, educational planning and budgeting system that will promote accountability by school board members and public officials;

• develop a community-owned education plan and budget with strong citizen participation and greater involvement by the local community;

• build up and sustain community stakeholders by encouraging the general public to participate;

• identify alternative ways of financing the local education plan.

The process of “reinvention” of the LSB is perceived by the city to adopt a broader view

of the Local Government Code by applying a deeper understanding of the law, and shifting away

from conventional wisdom and traditional practice. The major considerations lie on the use of

Special Education Fund and on the local school board that should function beyond merely

providing additional budgeting support to the Department of Education. Thus, a new education

paradigm is created within the project.

II. THE SETTING:

Location and Physical Profile

Naga City which has been referred to as a riverine city is located in the province of

Camarines Sur. It is about 450 kilometers away from the south of Manila and about 100

kilometers away from the north of Legazpi City.

Its land area is 84.48 square kilometers and is ranked as the 63rd largest in the country’s

cities. In terms of its total population, it has only 137,000 and is ranked also as the 53rd in the

country.

It is one of five cities created by royal Spanish decree in the late 16th century, thus one of

the country’s oldest and is originally called as Ciudad de Nueva Caceres. And since the Spanish

era, it has served as seat of the Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres that oversees the Roman Catholic

hierarchy of the whole region. Aside from its religious dimension, the city has also been

established in the fields of education and business, thus, has been described as the “Heart of

Bicol”.

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Educational Profile

The city has not been that proactive in responding to its education issues and concerns

prior to the implementation of its “Reinventing the Naga City School Board” project. The local

government unit including the schools’ administrators with the parents and the school board itself

are not making any significant initiative and effort in improving and/or if not enhancing the

delivery of its basic education services.

With the consistent performance of the city in its national achievement tests in the region,

a certain degree of satisfaction has always been felt by the key players in the public education

system including Mayor Jesse Robredo. However, with an in-depth assessment of the scores and

ratings, it was found out that reading and mathematics competencies were on a steady decline, not

only in Naga, but also across the country.

The series of data-gathering activities employed by the local school board as mobilized by

the city mayor to determine thoroughly the entire situation relative to public education revealed the

following significant findings:

• Student to teacher ratios were alarmingly high.

• Student to textbook ratios were also high.

• Student to desk and chair ratios were also on the rise.

• Overall student performance was in decline.

• Education needs, as expressed by teachers and parents, were not considered top priorities.

III. THE PROBLEM

Generally, the quality of the basic education in the country has degenerated. There is a

declining standard and the deterioration is observed in poor student, teacher and school

performance. The Department of Education acknowledges that the national budget is far short of

the amount needed to address a shortage of 23,000 teachers, 15,000 classrooms, 9.9 million

textbooks, and 4.1 million chairs.

The city has its own share on this national problem as revealed in the surveys conducted.

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Apart from this, the LSB’s set-up has significantly limited the involvement of the local

government unit in improving the public school system. It merely functioned as a budgeting body.

The SEF budget focused on the construction of infrastructure and co-curricular activities such as

sports promotion and academic contests. The infrastructure support for instructional materials,

teachers’ training and research that can facilitate the learning process was weak.

IV. THE RESPONSE

Strategies

In response to the problem experienced by the city, the major intervention was focused on

the ‘reinvention’ of the local school board. With the “Reinventing the Naga City School Board”

project, the local school board is empowered so that it could be proactive and responsive to local

needs. Generally, it is directed towards enhancing pupil development, facilitating professional

teacher development, increasing community involvement and building local stakeholdership.

Specifically, the city employed the following strategies:

� Involving the Community. All stakeholders are involved in the education planning. There is participatory process being done to get their consensus in any decision being made.

� Using Resources Effectively. With the participation of all stakeholders in the decision-making process, the preparation of the budget of the local school board is done based on real needs and demands of the public education system of the city. This includes the prioritization of educational activities. With these, resources are maximized and/or are used effectively.

