Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal:

A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

Student: Paul Anthony Torres

Mentor: Prof. Edgardo H. Pangilinan

I. Background of the Case_______________________________________________

Generally, an urban renewal project is a development strategy employed by a city
government to breathe new life into decrepit parts of its city in order to revitalize human
activity and boost productivity. It is centered on holistic restructuring (e.g. spatial changes)
of areas intended for commercial, industrial, residential, and many other purposes. On
2001, the city government of Dipolog
embarked on an urban renewal project
that was later recognized as a Galing
Pook awardee on 2014 to address the
proliferation of shanties on its old fishing
Image Source: Google Maps

village covered by barangays Miputak

and Central.1 Over a span of 13 years,

the city government was able to transform the shoreline, dubbed the longest comfort
room, into a boulevard that attracted tourism as well as entrepreneurs in the service
industry. Conceived on 1991 as a subset of a master plan (Swingapore 2030)2 to turn

Mary Mae Abellon, Dipologs success is a result of our peoples journey to good governance - Mayor Uy, Philippine
Information Agency. Retrieved from http://www.pia.gov.ph/mobile/index.php?article=2491429168780
2

Ibid., Dipolog turns 100, celebrating excellence, good governance, Philippine Information Agency. Retrieved from
http://piazampen.blogspot.com/2013/07/dipolog-turns-100-celebrating.html

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

Dipolog into a city respected like Switzerland and

progressive like Singapore by 2030, the urban
renewal

project

started

as

foreshore

development initiative coupled with a construction

of a seawall but later expanded into the Dipolog
Urban Renewal Project, which showcased the
construction of a boulevard and a commercial

Image Source: Google Maps

complex over the Miputak-Central area where shanties used to be.3 The project was a
solution to the multidimensional problem of the city on some 500 households who are
informal settlers living along the shorelines of the said area. Apparently these households
that had no access to proper housing were indiscriminately disposing human waste into
the sea, consequently polluting it and causing damage to the environment. Viewed from
the perspective of disaster risk reduction, the location of the informal settlers was
problematic because it made them vulnerable to storm surges and adverse climatic
conditions. The economic dimension of the problem revolved around the minimum access
of the informal settlers to a decent income because there was very little economic activity
in the area aside from fishing. Consequently, this circumstance forced them to remain as
informal settlers in the area for lack of opportunity to establish habitation elsewhere. It
can be also argued that the indiscriminate disposal of human waste into the sea
exacerbates the poor access to income of the informal settlers since the pollution turned

Swingapore is a combination of the name Switzerland and Singapore.

3

The commercial complex housed the bars and restaurants that operate along the boulevard while ambulant
vendors as well as peddlers ply the boulevard to sell food and beverage to the tourists and visitors in the area.

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

the shore unfit for fishing. In turn, the lost opportunity for fishing leads to minimal options
for livelihood access. Indeed an innovative measure had to be done by the city
government due to the interrelated issues the surround the situation of the informal
settlers. Of course, the place could not just be demolished. Politically, any move against
the interests of the informal settlers impinged political repercussions on the leader who
would make such a call because the area holds a substantial voting population. Thus, the
intersecting dimensions of the problem demanded a solution that knits together a
coherent intervention that will not leave one dimension taken for granted while at the
same time promoting the interests of the city towards its vision.

The ingenious solution to the problem was to relocate

the informal settlers and develop the foreshore into a
boulevard that would attract health buffs, local and
foreign tourists, and entrepreneurs into the area
consequently kick starting economic activity on the once
Image Source: http://i44.tinypic.com/5ebpco.jpg

sleepy town of Dipolog. In taking the risk of this

unconventional course of action, the city government was able to turn the longest comfort
room into a very attractive esplanade that became a centerpiece in the journey of the
city towards Swingapore 2030. As of the moment, the boulevard is a 1.6 kilometer stretch
of developed foreshore equipped with basketball courts, gymnasium, and playground as
well as two commercial buildings in tandem with bars, restaurants, and ambulant vendors.
The sustained infrastructure developments turned the shoreline eyesore before into place

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

of aesthetic value, undeniably a livable space, as it annually holds the Pagsalabuk

