Scaling up

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

Types of local governments

□ Barangay - the smallest political subdivision of
the country
□ City and municipality consists of a group of
barangays, usually covering a contiguous area
□ Main difference lies in the level of urbanization.
Indicated by the minimum requirements for
conversion into a city:
□ Average annual income of at least P100 million for last
two consecutive years based on 2000 constant prices
□ Population of at least 150,000, and
□ Territory of at least 100 sq. kms.
□ Province - the biggest political subdivision
comprises of a cluster of municipalities and
component cities
 Operating environment
Three forces interact with local governments:
□ NGO/private sector. By and large, an active
non-government sector in the Philippines
□ Especially true in Naga, where NGO accreditation has
been in place since 1993. Close to 100 accredited NGOs
and POs of various ideological persuasions. Most belong
to Naga City People’s Council (NCPC).
□ Media. Philippine media reputed to be Asia’s
freest. True both at the national and local levels
□ In Naga, three local TV stations, around 7 radio stations
and 7 local newsweeklies
□ National government. A political factor,
especially if chief executive belongs to the
opposition. Very little resources from the top

The setting

Naga a typical Philippine city: □ landlocked,

not a port city
□ medium-sized, not big
□ has no shipping
□ 137,000 population (2000 industry
census)
□ Daytime population of around □ peripheral,
250,000 not central
□ 500 kms away
from Metro
Manila, Metro
Cebu

PARTICIPATIVE VISIONING

Evolution of city vision

□ Built around the concept of
creating a niche for Naga
□ Rallying people on need to
restore local pride
□ Institutionalized participative
visioning process facilitates
community ownership

“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

Service quality improvement

□ PUBLIC SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
PROGRAM (PSEP)
□ Linked service values
and orientation with
existing procedures.
Continually proposed
improvements
whenever possible
□ Documentation of City
Government’s frontline
services. Laid down
foundation for Citizen’s
Charter
□ Expanded service listings
in the Performance
Pledges

The Citizens Charter

GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY IN SERVICE DELIVERY

□ A guidebook on 130 key

services being delivered by
the City Government to
customers
□ Procedure
□ Response time
□ Personnel responsible for each
service
□ Requirements checklist to facilitate
service delivery
□ Schedule of fees (if applicable)
□ Location maps sketching office/s
handling the service
□ A “contract” that can be
enforced through feedback
□ Provides customer feedback form
□ Directory of city hall agencies
 Naga Governance Model
Guided by experience, Naga City evolved its own model
anchored on strong institutions
□ Progressive
development Bureaucracy Civil Society
perspective. Seeks Progressive
prosperity-building perspective
tempered by an
enlightened perception of
the poor
□ Functional STRONG INSTITUTIONS
partnerships. Good
Vehicles that enable the governance
city to tap community
resources for priority Partnerships Participation
undertakings
□ Participation. Citizenry
Mechanisms that ensure
long-term sustainability of The Naga Governance Model
local undertakings

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

□ Allows citizens to send

complaints, other
concerns to City Hall
through SMS or text
messaging
□ Previously uses Smart
Telecommunication’s 2960
facility
□ Reconfigured early this WHY IS D YOUTH CNTER\'S
year to meet local POOL W/C S SUPPOSD 2 B
needs more fully PUBLC POOL BEING CLOSED
COZ PRIVATE SKOLS\' P.E.
□ Owned by city government,
instead of being Smart STUDENTS R USING D WHOLE
network dependent POOL EXCLUSIVELY? why?

TxtServe Naga, Reloaded

i-GOV’S MOST PROMISING FRONTIER

□ 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

□ “But if [innovation] sounds so simple,

why is it so difficult for institutions to
innovate?”
□ Peter Senge, senior lecturer at MIT, after listening to
Peter Drucker describe three elements of the
discipline of innovation in 1998
□ Philippine institutions also need to ask a
similar question – especially 15 years after
enactment of 1991 LGC
□ “In spite of the opportunities described above, why it
is difficult for innovative ideas and endeavors to be
scaled up and adopted by the mainstream?

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

Invention Knowledge Persuasion Decision Confirmation

Later adoption
Diffusion through social
Social system Rejection
variables Continued
rejection

Time

The theory says…

□ Information flows through networks
□ Nature of networks and roles opinion
leaders play in them determine likelihood that
the innovation will be adopted
□ Opinion leaders exert influence on
audience behavior via their personal contact
□ Additional intermediaries (i.e. change agents
and gatekeepers) also play a key role the
process of diffusion
 Consequently…
S-curve rate of adoption
□ 5 categories
of adopters
1. Innovators
(2.5%)
2. Early adopters
(13.5%)
3. Early majority
(34%)
4. Late majority
(34%), and
5. Laggards
(16%)

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.

□ The sharp ones

 People who see what the early adopters have done,
willingly grab the best of it, learn from the mistakes of
others and do great stuff with their students

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.

□ The dead wood

 This part of the pencil can never be sharpened no matter
how hard you try. Even when the point is still sharp, what is
left doesn't seem to be of much use for the task at hand.
 Stated differently…
McKeown’s Pencil Metaphor
□ The eraser
□ Used to undo as much if not all the work done by
the lead-ers

□ Optional extra: the hanger-on

□ Hangers-on know all the right lingo, attend all the
seminars, but just don't actually do anything

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

What needs to be done

□ Human development indicators (HDI) and
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have
become primary outcome-oriented public
accountability measures
□ Implications:
□ We should promote and mainstream them as a tool
to exact public accountability
□ This will require thrusting these indicators into the
political realm:
□ as part of the political discourse
□ as primary issue over which citizens judge
their leaders during elections
 What needs to be done
□ “Best practices” driven policy
making
□ Next logical step to local awards
programmes and ongoing efforts to
replicate best practices over the last
15 years
□ We should set the bar higher for local
governments. If not now, when?

What needs to be done

□ Link innovation by local authorities to
public accountability
□ According to Drucker, the discipline of
innovation has 3 elements: (1) focus on
mission, (2) define significant results, and
(3) do rigorous assessment
□ Rigorous assessment requires abandoning
what doesn’t work after assessing results
□ In the Philippines, it should include ditching
political leaders who are not able to deliver
results

What needs to be done

□ Promote and enforce information
openness as fundamental public
policy
□ In Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory
□ Free flow of information is paramount
□ Opinion leaders exert strong influence in the
process, and
□ Change agents/gate keepers also play a key role
□ Under “information openness” regime
□ National leaders become lead change agents
by setting the primary example of transparency
and accountability
□ The role of gatekeepers is minimized
 Is the Naga case replicable?
□ Naga today is not alone
□ Gawad Galing Pook already on its 13th
awards cycle: more than 250
outstanding local government
programs
□ Being implemented among provinces, cities,
municipalities and even barangays
□ Led by outstanding local leaders– governors,
mayors; program managers +partner institutions
□ Kaya Natin! Movement: seeks to
bring this as front-and-center issue
in Philippine governance

What about the rest?

□ The solution also lies in the local
community itself
□ If LGUs are not up to the task, then local
community leaders must emerge to show
the way
□ Naga and Galing Pook experience can become
the norm only if local communities –
including leadership associations and
professional organizations – are willing to
invest their time in making it so