� Improving School Board Operations. The involvement of the community in all activities of the local school board has tremendously improved its operations. The stakeholders’ inputs are generally considered as substantial information that can respond to the problem on education.

� Good Governance. The ‘reinvention’ process is anchored on the following elements of the city’s own model of governance: accountability, participation, predictability, transparency and empowerment. Further, with the city’s commitment to good governance, its efforts emanates on these key principles: adopting progressive perspective; forging multi-sector partnerships and improving community participation.

Structures

Given the new paradigm for an empowered local school board of the city, in terms of its

organization and membership, the board is composed of an eight-man, with voting rights and non-

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voting representatives coming from the Naga City People’s Council (NCPC), Private schools and

Business Chamber.

At present, the local school Board is composed of City Mayor Jesse M. Robredo and City

Superintendent of Schools Nenita L. Ramos, CESO VI as the Co-Chairmen; Sangguniang

Panlungsod Education Committee Chairman Atty. Mila Raquid S. Arroyo; City Treasurer Rodrigo

C. Belleza; Sangguniang Kabataan City Federation President Allen L. Reondanga; City Parents-

Teachers Association League President Abner Pardiñas; Naga City Teacher’s and Employees

Association President Solomon Sales; and Non-teaching Personnel President Maria Felicitas

Santiago as members.

Metro Naga Chamber of Commerce Inc. President Nicolas Beda Priela, Naga City

People’s Council Chairman Fr. Joseph Nelson B. Tria, Ateneo de Naga University High School

Principal Gregorio Abonal, and University of Nueva Caceres High School Principal Rolando

Alvarez are the members of the Naga City School Board Advisory Council.

With the collaboration of the city government and the Department of Education relative to

recruitment and hiring process for locally funded teachers, a multi-sector hiring committee is also

created. It is a committee that allows greater participation in the decision-making process. It is

composed mainly of city government and the Department of Education officials, with a

representative from a local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The composition of the

committee are the following: (1) City Human Resource Management Officer; (2) Chairman of the

City Education Committee; (3) Chairman of the City Appropriation Committee (Finance

Department), (4) Department of Education Superintendent; (5) Department of Education Division

Supervisor; (6) Public High School Principal; (7) Representative from the City People’s Council.

Systems

In the course of the implementation of the project, the following systems are put into place

in the local school board:

� Establishment of a ‘sense of urgency’. The first step in the reinvention process which allows the community to understand the education situation and the need for total change

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through various forms of activities. In line with these, the local school board provides the means to transform the situation relative to education.

� Development of a Vision and Strategy. The development of a changed vision and workable strategies are incorporated in its strategic plan on education that gives shape to the entire operation of the local school board.

� Enactment of the Budget. The budgeting process is done in a highly participatory process involving parents, teachers, school principals, administrative and supervisory staff of the Department of Education including officials of the city government. The process covers the entire planning and budgeting spectrum which starts off from needs assessment and ends up with the allocation of financial resources.

� Support on Broad-Based Action. The specific interventions concretizing the strategies towards the attainment of the objectives and vision of the project are given appropriate support through its sub-systems and structures which are all anchored on the elements of city’s model of governance including its principles.

V. THE PROGRAM UP CLOSE

Resource Base

The establishment of a local school board gives the local government units the

responsibility to deliver basic education. With this, the LSB receives a mandated budget from one

percent tax on real property known as the Special Education Fund (SEF) tax. Apart from this, in

the implementation of the “Reinventing the Naga City School Board” project, the city government

is provided assistance by the Ford Foundation.

The city has practiced resource complementation in implementing its programs. Attaining

synergy through a common understanding that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’

underlines the process of education decentralization. For instance, the Department of Education

which has expertise in education administration, operates and funds public schools. The City

Government which has expertise in governance, manages the funding of public schools. The local

community provides additional funding for school and class-based projects and activities, while

non-governmental organizations provide specialized services, particularly in non-formal education.

