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TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE:ADVANCING THE AGENDA FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE AT THE NATIONAL

LEVEL AND IN MINDANAO

A SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE ASIA FOUNDATION

TO THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT01 JULY 2006 – 31 DECEMBER 2006

(AWARD NO. 492-A-00-99-00020)

Transparent Accountable Governance Semi-Annual Report 2nd Semester 2006

The Asia Foundation 1

TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE:ADVANCING THE AGENDA FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE AT THE NATIONAL

LEVEL AND IN MINDANAOUSAID-funded project with The Asia Foundation

(Award No. 492-A-00-99-00020)01 July 2006 – 31 December 2006

SUMMARY

This semi-annual report covers activities from July 2006 through December 2006 under theTransparent Accountable Governance (TAG) Project of The Asia Foundation. TAG isfunded through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development(USAID). The project runs from September 22, 1999 to September 30, 2007.

The goals of the TAG project are to build civil society and private sector constituencies for acounter-corruption reform agenda targeting economic growth and poverty reduction. USAIDand The Asia Foundation (the Foundation) are now deepening the engagement of the privatesector and civil society in countering corruption, both at the national level and the local levelin Mindanao, through a comprehensive focus on transparency and good governance.

The TAG project focuses on four areas: 1) national level counter-corruption advocacy, 2)extending the national efforts to the city level in Mindanao, 3) broadening opportunities forpeace and economic development in Mindanao through improved local governance,especially in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and its neighboringconflict-affected areas, and 4) empowering women to become effective local leaders.

At the national level, private sector and non-governmental networks are key to sustaininganti-corruption activities in the face of fluctuating political and governmental situations. Atthe same time, these networks need to work in tandem with reformers in government in orderto have the greatest impact. Notable accomplishments during this reporting period include:

• Institutionalizing Textbook Monitoring with the Department of Education• Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Health,

Procurement Watch, Inc., and the National Movement for Free Elections(NAMFREL) for the development of an anti-corruption measurement methodologycalled the Differential Efficiency Expenditure Management (DEEM) Tool

• Partnership with the Office of the Ombudsman for the implementation of the NationalAnti Corruption Plan of Action (NACPA)

• Signing of OMB Office Order 66 (series of 2006) by Tanodbayan (Ombudsman)Merceditas Gutierrez. OMB Office Order 66 serves as the Operational Guidelines onHandling Feedback and Complaints Submitted by Bids and Awards Committee(BAC) Observers – a joint project of the Office of the Ombudsman and ProcurementWatch, Inc.



Partners for national-level efforts during this period were: the Office of the Ombudsman; theGovernment Procurement Policy Board; Makati Business Club; Ateneo Center for SocialPolicy and Public Affairs; Social Weather Stations; Transparency and AccountabilityNetwork; and Procurement Watch, Inc.

At the city level, efforts have focused on institutionalizing and monitoring the reforms in 16cities in Mindanao, on strengthening the capacities of local civil society and business sectorsto enable them to effectively sustain the public-private partnerships and cooperation nowbeing made, and on raising and managing resources for their counter-corruption advocacy.To complement the reforms in 16 cities, the Public Service Excellence, Ethics, andAccountability Program (PSEEAP) has been implemented to develop a customer-orientedculture within city governments, to increase the transparency in processes and procedures,and to enhance the accountability of city bureaucrats. Beyond Mindanao, the TAG projectprovided support to the conduct of city-level workshops in select cities in Luzon, Visayas,and Mindanao that underperformed in the 2005 Philippine Cities Competitiveness RankingProject of the Asian Institute of Management. Notable accomplishments during thisreporting period include:

• Presentation of the results of Scoping Study on Issues on Local Procurement Post-Republic Act 9184 to the individual local government leagues (LPP, LCP, LMP andLnB), and to the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB).1 The study covered49 local governments and the results contributed to a clearer advocacy for the Leagueson the New Procurement Law.

• The reform agenda of the cities resulted in: streamlined business registration process –from an average of 56 hours to an average of 4 hours; increased business tax revenuesranging from 14% to 295%; increased the number of businesses registered to an averageof 50%; increased monthly collection of market fees to an average of 27%, andincreased the collection efficiency of real property taxes ranging from 58%-65%.

