Scaling Up Local Successes
Scaling Up Local Successes
Scaling Up Local Successes
local successes
JESSE M. ROBREDO
Mayor, Naga City
Outline
□ Local good practices: State of the
art
□ LGU exemplar: The case of Naga
City
□ Issues in scaling up local
successes
□ The innovations paradox
□ What needs to be done
Opportunities
□ Policy environment
□ Local Government Code of 1991
(Republic Act No. 7160) – local autonomy
law adopted decentralization as development
strategy; devolved powers, authority,
resources and accountability to local
government units
□ Supreme Court rulings affirming local
autonomy – IRA impoundment (vs national
government), utilization of SEF (vs COA), etc
Opportunities
□ LGU exemplars
□ Local authorities and communities that
continue to ‘push the envelope’ of
innovations in governance:
□ Naga, Cebu, Marikina, San Fernando, La Union (cities);
□ Bulacan, Nueva Vizcaya, Oriental Negros, Bohol,
Pampanga (provinces);
□ Concepcion, Iloilo; Upi, Maguindanao; Irosin, Sorsogon
(municipalities)
□ Lahug, Cebu City; Calag-itan, Hinunangan, Leyte;
Tabuk, Mandaue City (barangays)
Opportunities
□ Support systems
□ LGU awards programmes: Galing Pook,
Clean and Green, Most Competitive Cities etc
□ Grants, technical assistance
programmes:
□ WB’s Panibagong Paraan; AusAID, ADB, CIDA
programs for local development initiatives (foreign-
assisted)
□ Synergeia Foundation; Foundation for Worldwide
People Power; etc (local + foreign assisted)
□ Kilos Asenso –grants matching program in GAA of
the national government. Conceptually sound.
Implementation mechanism, implementors’
credibility are suspect
The setting
PARTICIPATIVE VISIONING
“A City for the People” “Uswag Naga 1998” “An Maogmang Lugar”
(1988-95) (1995-98) (1998 onwards)
Confidence building Emphasis on economic Redefinition of shared
phase which laid down growth; period of rapid vision towards becoming
groundwork for reforms economic expansion an inclusive city and
within City Hall and in model of participative
the community urban governance
Service quality improvement
□ PRODUCTIVITY
IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM (PIP)
□ Sought to improve both
processes and
procedures (systems
change) and values
and culture (people
change)
□ “Performance Pledge”
□ Annual Very Innovative
Person Award for cost
reduction measures
□ Productivity
Improvement Circles
i-Governance Program
Identifies, uses various tools to encourage participation in
government decision-making by individual citizens and
households
Concretize governance principles of transparency and
accountability
DELIVERY
DELIVERY MECHANISMS
MECHANISMS
1. Analog or paper-based 3. Mobile Governance.
tools. Addresses need of around Cellphones which have higher penetration
67% of population without ICT access rate than dial-up internet. Around 67% of
households own a mobile
Performance Pledges
TxtNaga
Citizens Board
Naga City Citizens Charter 4. Network access
2. Digital or ICT media improvement. Addresses digital
divide through strategic IT investments
(eGovernance) Cyberschools
naga.gov initiative, through
Cyberbarangays
the city’s website
www.naga.gov.ph
NCPC in policymaking
Selects own 31
31Standing
Standing
Committees
Committees
representatives
of
of theCity
the CityCouncil
Council
to the following
Rules
RulesandandPrivileges
Privileges● ●Blue
BlueRibbon
Ribbon
entities: ● ●Appropriations
Appropriations● ●Infrastructure
Infrastructure
● ●Land
LandUseUse● ●Social
SocialDevelopment
Development
● ●Education
Education● ●Health
Health● ●
Agriculture
Agriculture● ●Trade
TradeandandIndustry
Industry
● ●Market
MarketAffairs
Affairs● ●Public
PublicSafety
Safety● ●
Other
Othermandated
mandated Youth
YouthDevelopment
Development● ●Manpower
Development
Manpower
Development● ●Sports Sports
Local
Localspecial