Other stakeholders like the private sector are increasingly involved in providing technical support.

The School Empowerment Fund has also been working based on the “home rule” principle. It

aims to empower schools to pursue their own developmental goals with greater autonomy. The

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fund is a Php100,000.00 endowment given to each of the 29 public schools in the city to be used

on “soft” infrastructure projects. Thus, the schools cannot use the fund to pay for their electric,

water and telephone bills. It allows the schools to think beyond the usual projects and look more

closely to long term needs.

Support Base

The empowered local school board of the city has been proactive and responsive to local

needs. In the implementation of the project, the diverse members of the education community are

involved. The LSB recognizes the significant participation of the stakeholders coming from the

private sector, the Naga City People’s Council, teachers’ community, non-teaching staff, city

government and Department of Education.

Community participation is fundamental to Naga’s good governance model. Decision-

making processes are opened-up to include greater community involvement and the local ‘voice’.

Increased participation lead to increased local ownership of the education system and effective

decentralization. Participation happens in all key aspects of the project’s process.

The city’s experience shows that community involvement can generate more reliable data

essential for education planning. Needs assessments, which are so central to the development of

the local school board budget become accurate and responsive to the local needs. When

stakeholders take part in the process of developing programs, devising projects, initiating activities

they form strong bonds with the system they have helped create. Greater participation also

contribute to a more effective monitoring system. With improved access to the school board and

greater community participation, many groups and individuals help conceptualize and then

implement multi-level stakeholder performance reviews, which are conducted by both the schools

and the different sectors.

Knowledge Base

For process-maintenance of the initiative, the LSB is continuously working on processes

and programs which give the community greater voice and responsibility in the governance of

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education. The core competencies of the key players and the supportive institutions improved

through the following activities:

� The conduct of regular consultations and meetings with parents, teachers and school officials. The activity serves as a data-gathering exercise in which the outputs are used for educational planning, monitoring and evaluation.

� The conduct of the Education Summit on planning and budgeting. A multi-sectoral

activity in which the strategic plan including the budget are crafted and prepared.

� The use of effective means of communication. For foster transparency and accountability, an open line of communication using various forms of media such as print, radio including electronic are used to keep the community continuously abreast of any information and development on the public education. The city government website (www.naga.gov.ph) can be used to access information on local projects and programs including those which are related to education. The newest project of the city which is the TXTServe is also a way of getting comments, inquiries and/or feedback and at the same time of providing an immediate response to an issue/problem.

The “Sabi ni Ma’am, Sabi ni Sir” Radio program of the Naga City Teachers and Employees Association (NACITEA) is a means of providing information to the public. It is a one-hour public service program that is being aired every Saturday from 10:30-11:30 in the morning on a local station, DWNX-RXN. The program covers matters and issues on education including the activities and program of the Department of Education and the local school board.

� The practice of collaboration and/or partnerships. To achieve greater results, synergizing with various sectors of the community is significant. Different stakeholder groups in education are involved as partners in the education reform. With the transparent hiring system for teachers, a collaborative effort between the city government and the Department of Education has been established. A multi-sector hiring committee composed of the city government and Department of Education officials including a representative from a local non-governmental organization (NGO) has been created to facilitate the process. The new structure allows for an increased level of efficiency of the city’s teaching force and at the same time minimizes the mismatch of teachers’ field of discipline with the area of assignment. This is because the new process is based on the teacher-applicant’s capability and performance.

Further, the practice of transparent and efficient system of procurement improves the partnership of the city government with the private sector. As part of the system of governance of the city, all Bids for Contracts are conducted openly and this gives opportunity to everyone to participate in the activity. This proactive and progressive stance on decision-making builds a stronger private and public partnerships and at the same time improves the community welfare because everyone benefits from greater resource generation for basic services especially basic education. The “Surog-Adal” Project of the School Board which is also referred to as the “Alliance

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for Learning” brings together various sectors in the community to work for the improvement of education in the city. It is co-managed by a team comprised of the members from the city government, Department of Education and the Parents and Teachers Community Association. It is a project that engages the whole community in various activities and programs over the entire school year. One of the most significant activity under this project is the Computer Library and Instructional Center for Kids (CLICK). The elementary schools are provided initially with ten (10) computer terminals each which are used for school-based computer literacy program. Two (2) teachers coming from each school were also initially trained on Basic Computer Programs but were requested to conduct an echo-training to other teachers so as they can also serve as computer-based instructors.