• Launching of a Business Permits and Licensing Video entitled “Reinventing BusinessPermitting Means Better Business Climate.” The launch was held at the New WorldRenaissance Hotel in Makati City on October 6, 2006. The launching was attended byrepresentatives from international development agencies, mayors of the TAG cities inMindanao, representatives from City Chambers of Commerce and Industry,representatives and officers of the League of Cities of the Philippines, and the media.The video was also shown during the 15th Mindanao Business Conference inZamboanga City on September 1, 2006.

• A total of 1,118 city government personnel graduated from the Public ServiceExcellence, Ethics and Accountability course from five cities, namely Butuan, Dapitan,Dipolog, Malaybalay, and Panabo during the reporting period.

1 The acronyms refer to the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), League of Cities of the Philippines(LCP), League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), and Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB).



Implementation of city-level activities are being undertaken in partnership with thefollowing: the League of Cities of the Philippines; Asian Institute of Management; Ateneo deDavao University Center for Local Governance; Notre Dame Business Resource Center;Associated International Developers and Local Initiatives for Enhancement, Inc.; MindanaoCoalition of Development NGO Networks; the Mindanao Business Council; and Evelio B.Javier Foundation, Inc.

At the provincial and municipal government levels, technical assistance activities wereimplemented to improve local government operations, planning and budgeting, resourcemobilization, and organizational development, among others. Political leadership trainingswere conducted to increase women councilors’ leadership skills and build linkages amongwomen councilors and women’s organizations to advance women’s rights and interests andto advocate for reforms. Capacity building activities were undertaken to increase the abilityof civil society organizations and local resource institutions to be effective partners of localgovernments.

To date, the Foundation, through its local partners, has delivered a total of 203 technicalassistance packages in 103 municipalities in ARMM and neighboring conflict-affectedmunicipalities. Of the 203 technical assistance packages, 152 have been completed, while 49are still ongoing. Capacity building activities for 32 local academic, non-government, andlocal resource institutions have been undertaken to increase their ability to be effectivepartners of local governments. Accomplishments at the municipal level include:

• Conduct of training of trainers on barangay and municipal development planning for473 local trainers in Mindanao

• Crafting and turn-over of development plans in 15 municipalities and 150 barangays• Implementation of PSEEAP in 14 conflict-affected municipalities• Development of performance indicators for the Barangay/Municipal Planning and

Budgeting• Development of performance indicators for PSEEAP• Development of two training modules for women leaders, Leadership and Good

Municipal Governance Practice (including a special component on the Islamicperspective on women as political leaders) and Consensus Building Approach toConflict Management (including a special component on the cultural aspects ofconflict)

• Training on Leadership and Good Municipal Governance Practice and ConsensusBuilding Approach to Conflict Management for 64 women councilors from 47municipalities all over the Philippines (21 in Luzon, 27 from Visayas, and 16 fromMindanao).

Partners for municipal-level work were: Bangsamoro Women Foundation for Peace andDevelopment; Maguindanao Foundation for Good Governance and Development; Institute ofDevelopment Economics and Management-Resource Development Services; AssociatedInternational Developers and Local Initiatives for Enhancement, Inc.; Universidad de



Zamboanga; the Coalition for the Development of Sibuguey; Ateneo School of Government;and Al Mujadillah Foundation.

To present TAG’s holistic project approach in advancing counter-corruption and goodgovernance efforts in the Philippines, for reporting purposes, activities are categorized intothree themes. These three themes reflect the current focus of the project:

• Increasing transparency and accountability in government transactions• Forming public-private sector partnerships and building constituencies• Enhancing the capacity of partner institutions and local governments

The three themes were chosen to provide a clearer presentation of the numerous activitiesbeing conducted at the national, city, and municipal levels. Under each theme, a unique setof activities is ongoing both at the national and local levels. A framework organizing TAGproject activities (Annex 1) serves as a guide in explaining the approach utilized by The AsiaFoundation. Activities may be listed more than once in the framework if they are cross-cutting in theme.

The first theme, increasing transparency and accountability in government transactionsincludes activities such as reducing bureaucratic “red tape” and focusing on the performanceof government officials and employees, because both citizens and investors benefit fromefficient service delivery.

