UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES SCHOOL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

Thought Paper No.3 Point of View: Role of the general structure of local government and the multitude of institutional linkages in the creation of policies, programs and projects, as well as its efficient and effective implementation in the overall planning process

Submitted to: Mark Mateo Morales, Ar./EnP. Professor

Submitted by: Vinson P. Serrano Plan 210

February 2012

Planning profession on a general note aims to be comprehensive in developing and coming up with planning proposals to ensure effectiveness and its delivery on a multi sector society. It involves coordination of various disciplines in order to cater the needs of the various levels of society and address the concern of every particular level. The general structure of the local government that includes the hierarchy of offices and the multitude of institutional linkages emphasizes the value of cohesiveness in the general planning as a country. From the national government, the local level aims to adopt and implement all the general planning principles and ideas of the national government for public consumption. As such hierarchy is established, it aims to develop the sense of filtration- from a micro-planning to a macro-planning approach. Financially, this system implores to maintain the check and balance so as to ensure adequacy and giving attention to projects that are of primary importance. As the planning process involves a vertical relationship of the national, regional, provincial, and local level- these offices serve as ladder of approach in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the planning projects to ensure its efficiency and effectiveness. The institutional linkages of various government agencies- armed with their specific line of specialization and duties with their lateral relationship with one another aims to give recommendations to the different levels of government related to their specialized field of concern. But in the aspect of efficiency and effectiveness of implementation in the overall planning process, how does this vertical nature of the levels of government cognizant to its relationship to the horizontal nature of the various government agencies? Planning is a state process, and this process involves not only the government officials but the entire society as a whole- the very reason why various institutional linkages were established along with the coordination of the different levels of government. Ergo, this becomes a state responsibility and establishes public concern and ownership. The hierarchy in the system of government aims to establish specific areas of concern to be addressed by a specific office thus not resulting to redundancy of work and multiplication. This is how efficiency must take place in order to maintain transparency and accountability in all aspects of planning, which can be monitored through inter-level check and balance. On its effectiveness, the system aims to be specialized thus ensuring the sectoral approach of planning in all levels. Due to this nature, every level and every government agency involved in the planning process has its own scope of work and complexity with their specific line of coordination on its administrative operations. As a general result, this nature aims to mutualism of the government as it brings the bureaucratic system closer to its people. Having this scenario, this system consequently gives an effect to the financial concerns of planning projects. The system established here given on a developing country primarily give importance to the delegation of a limited amount of funds to be disbursed and used for planning projects. The system aims to institutionalize so as to secure prioritizing method on fiscal disbursement. And on its course, budgeting is a major issue of decision-makers in the government that will be the primary implementers of planning projects. The revenues, taxesare the primary source of income of the government wherein public projects are being funded. Aside from this, the complexity of institutional relationship of every government agency involve often result to a tedious process of budget approval. On a positive outlook, this does not only ensure multiplicity of financial disbursement, but also ensure that public funds will be used for the benefit of the people. Generally, this system has developed its way to make sure that all areas of concern will be addressed on a general plan, while delegating public funds securing the maximization of the limited financial resource without sacrificing the quality and needs of its people. i

Rethinking Public Administration: An Overview. United Nations Division for Public Economics and Public Administration.Department of Economic and Social Affairs. http://www.unpan.org/Portals/0/60yrhistory/documents/Publications/Rethinking%20public%20administ ration.pdf. 02/11/2012.