Festival of the city and consequently attract business and vacations into Dipolog.
Although success factors of the project had
been laid out in the supplied text4, this paper intends
to put emphasis on leadership geared towards good
governance thereby generating good public policy is
the conditio sine qua non behind the success of the
urban renewal project of Dipolog. In the absence of a
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipolog_Boulevard

strong and inclusive leadership, the project would have

met its untimely cessation when the informal settlers protested against it and later filed a
case in court. Some members of the media even had negative perceptions of the project.
Undeniably, the biggest hurdle in the project was the relocation of the 500 households
away from the intended project site. Since the relocation was towards the city outskirts,
these families needed support from the government in terms of livelihood, sanitation,
education, and many other basic needs. Further, the construction of the boulevard and
the resettlement shelters of the affected families
are infrastructure projects that required massive
funding, which was unfortunately way beyond the
capabilities of the city government. The funding
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipolog_Boulevard

had to be source out elsewhere through resource

The supplied text identifies leadership, planning, legislative support, investment, and accommodation, mobilization
of CSO/NGOs, fail early principle, and good governance as contributing factors to the success of the urban renewal
project.

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

mobilization and linkaging. Relocation obviously needed also the support of local
legislators. The complexity of the project required project management capabilities of the
city government where planning was a key component. In all these circumstances, the
leadership ought to be the integrating energy that would harmonize all the facets and
aspects of the urban renewal project. Without such leadership grounded on good
governance, the city would fail at communicating with stakeholders the significance of the
boulevard and its relation to the overall vision of Swingapore 2030. Fortunately, the city
mayor was able to wield decisive yet inclusive leadership that what resulted was not just
a makeover of the foreshore but also of the city itself. The participative and consultative
character of the leadership of the mayor led to a change in the mindset of the people.
Since the mayor was able to show that planning for the project was inclusive and that the
city government itself was committed in getting the job done for the common good, the
civil society groups, the local media, and non-government organizations of Dipolog
exerted the necessary effort to reach out and convey the message that everybody is
involved in the project and that the affected families will not be left hanging on nothing. In
fact, the local government allocated millions of funds for social services for the
households. This promoted transparency and democratization in the implementation of
the project. Through decisive leadership specifically targeted towards good governance,
the mayor was able to harmonize the resources from other government agencies and
non-government entities and devote them towards the project. The effect was the in-flow
of investment and other resources that secured the success of the project. The illustration
on the next page attempts to clarify the interpretation of the case.

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

SWINGAPORE
2030

Urban Renewal
Project

Good Public
Policy

Leadership for
Good Governance
(foundation)

Local legislators
support
CSO/NGO

Transformation
of citizens

Horizontal and
vertical
linkaging

collaboration

Leadership
for Good
Governance
(integrator)
Mutual LGUStakeholder
support

Fig. 1

Partnership
with NGAs

Private sector
engagement

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

II. The Policy Issue______________________________________________________

Roughly, a policy is a guide for charting a desired course of action in addressing problems
encountered in the development of products or delivery of services. This could mean that
a policy is what backstops a course action when there is a need to provide justification as
to why a particular decision has to be made and proceed with the appropriate course of
action. In relation to this paper, a policy may be seen as a government decision to address
an issue or a problem (i.e. political, social, economic, etc.).5 Since it is a government
intervention that aims to achieve a solution, it can take the form of a program, an output,
an outcome, or a desired state of affairs. In the context of Dipolog City, the policy was
founded on the choice of the local government to propel the city from economic stagnation
(i.e. being a sleepy town) and ecologically insensitive (longest comfort room) towards
becoming a major economic area (like Singapore) while at the same time promoting
environmental protection (like Switzerland) by 2030. To realize that vision, it had to
formulate another policy that engages the problem of shanties along its shoreline in order
to transform the area into a boulevard through an urban renewal project. But it had to do
it in a consultative, participative, and inclusive manner since the vision Swingapore 2030
involved also the transformation of the citizens of the city. Thus Dipolog needed to
formulate a public policy that would serve as the flagship towards this vision of
Swingapore 2030. The policy formulated therefore was to relocate the informal settlers of
the Miputak-Central shoreline. In place of the shanties, a boulevard has to be constructed