For the second theme, forming public-private sector partnerships and buildingconstituencies, The Asia Foundation uses a variety of approaches in its counter-corruptioninitiatives to collaborate with reformers from different sectors. The success of counter-corruption reform strategies is based on effective partnerships with the government, privatesector, and the civil society. By building the constituency for reforms, more people becomeadvocates for good governance and become more aware of the importance of theirparticipation in democratic processes.

The third theme, enhancing the capacity of partner institutions and local governments, hasthe primary objective of accelerating the development of improved practices in governance;increasing the interaction among civil society, government, and the private sector; andensuring the sustainability of efforts towards peace and development. In boosting thecapacities of partner institutions and local governments, The Asia Foundation invests inpeople and organizations so that limited resources are better managed, and governmentprograms and projects are more responsive to the needs of citizens.



INCREASING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERNMENTTRANSACTIONS

Corruption impedes economic growth while poor governance restricts both the resourcesavailable to government and the services provided to the citizenry. Since 1999, The AsiaFoundation, through the TAG project, has supported private and public initiatives forcounter-corruption reforms and good governance to encourage economic growth and addresspoverty. The Foundation has adapted to the changing circumstances in the Philippines byincorporating an increasingly sophisticated understanding of corruption and good governanceinto broader discussions of development issues. It has demonstrated successful partnershipswith government institutions, the private sector, and non-government organizations infighting corruption.

To complement the work on increasing transparency and accountability in governmenttransactions, The Asia Foundation is deepening the engagement of the private sector and civilsociety organizations in counter-corruption advocacy at the national level and in promotingtransparency and accountability at the local level. Through the TAG project, the Foundationhas relied on a variety of strategic approaches in its counter-corruption initiatives to identifyreformers in government interested in collaborating with the Transparency andAccountability Network and the private sector. Among these reformers are the PresidentialAnti-Graft Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman. The Foundation is coordinatingcity-level initiatives, through the League of Cities of the Philippines, Mindanao BusinessCouncil, Inc., and the Mindanao Coalition of Development NGOs.

Institutionalizing the Textbook Count Project

Textbook Count Project completed its third round of monitoring in 2006. During the threerounds, the Department of Education (DepEd) purchased a total of Php 2.02 billion worth oftextbooks delivered to 17,843 delivery sites. The combined civil society and communityvolunteers monitored around 60% of all deliveries, estimated at Php 1.2 billion worth oftextbooks.

Textbook Count 3 succeeded in partnering with businesses and civic groups like Coca-ColaBottling Philippines and Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan Community DevelopmentInitiative (KAAKBAY) in the delivery of textbooks from districts to elementary schools.The project has revived the spirit of volunteerism and provided models for partnership withcivil society, private sector, and other stakeholders. The remarkable achievement ofTextbook Count demonstrated what effective public-private-civil society partnership can doto ensure delivery of public services and enhance transparency and accountability ingovernance.

Evidently, the three rounds of Textbook Count along with other projects of the Departmentof Education such as Brigada Eskwela and “Adopt a School” has generated considerableamount of interest from the public. Likewise, it substantially contributed to improving thetarnished image of the Department of Education, which previously was considered one of themost corrupt government agencies.



In the Institutionalization Study of the Textbook Count conducted by the Government Watch,the consensus recommendation among civil society partners is for the Department ofEducation to issue a Department Order, instead of an amendment to the GovernmentProcurement and Reform Act (GPRA), that would not only institutionalize the TextbookCount but also “universalize” state-civil society partnership in all procurements in thedepartment. The proposed Department of Education Order seeks to involve civil society andprivate sector in all procurement activities of the Department, whether done by the centraloffice, the regional offices, divisions, or individual schools. Civil society participation in theprocurement process ranges from active participation in the bidding, to the contractimplementation, to delivery, and up to the acceptance of the books delivered. It also seeks towiden the pool of monitors by allowing “unofficial observers”—groups and private citizenswho are not accredited as official observers but are registered with DepEd to observe theactivities. The proposed Order is also envisioned to cover not just books but also other goodsprocured by the Department of Education, such as school furniture and other equipment.