� The conduct of capacity-building activities. Guided by one of the elements in the city’s own model of governance which is empowerment, various capacity-building activities participated by all stakeholders are implemented.

The publication of Lesson Plans and Workbooks in English, Mathematics and Science for all elementary grade levels prepared by teacher-leaders is one form of improving the delivery of instruction of the public schools. This activity is being done in coordination with the Department of Education and the city government. Further, for teachers to develop effective teaching strategies to achieve quality instruction, a Continuing School-Based Training Program (CSBTP) is developed. All the teachers in the city participate in this training program which is being held every Friday. There is a rotation of the training among the different districts, having one school to be the host venue. The teachers are observing demonstration classes with actual teacher-student participation and will do critiquing of both the content/substance and the process employed.

� The provision of a performance-based Incentives for Teachers. For the teachers to continuously strive for excellence, a performance-based incentive is provided. It is an incentive that is linked with the school’s performance as reflected in the pre- and post-tests administered every school year. It is designed to reward teachers from the top two performing elementary and high schools.

Policy Base

The operations of the LSB is based solely on the provisions of the Local Government

Code. It receives a mandated budget from a one percent tax on real property known as the Special

Education Fund. Apart from this, the operations, programs and activities of the LSB are

rationalized based on the city’s successful governance model which covers the elements of

accountability, participation, predictability, transparency and empowerment. Further, the model

is anchored on the following key principles: adopting a progressive perspective, forging multi-

sector partnerships and improving community participation.

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VI. IMPACT

Outputs

The ‘reinvention’ process paves the way to an empowered school board which go beyond

its regular function as a budgeting support to the Department of Education. The proactive and

responsive stance of the board is used as a vehicle to involve the local government officials and the

entire community in owning the responsibility of ensuring that the children gain access to quality

education. It becomes a powerful tool which develop accountability of schools to the community.

It reminds them that their responsibilities to the children and the youth are not only beneficial at

present, but most importantly to the future generation.

Specifically, the process provided the following outputs:

� Enhanced access to education through a budget support on the Personal Services and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses for six (6) high school, one new high school and the hiring of additional 10 teachers;

� Promoted teacher welfare and development which includes the basic teacher allowance, additional performance-based incentives and continued professional development;

� Created an empowered local school by allocating budget to the School Empowering Fund, Elementary Schools for the Future Fund and Public School Infrastructure Fund;

� Promoted pupil development by engaging in regional and national level of sports as well as the academic and non-academic activities;

� Attained a 1:1 ratio of student to instructional materials in furnishing every student with the instructional materials needed in the school where the student’s learning materials are produced and printed locally;

� Provided an Alternative education options, an allocation on the Non-Formal Education Center-an extension of accreditation and equivalency classes and the expansion of the Balik-Adal program.

Outcomes

The ‘reinvention’ project revealed the following results:

On the School Board

•Strengthened organizational structure through increased participation in the board ensuring multi-

sectoral representation;

•Creation of a yearly budget consultation and presentation process;

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•Use of Citizen’s Charter on Naga City School Board transactions;

•Use of on-line bidding of all requirements saving millions of pesos.