Thei Geurts, Public Policy Making: The 21st Century Perspective. Retrieved from
http://www.beinformed.com/BeInformed/webdav-resource/binaries/pdf/publications/public-policymaking.pdf?webdav-id=/Be%20Informed%20Bibliotheek/0000%20WEBDAV/WebDAV%20StatContent.bixml

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

along the stretch, which would serve also as a seawall. Since the boulevard would
become a public open space, it would therefore attract people towards the place. Thus a
commercial complex had to be established to accommodate entrepreneurs of the service
industry (i.e. small, medium, informal) who intended to set up business in the area. In this
manner, the boulevard and the commercial complex complemented each other. The net
effect was a renewed business atmosphere for the city and an increase in its locally
generated funds. The illustration below may perhaps describe the relationship of the
vision to the policy.

Present

Future

longest
comfort room

Dipolog Sunset
Boulevard

SWINGAPORE
2030

(lack of policy)

(flagship policy)

(vision)

Shanties lining
up the old
fishing village
of barangays
Miputak and
Central in the
sleepy town of
Dipolog

An urban
renewal project
generating
tourism into
the area and
reinvigorating
business
activity

Dipolog
becomes a
bustling
business
district and an
ecologically
proactive
community

Past

Fig. 2

Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

The policy of the city to engage in an urban renewal project to transform the MiputakCentral shoreline into a recreation and business area was the initial solutions to address
the socio-economic and environmental issues involving the informal settlers of the area.
It is worth noting that since the leadership of the city mayor was towards good
governance, the policy involved also relocating the affected households to a resettlement
area coupled with a strong commitment that their socio-economic (e.g. shelter, livelihood,
education, sanitation, logistics, etc.) needs will be looked after by the city government.
The policy ensured that the affected families will not be marginalized but instead become
in actualizing the urban renewal project. In so doing, the boulevard is not just for the
middle class and the affluent but owned instead by the people of Dipolog. This degree of
participation among the citizens was what the mayor wanted to reach as part of its vision.
Swingapore 2030 was not just an investment into the infrastructure of the city but also
into the untapped human potential of Dipolog. Since the boulevard was both an attractor
and a locator for both local and foreign tourism, the human resource of the city must
likewise keep up with the development. The reason for this is that human development is
the starting point of development and ultimately the zenith of said development. The
increase in volume of people pouring in to the city would require an increase also in social
services. This demand likewise attracts the service sector industry which will again
depend on the capability of local human resource. A positive stance towards the people
has also a positive reaction effect towards the government. This therefore becomes an
instrument for legitimation of the government to rally support for the project. This
exemplification of leadership for good governance (inclusive and participative citizen
building) was what enabled the city mayor to become an integrating energy that attracted

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

support for the urban renewal project. The illustration below describes the subsets of the
policy.

Construction
of Boulevard

Urban
Renewal
Fig. 3

Construction of
Commercial Complex

Citizen Building

Ressettlement

In the formulation of the policy, it can be observed that the city government made an
active intervention to stimulate economic productivity. Usually under the neo-liberalist
attitude that our country has been accustomed to since post-EDSA revolution, the private
sector is left to its own means to boost productivity under the dynamics of the free market.
On the contrary and much to the positive sides of the neo-liberalist approach, the
government is mandated to protect the interests of the people and should thus exercise
necessary interventions when local economy reaches stagnation. This is what the policy
has tried to achieve. It was a very laudable move from the city government. Not only did
it sparked and renewed economic activity but it also did so in a manner that was in

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

accordance with sustainable development. This proves that environmental protection