Expanding the Efforts on Feedback and Complaints Handling Mechanism

Tanodbayan (Ombudsman) Merceditas Gutierrez signed the OMB Office Order 66 s. 2006on The Operational Guidelines on Handling Feedback and Complaints Submitted by Bidsand Awards Committee (BAC) Observers on July 7, 2006. The issuance ensures that Bidsand Awards Committee (BAC) members from civil society organizations and professionalassociations are empowered to send reports, particularly on possible anomalous deals,directly to the Office of the Ombudsman, thereby ensuring transparency, proper accession toguidelines, and the provision of the necessary checks and balances.

Procurement Watch, Inc. conducted the first Orientation Workshop on the GovernmentProcurement Reform Act and on the Operational Guidelines on the Feedback and ComplaintHandling Mechanism on December 7-8, 2007. Among the participants were 12 residentombudsmen, two representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman, 15 Bids and AwardsCommittee (BAC) Observers, and a representative from the Government Procurement PolicyBoard. Presentations on the general provisions of the procurement law, major provisions onthe procurement of goods, infrastructure projects, consulting services, BAC Observer Tools,and discussions on the Feedback Handling and Complaint Mechanism Guidelines werecovered during the orientation workshop.

Project launchings were also held in November 2006 in the Offices of the Ombudsman inLuzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to introduce the project to the stakeholders.

Establishing Local Networks of Civil Society Bids and Awards Committee Observers

The TAG project, in partnership with the Evelio B. Javier Foundation, Inc. (EBJFI)successfully conducted 10 batches of training in 10 strategic areas in Luzon and Visayas. Atotal of 311 CSO BAC Observers representing 199 local non-government organizations andPeople’s Organizations (accredited by the local governments of the provinces of Iloilo,Capiz, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Antique, Palawan, Bohol, and the cities of Baguio,



Sorsogon, and Naga) have been trained to understand the scope of the new governmentprocurement system so that they may effectively participate in the procurement process intheir respective local governments. EBJF provided participants with an orientation on theProcurement Law, while a representative of the Office of the Ombudsman provided anorientation on how to handle and report violations during the bidding process using theFeedback Handling Mechanism developed by the Procurement Watch Inc., in partnershipwith the Office of the Ombudsman. The following table summarizes the trainings conductedfor CSO Observers in coordination with CSO Provincial Networks in strategic areas ofNorthern Luzon and the Visayas.

Table 1: Summary of Trainings for Provincial CSO BAC Observers

CSO Provincial NetworkLocal

Government

Number ofCivil SocietyObservers

Number ofCivil SocietyOrganizations

Iloilo Caucus of Development NGOs Iloilo 30 22Capiz Caucus of Development NGOs Capiz 27 16

Phil. Partnership for the Development ofHuman Resources in Rural Areas-(PHILDHRRA)-Visayas

Cebu 29 17

Negros Caucus of Development NGOs NegrosOccidental

34 21

Antique Federation of NGOs Antique 29 21Palawan NGO Network Inc. (PPNNI) Palawan 25 14Bohol Alliance of NGOS, Inc. (BANGON) Bohol 40 23

Northern Luzon Coalition for GoodGovernance (NLCGG)

Baguio 30 20

Provincial Alliance of NGOs/POs forDevelopment, Inc.

Sorsogon 27 18

Coalition for Bicol Development (CBD) Naga 40 27

Total 311 199

As a result of the trainings conducted, various civil society networks indicated their supportand commitment to sustain BAC Observers’ deployment and attendance at procurementactivities. The series of trainings also complemented other initiatives on procurement reformbeing undertaken by other institutions, particularly on the deployment and matching oftrained observers in coordination with the Transparency and Accountability Network and theOffice of the Resident Ombudsman. The training addressed the concern over the very lowturnout of civil society attendance at government procurement activities, as well as the lackof a feedback mechanism for procurement related issues and concerns. The participation ofindividual organizations that attended the training, in Bids and Awards Committees in thelocal governments will be monitored by the provincial networks.