On Pupil

•Significant improvements in achievement levels for Math, Science and English. This is indicated

by the comparative results of the National Achievement Test in the following table:

COMPARATIVE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT TEST

Naga City Schools Division, 1999-2005

Level 1999 2000 2004 2005

Elementary 32.07 38.10 50.58 60.10

% Point Improvement 6.03 12.48 9.51

Secondary 37.26 47.09 48.31 54.56

% Point Improvement 9.83 1.22 6.25

•Acquisition and distribution of textbooks that bridged the 30,000 shortfall of Department of

Education;

•Achievement of 1:1 textbook-student ratio and 1:1 workbook-student ratio in the core subjects of

English, Science and Math;

•Focus on improving reading skills

oReading proficiency tests

oReinforced reading skill by providing SRA materials to all school

oSa Aklat Sisikat Program

•Funded annual localized pre-testing and post-testing in the elementary level;

•Significant improvements in achievement levels for Math, Science and English;

•High School Readines Test passing rate.

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On Teachers

•Conducted Needs Assessment Survey;

•Printed lesson plans ensuring same quality instruction;

•Engagement of 40 additional teachers at the high school level and 10 for elementary level with

salary at par with Nationally Funded teachers;

•Transparent recruitment for the best teachers eliminating “padrino” system;

•Achievement of manageable class size (45) with priority given to those residing near the school;

• Funded trainings and seminars;

•Popularization of program through “An Sabi ni Ma’am, An Sabi ni Sir” radio program.

On Schools

•Conduct of yearly inventory of school facilities;

•Opening of two new elementary and high school every other year since 1988;

•Creation of a School Empowerment Fund of P3M every year for each of the 30 public elementary

and high schools;

•Creation of science oriented high school.

On Parents

•Active participation of parents;

•Standardization of school fees;

•SANGGAWADAN Program extends schools supplies and rice assistance to 1,281 children and

1,182 parents as incentive to ensure stay of children in classrooms.

On Partners

•Multimedia approach (Knowledge Channel in all schools);

•SPED’s vocational training needs are conducted with funding from the Rotary Club;

•Surog Adal – adopt a school project participated by bankers association, civil engineers,

universities;

•Establishment of computer centers in all public schools.

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On ITC Programs

•Computer Literacy and Instructional Center for Kids (CLICK) –Deployed 210 computers to 21

public elementary schools and

•Computer Achievement Test (CAT) – 60% of all elementary schools graduates passed the

computer proficiency test;

•Community Out-Reach Program (CORP) – Private universities in the city provide free training to

high schools students;

•Youth Teach ACCESS- Five public high schools (Camarines Sur National High School, Sabang,

Concepcion Pequeòa and Cararayan) were given 10 computer units each by the City

Government, a server and networking from Ayala Foundation and free one year Internet from

DIGITEL;

•PCs for Public High Schools – Six public high school were recipients of 90 computer units from

the Department of Trade and Industry;

•Summer Computer Training – Free basic computer training for local residents every summer;

•Internet Learning Kiosk (iLinK) of CGN, Ayala Foundation and Mitsubishi Corporation provides

free training for out-of-school youth, underserved members of the community, people’s

organizations and other NGO’s;

•Teachers Advance Computer Training (TACT) – Five-lecture series that updates public school

teacher’s knowledge on computer from basic to networking;

•Enhancing I-Governance – Upper barangays (5 barangay halls and 6 schools) are now connected

through wireless Internet provided by a World Bank grant.

VII. LESSONS LEARNED

Consolidating gains and lessons learned is an effective way of making reforms

sustainable and truly systematic. Looking back on the reinvention of the local school board, it is

important to highlight key steps that made the reforms possible. Taking note of these interventions

is a means to improve the reinvention process and producing more change. Learning from the

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Naga experience, several lessons stand out:

A progressive perspective paves the way for greater innovation and reinvention. A

progressive perspective is essentially an attitude that is open to change. It challenges conventional

practices and sees education as a shared responsibility, enlisting both the capacities of the local

government unit and national government. Indeed, it is an attitude that promotes a sense of

ownership and community identity with the education system and opens doors for better

governance.

The community needs to be informed before it can participate. Community members

needs to be informed of the problems and challenges facing basic education before serious change

can begin. Open dialogue and clear communication, therefore, is a very significant factor that can

facilitate and sustain effective change.