does not hinder development. On contrary, it can be through environmental protection
that a city can anchor its development efforts. In all these, it can be seen how leadership
for good governance can harmonize the efforts of different actors in the development of
the project (see Fig. 1). The sincerity, openness towards collaboration, and effective use
of leverage attracted non-government organizations/civil society organizations, national
government agencies, local legislators, private investors, and the people of Dipolog to
work together towards the project. This meant therefore that the stakeholders of the city
supported the project and was even willing to mobilize their resources for the project.
Examples of these are: (1) Chambers of commerce allocating some of their resources to
assist the relocated families, (2) informal settlers voluntarily demolishing their shanties,
and (3) CSO/NGOs launching awareness campaigns and assuring the people that their
voices are heard by the authorities. Even the local media, though some initially opposed,
supported the project after orientation was conducted. Finally, the citizens themselves
have been informed about the reality of the project. Although the reading did not explicitly
mention of consultation dates with the stakeholders, it can be said that the city heard the
voices of the affected stakeholders though intensive community dialogue to clarify to them
the plans of the city. Furthermore, the CSO/NGOs assured the people that their concerns
are being addressed. Undeniably, the affected families had initial negative perceptions of
the project due to lack of communication as to what the project was all about. But when
they understood later the potentials of the project, even members of their families became
part of the unskilled labor that helped create the boulevard. This shift from resistance to

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

participation is good way of looking how leadership for good governance is a catalyst for
integration between policy and vision. The illustration below may further describe this.

Leadership for Good Governance

Environmental protection
Inclusive and
participative
Socio-economic intervention
Allowed the
approaches to
leadership integrated environment to
Human capital
Inclusive urban
efforts from different
sectors of society
towards a common
vision

Fig. 4

render service to the

urban renewal project
(clean sea and air,
good view, ambience
of proximity to
nature)

renewal project
improved tax base
which allowed people
to set up
entrepreneurial
activities thereby
increasing their
income

Initiative to move
towards Swingapore
2030 entailed change
of attitude in
government
employees as well as
to turn its people into
participative citizens

These efforts of the city government to implement people-centered planning and project
management was the catalyst to translate good governance into good public policy. Good
public policy, in turn, becomes a step forward to the realization of a common vision (see
Fig. 1).

III. The Public Value Innovation____________________________________________

In analyzing the public value innovation of the urban renewal project, the Strategic
Triangle6 is used as a frame for analysis. The strategic triangle has three areas to analyze

Mark Moore and Sanjeev Khagram (2004), "On Creating Public Value: What Business Might Learn from
Government about Strategic Management." Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative Working Paper No. 3.
Cambridge, MA: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

the creation of public value through innovation. Broadly, necessity is the mother of
innovation. Before 2001, Dipolog was encountering a problem waged on three areas
namely local economy, development of its people, and environmental protection.
Addressing the problem on one front alone run the risk of failure due to its multiple
dimensions (i.e. economic, social, environmental, political, and etc.). A novel process
therefore must be established to address the issue. This was where the public innovation
of the city government came to light. Under the vision of Swingapore 2030, the city
government formulated a flagship policy that integrated all areas of intervention under a
big coordinated effort toward development (See Fig. 2-3). The urban renewal project,
which in turn was the banner program of the policy, consolidated justifications for
developing the city of Dipolog towards the future. The following illustration would perhaps
clarify this claim.

Resettlement
(Environment)
Boulevard and
Commercial Complex
(Economy)

Fig. 5.

Urban
Renewal

Citizen building
(People)

Under the minor policies for the environment, economy, and social development, the
city government consolidated and integrated all of them into an urban renewal project

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

that was perceived to catapult the city in the future. Another way of looking at the
innovation is through the illustration below.

Environment

Relocation
informal settlers
along shoreline

Construction of
seawall

Maintain 24/7
cleanliness

People

Coordinated multiorganization
support to citizens

Paradigm shift
among city
government
employees

Building
participative
citizens

Economy

Construction of
boulevard to
attract tourism

Construction of
commercial
complex to host
businesses

Active
engagement with
the business
community

Fig. 6

Henceforth, it can be argued that necessity indeed was the mother of innovation. That
perceived necessity (informal settlers and sleep economy) was brought out into action by
the decisive leadership in the city government. Of course, leadership was intended for
good governance. Thus, the city mayor was not just alone in the project but was one with
the people of Dipolog in steering the city towards a sustainable future. Once again, the
illustration on Figure 7 expresses this line of thought.