special special
specialbodies
bodies Development
Development● ●Laws, Laws,Ordinances
Ordinances
bodies
bodiesunder
under and
andReorganization
Reorganization● ●Barangay
(Village)
Barangay
Investment
InvestmentBoard
Board● ● (Village)Affairs
Affairs● ●Tourism
Tourismandand
1991
1991LGC
LGC Housing
Housingand
andUrban
Urban Foreign
ForeignRelations
Relations● ●Public
PublicUtilities
Utilities
Development
DevelopmentBoard
Board ● ●Cooperatives
Cooperatives● ●Culture
Cultureand
and
Development
Development Heritage ● Family ● Games
Heritage ● Family ● Games and and
Council
Council● ●Health
Health ● ●Other
Othersectoral
sectoralcouncils
councils Amusement
Amusement● ●Consumers’
Consumers’
Board
Board● ●Peace
Peaceand
and Protection
Protection● ●Women
Women● ●PublicPublic
Order
OrderCouncil
Council● ● ● ●Other
Othertask
taskforces,
forces, Affairs
Affairsand
andInformation
Information● ●
School
SchoolBoard
Board● ● committees
committeesand andother
other Environment
Environmentand andEcology
Ecology● ●
Bids
Bidsand
andAwards
Awards bodies
bodiescreated
createdbybythe
the Children
Children● ●Urban
UrbanPoor
Poor● ●External
External
Committee
Committee city
citygovernment
government Affairs
Affairs● ●NGO/PO
NGO/POAccreditation
Accreditation
City website
□ Maximizes web
technology
□ Within reach of local resources
and capability in a developing
country
□ Offers access to information on
Naga, including city government
financial reports
□ proposed and approved annual
operating budget
□ quarterly financial statements
□ bid tenders, and bidding
outcomes
□ Platform for communicating
requests and complaints in
cost-effective and efficient manner
□ Contains a digital version of
the Charter (called NetServe)
and the Citizens Board
TxtServe Naga
A MOBILE GOVERNANCE ENGAGEMENT TOOL
□ TXTNAGA Hotline – a
locally managed and
controlled SMS messaging
system
Consists of
□ a PC
□ a GSM/GPRS modem
□ TXTNAGA hotline with ADVANTAGES:
Globe Telecoms □ Locally managed, customizable and
(0917-TXTNAGA or therefore more flexible, instead of being
0917-8986242), and network dependent
□ SMS applications □ More accessible to ordinary citizens.
developed by local Less than P1 per SMS sent vs. P2.50
under the 2960 service
programmers
□ More cost-effective in the long-run
The Innovations paradox
A POLICY ISSUE IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE
Diffusion of Innovations
Theory (E.M. Rogers, 1995)
media and interpersonal
□ Predicts that
contacts provide information, influence
opinion and judgment
□ Innovation consists of four stages:
(1) invention; (2) diffusion (or communication) through the social
system; (3) time, and (4) consequences
Consequences
Continued
adoption
Individual Communication sources Adoption
variables Discontinuance
Time
Stated differently…
McKeown’s Pencil Metaphor
□ The lead-ers
□ The first to take on the technology, the early adopters
who usually document and enthusiastically share what
they have tried - warts and all.
Stated differently…
McKeown’s Pencil Metaphor
□ The wood (Would)
□ These people would use technology if someone would just
give them the gear, set it up, train them and keep it
running. All they need is some help from some sharp
person and they'll be doing it too.
My sense
□ Decentralization flattened
government structure -- from vertical
top-down orientation towards broad-based
horizontal one
□ Contributes to tremendous resiliency of the Philippines
□ There are less self-reliant communities
□ But self reliance should be measured in terms of
outcomes, not just IRA dependency
□ Lack of focus, weak policy support at national
level. National government still competes
with LGUs in service delivery
□ National agencies should focus on quality assurance
□ Impels need for best practice-driven policymaking