Leadership by example is effective. Department of Education local officials became

more open because the City Government is practicing what it preaches.

A participative approach strengthens ownership. The local school board should

provide and ensure accessible venues for community participation. For reform to be truly

systematic, the board needs to support the transformation of closed education systems into open

processes for progressive change. Systems, structures and processes that are open to change,

feedback, and participation are more effective in addressing educational needs and other concerns

of governance.

Collaborative partnerships grow from mutual trust and collective vision. By

increasing areas for participation, linking among diverse stakeholders can be strengthened. Greater

communication among reform-minded participants can bridge differences and build understanding.

In turn, this can strengthen the vision of education reform and deepen community identity with the

process.

Building stakeholdership opens access to community resources. The very positive

community reaction to participative budgeting process augers well for project success. Since the

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reform, constituents (including academe, church and business) have been more open to sharing

their resources and talents in community-building activities. The “Reinventing School Board”

project is an impetus for greater civic involvement.

Good governance work! Naga City has worked to make the local governance of

education a very transparent and accountable process. In this regard, transparency has meant an

open budget process, an open procurement process, and an open decision-making process. Naga

City has in fact utilized its homepage to demonstrate transparency.

Finally, emerging lessons derived from project implementation are also envisioned to

lay the basis for policy recommendations on how Philippine LSBs can be strengthened to become

more relevant and responsive in local communities.

*****

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Robredo, Jesse M., Making Local Governance Work, The Naga City Model, December 2003, Naga City Local Government Code (1991) - Republic Act 7160.

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Reinventing Local Boards: The Story of the Naga City School Board (LUZON), Naga City

Biographical Sketch of the Author MALU C. BARCILLANO 4 Villafrancia Subdivision, Jacob Extension, Liboton, Naga City 35 years old 18 February 1971 Filipino Roman Catholic Single 5’3 1/2 54 kgs. Excellent Health Education: Doctor of Philosophy in Behavioral Management (March 1999) University of Nueva Caceres Naga City Master of Science in Agricultural Economics (March 1993) Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan Cagayan de Oro City Liberal Arts and Commerce (LiaCom)

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majors in Management and Economics (March 1991) Ateneo de Naga Naga City Study/Exposure Visit at: - Bangkok, Thailand (October 21-25, 2004) Key Qualifications:

• Professor • Trainer and Facilitator; • Project/Event Designer and Organizer, and • Researcher

Accredited Trainer on:

– Basic Group Facilitation Methods (ToP Level 1) – Designing Participatory Events (ToP Level 2) – Barangay Planning and Budgeting – Real Property Taxation – Municipal Environment Planning – Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

(ARD-GOLD- Associates for Rural Development-Governance and Local Democracy Project - United States Agency for International Development - USAID)

– Basic Counseling Skills (Gerry Roxas Foundation, Roxas City)

– Public Service Ethics and Accountability (Civil Service Commission and United Nations Development Programme UNDP) Scholarship/Fellowship/Award: College Faculty Development Fund Program Dissertation grantee, CHED-FAPE, Second Semester, School Year 1998-1999. Faculty Development Program Grantee, Ateneo de Naga University, School Year 1998-1999. Professorial Chair Awardee, School Year 1997-1998, Ateneo de Naga University Professorial Chair Awardee, School Year 1995-1996, Ateneo de Naga University Graduate Research Fellow, Xavier Science Foundation, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Cagayan de Oro City (June 1991-May 1993) Research Awards Program (RAP) grantee, Philippine Social Science Council, Inc. (PSSC), Diliman, Quezon City (November 1992-May 1993) Work/Professional Experiences: Filipino Training Specialist – Orient Integrated Development Consultants, Inc. (OIDCI), Enhancing Capacities In Area-Wide Program Planning Project of the Metro Naga Development Council (MNDC) under the Philippines-Australia Governance Facility (PAGF) – May 2002 – March 2003