Among the 311 trained CSO BAC Observers from various civil society organizations in theVisayas and Luzon, 239 of them signaled their interest in sitting in on the procurementproceedings of their respective regional and local governments. The Office of theOmbudsman, through its counterparts at the Office of Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas inCebu and its support staff in their future Regional Office in Iloilo City, will inform local andnational government offices in the Visayas region of the roster of the trained BAC Observers.They will also encourage these government offices to invite the trained CSO Observers totheir procurement proceedings.

Below are some of the issues and concerns identified by the trained CSO BAC Observersduring the trainings.

Issues and Concerns of BAC Observers

• Protection against any harassment resulting from reports or complaints filed by CSO BACobservers. Protection would come through expanding the governments witness protectionprogram and supporting the enactment of the proposed Whistle Blowers Act which is pending inthe Congress. CSO BAC Observers might be asked to serve as witnesses for the investigation andprosecution of erring officials.

• Clarification of the laws and procedures governing foreign-funded infrastructure projects.

• Addressing the issue of partiality . Some CSO BAC Observers are close to or have connectionswith government officials involved in conducting the bidding process.



Reform Agenda of Mindanao Cities

Technical assistance to 16 cities in Mindanao has been completed and the TAG project isnow in the process of monitoring the implementation and institutionalization of the re-designed systems.

From October to December 2006, a series of close-out conferences by thematic groupingswere held, namely: Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in the Real Property TaxAdministration (October 25, 2006); Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in theBusiness Permits and Licensing System (November 16, 2006); and Transparent Managementof City Economic Enterprises and Public Services (December 4, 2006).

The close-out conferences formally ended the technical assistance extended to the TAG citiesand provided a venue for celebrating the accomplishments and achievements of the cities as aresult of the reforms. The following tables summarize the results and impacts of the reformsin the 16 cities:

Table 2: Real Property Tax Administration

Cities Results/ ImpactDipolog • Improved Collection Efficiency from 58% to 65%

• Reduced response time:o City Assessor s Office: from 21 minutes to 14 minuteso City Treasurer s Office: 51 minutes to 23 minutes

• Conducted the General Revision of Property Assessment, after 14 years

Marawi • Improved Collection Efficiency from 2.0 to 2.6 %• Shortened Process Time of Manual Assessment & Collection Process by 120

minutes from 210 minutes to 90 minutes• Improved coordination among concerned city functionaries in the

administration of real property taxes

Panabo • Fast-tracked resolution of boundary conflicts• Initialized process of full computerization in the Real Property Tax System• Increased RPT Collection by Php 464,943.18 from Php 6,422,835.19 in Jan-

Jun 2005to Php 6,887,778.37 in Jan-Jun 2006

Surigao • Improved collection efficiency from 45% to 47%• Reduced cost-to-collection ratio by 40% from Php 1.72 to Php 1.04• Streamlined assessment process from 704 minutes to 80 minutes



Table 3: Business Permits and Licensing System

Cities Results/ ImpactKoronadal • Decrease in the number of processing hours for business permit processing

from 56 hours to an average of only 4 hours;• Increased number of business permits from 954 in January 2005 to 1,505 in

January 2006• Decreased number of processing stations from 10-15 sites to 1 site which is

(the City Hall, utilizing 2 floors)• Decreased number of forms from 4 to 2• Reduced number of signatories from 13 to 7 signatories• Named the Most Business-Friendly City in Mindanao by the Philippine

Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Malaybalay • Reduced processing time from 2 hrs and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes• Increased number of new business registered from 200 to 300• Increased percentage of business permit renewal from 45% to 54%

Oroquieta • Increased collections during the January 1 February 9 period from Php2,454,805.19 in 2005 to Php 2,499,817.17 of the same period in 2006(increase of Php 45,011.98)

• Reduced processing time from 1.6 days in 2005 to 2 hours, 1 minute and 40seconds in 2006

Ozamiz • Increased collection by 14% from Php 19,179,518.00 in 2005 to Php22,046,606.35 in 2006

• Reduced processing time from 3 days to one half-day• Displayed flowcharts and signs

Tacurong • Increased collection by 63.5% from Php 3,357,237.37 in January 2-20,2005 to Php 5,489,345.89 for the same period in 2006 or an increase of Php2,132,108.52