Necessity

Fig. 7

Sleepy
town with
informal
settlers
that
pollute the
nearby
shoreline

Public
Innovation

Policy processes
that integrated
environmental and
socio-economic
intervention in an
urban renewal
project that
catapults Dipolog
towards its vision

Public
Value

Healthy
community
Vibrant
business
community
Participative
citizens

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

From the illustration, it can be noted that the public innovation generated a public value.
In Dipolog, the public value came in three flavors. The first form of the value was the
healthy community that thrives together with the natural environment. The other form of
the value was the vibrant business community that pulled the city towards progress.
Finally, the value of active or participative citizenship itself was generated throughout the
process of urban renewal.
Early in the process, the city government already defined the public value that it
wanted to create by embedding it under the vision of Swingapore 2030. Through the
vision, leadership within the city framed it according to the public value that it wanted to
generate through the urban renewal project (i.e. healthy/sustainable community, vibrant
business community, and participative citizenship). To secure legitimacy, the city
government had to show the people that it was leading by example (participative and
inclusive). It made arrangements with local legislators to secure their support of the
project. The city government also communicated with the CSO/NGOs on the nature of
the project so that these organizations could serve as communication conduits to the
affected households of the project. The city government also partnered with these
organizations to help build their community at the relocation sites. The issue of storm
surges and pollution were highlighted as key arguments as to why the urban renewal
project had to be implemented. The business community was also encouraged to take
part in the process. Other government agencies (e.g. Department of Tourism, National
Housing Authority) were also invited to collaborate in the project. Leadership for good
governance of the city government (see Fig. 1), therefore, became the principal

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

coordinating agent in integrating the resources within its grasp towards a good public
policy and common vision.
In broad strokes, potent lessons on public management can be learned from the
case of Dipolog. As argued earlier, leadership for good governance has a big role in
knitting together an integrated approach towards addressing societal issues. This means
that the leadership is catalyst for participation, collaborative partnership, democratization
of the public sphere and planning process, and the premise of inclusive growth in public
policy making. Hence, it can be seen from the case of Dipolog that effective use of public
policy can elevate basic provisions of services of the government towards creation of
public value. Further, a flagship policy that is aligned with the vision of a municipality is a
strong rallying point to contextualize development principles. In the case of Dipolog, such
a policy came in the form of an urban renewal project. The project might be different for
other municipalities but the point is that a good flagship policy is the thread that allows
local leadership to knit together resources within its grasp towards development. This
policy then generates good public value. These are things that a planner could also apply
to their municipalities.
In the case of Quinapondan, Eastern Samar, the same lessons may also be
applied. Although it is still very early in the process to state that all of the lessons can be
directly applied. Nonetheless, leadership for good governance is perhaps a lesson that
may be commonly applied to all local government units. On the other hand, the creation
of public value can also be applied to the municipality of Quinapondan. Proximate to
nature and relying heavily on agricultural and fishing activities for their livelihood and

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Leadership for Good Governance, Public Policy, and Urban Renewal: A Case Analysis of Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard

sustenance, one of the public values that can be created is perhaps sustainability of these
activities emphasizing on a non-instrumentalist or non-objectifying treatment of the
environment. The public value may be directed also on the paradigm shift of farmers and
fishermen towards a steward-like treatment of the environment alongside economic and
entrepreneurial activities that depend on the services of the environment. Further, the
municipality can also create a public value that molds its constituents in learning to strike
balance between utilization of the services of the environment and conservation of natural
resources. Quinapondan is a poor fifth class municipality but with strong family ties
amongst its people. To spark economic activity, the public value of trust within
associations and organizations can also be generated by crafting a public policy that
encourages the growth of grass roots organizations that can engage small scale
enterprises managed by associations or cooperatives. With leadership towards good
governance and effective public policy, the local government can likewise attract
investments into the municipality that taps into its potential for rice production as well as
mud crab propagation and fattening. Further the substation for ESAMELCO (Eastern
Samar Electric Cooperative) is located in Quinapondan. For its constituents whose
leanings are not into agricultural production may consider renewable energy production.
The municipality has areas exposed to good sun peak hours that host renewable energy
production through photovoltaic cells. Electricity produced may be used for the local
micro-grid (house to house) or sold to the provincial electric cooperative. These are still
sporadic bursts of what ideas can be applicable to the municipality. But the hope is always
to pick up valuable lessons as the class progresses and apply it for the creation of public
value and distribution of common good in the municipality as it journeys to progress.