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Director, Ateneo de Naga University-Center for Local Governance (Graduate School) and Program Director of the Public Administration (MPA) Program (June 2001 up to present) Associate Professor, College of Commerce and Graduate School, Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City (October 1993 up to present) Trainer/Facilitator, Ateneo de Naga University-Center for Local Governance (Graduate School), Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City (January 2000 up to present) Research Assistant, Institute of Market Analysis (IMA), College of Agriculture Complex, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Cagayan de Oro City (June 1991-May 1993) Assisted in the Local Development Assistance Program (LDAP) Project, Xavier University-Center for Local Governance, Cagayan de Oro City (January 1993-May 1993) Field Enumerator of the Socio-Economic Survey of the Bicol River Basin Flood Control and Irrigation Development Project (BRBDCIDP) conducted in Albay and Camarines Sur (November 1989-January 1990) Researches Conducted and Involvement: Assisted various researches, member of the Research Team:

Coffee Study conducted by the Institute of Market Analysis (IMA) and NESTLE Philippines, Cagayan de Oro branch, Cagayan de Oro City (November 1992-March 1993)

Industry and Market studies for the three commodities namely: Corn, Coffee and Cattle in the TriPARRD (Tripartite Partnership for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development) areas in Bukidnon conducted by the Institute of Market Analysis with the assistance from Asian Institute of Management (September 1992-December 1992)

Resource Analysis and an Economic and Technological Study of Different Products in Camiguin Province conducted by Elmer V. Sayre, Ph.D. for Rural Employment and Income Generation Through Outreach Training (ILO/PHIL/88/MO3 NET) under National Manpower and Youth Council, Cagayan de Oro City (June 1992-September 1992)

conducted Masteral thesis entitled “The Socio-Economic Conditions of Higaonon Farmers in Naawan, Misamis Oriental, 1991-1992” (March 1993). conducted dissertation entitled “Business Management Education and Manpower Capabilities of Industries in Region V”, (March 1999). prepared a case study on Women Empowerment and Development: The Experience of Naga City for Local Government Academy (LGA). It is part of the support to the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) in mainstreaming Gender and Development at the local level. (November 2004) prepared a case study on Reinventing the Naga City School Board: Improving Education Outcomes for the Local Government Unit of Naga City (November 2005)

Articles Written and Published: prepared an article on The People Empowerment Program (PEP) of Naga City. The said material

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was submitted to the Local Government Academy as contribution to their Local Governance Journal, December 2004 prepared an article on the The Innovative System of I-Governance of Naga City . The said material was submitted to the Local Government Academy as contribution to their Local Governance Journal, December 2004 “Camarines Sur Covers 17 Barangays” Ang Ka-Batas- The Official Newsletter of the Barangay Justice Service System Project, Vol 01, January-April 2002 “Technology of Participation (TOP) and its Application” Bikolnon, Graduate School-Ateneo de Naga University, Vol VI No. 1 June 2001 “Of Awards and More” , Forum, Ateneo de Naga College Faculty Club, Vol 4, No.1 January 2000 “Pinoy Management in Ateneo”, Forum, Ateneo de Naga College Faculty Club, Vol. 3, No. 3 September 1999 “Weather, Weather Lang!” Forum, Ateneo de Naga College Faculty Club, Vol. 3, No.2 August 1999 Membership in Professional Organizations: Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines (ASPAP) Bicol Habitat for Humanity Foundation, Inc. Council of Management Educators (COME), (1995 up to present) Enthusiastic Ateneans for Group Learning and Explorations (EAGLES), Inc., Ateneo de Naga, Naga City (1987 up to present) Languages: English and Filipino References:

1. Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. President Ateneo de Naga University

2. Dr. Alfredo C. Fabay Dean, Graduate School Ateneo de Naga University

3. Dr. Meda D. San Juan Dean, Graduate School University of Nueva Caceres

4. Dr. Elmer V. Sayre Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan

Cagayan de Oro City