• Increased number of business permits issued by 254 (81%) from 311 inJanuary 2-20, 2005 to 565 for the same period in 2006

• Reduced processing time from 2.58 days to about 2 hours• Reduced the number of forms from 2 to 1• Reduced the number of signatories from 11 to 4

Zamboanga • Increased collection by almost 300% from Php 9,995,053 in January 2-20,2005 to Php 29,488,651 in January 2-20, 2006

• Institutionalized advanced and coordinated inspections of businessestablishments by all involved agencies and offices



Table 4: Transparent Management of Economic Enterprises and Public Services

Cities Reform Agenda Results/ ImpactButuan Public Market

Operations• Increased fee collections for ambulant vendors at an average

of Php 3,000 during the test run period from March 1-15, 2006• Updated inventory of regular stalls and achieved completion of

inventory of 70% of ambulant stalls (this serves as basis forcross-checking collection and assignment of collectors)

• Managed and effectively controlled the ambulant vendors bypermanently relocating them to the Taboan Trade Center

• Increased participation of vendors in cleanliness andorderliness of the market by organizing them by section

Cotabato Public MarketOperations

• Minimized delinquent accounts• Increased occupancy rate of legitimate vendors• Updated inventory used as a basis for collection targets and

monitoring by the market inspector• Minimized incidence of petty crimes in the market• Increased participation of vendors in the city market

management

Dapitan Public TransportTerminal and PublicMarket Operations

• Increased collections by 27% over a one-month period ofimplementation of the re-designed system

• Improved monitoring of bus terminal operations by dailysubmission of collection reports by revenue collectors andticket checkers

Iligan Public TransportTerminalOperations

• Operators/Dispatchers Federations become active partners ofthe city government in serving the riding public

• Eliminated existence of illegal terminals• Increased income for legal operators and dispatchers• Reduced or eliminated corrupt practices among

collectors/dispatchers and traffic enforcers such as non-issuance of ticket stubs and delayed remittance of collections

IslandGardenCity ofSamal

Zonal Deviation • Reconstituted the Local Zoning Board Adjustments and Appeals(LZBAA) and Secretariat

• Streamlined Zoning Deviation Procedures

GeneralSantos

Admission toDischarge ofPatients in GeneralSantos CityHospital

• Reduced number of absconding patients by 89% (from 80patients to 9 patients)

• Decreased actual costs of drugs and medicines from Php 3million to Php 1.49 million (representing a 350% cost reduction)

• Decreased actual cost of medical supplies from Php 1.8 millionto Php 800,000 (representing a 270% cost reduction)

• Faster procurement of drugs and medicines• Lower hospitalization costs for major surgery (Php 16,000

compared to a minimum of Php 30,000 in private hospitals)



Launching of TAG Business Permits and Licensing System Video Documentary

On October 6, 2006 the TAG project formally launched a documentary entitled “ReinventingBusiness Permitting Means Better Business Climate.” The video shared the experiences,lessons, and achievements of the six Mindanao cities that instituted reforms in their businessregistration processes.

The launching at the New World Renaissance in Makati was attended by representativesfrom international development agencies, mayors of the TAG cities in Mindanao,representatives from City Chambers of Commerce and Industry, representatives and officersof the League of Cities of the Philippines, and the media.

The video documentary was previously shown during the Mindanao Business Congress inZamboanga City on September 1, 2006. Copies of the video were distributed to all cities inthe Philippines, select national government agencies, international development agencies,and local chambers of commerce.

Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project

The final phase of the Philippines Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project (PCCRP) is theconduct of workshops for selected city governments that did not perform well in the ratings.The city-level workshop aims to present the results of the Philippine Cities CompetitivenessRanking Project to the various stakeholders in the cities, and to gather their views on specificways to move forward. The different sectors of these cities were convened in a one and ahalf-day workshop to identify areas for improvements and to provide multi-sectoralrecommendations on pressing issues on local governance in order to enhance the overallcompetitiveness of these cities.

All city level workshops in the selected cities (Lipa, Cavite, Tagaytay, Puerto Princesa,Dumaguete, Cotabato, and Butuan) have been completed. Participants came from the citygovernment, business, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and the media. Theresults of these seven workshops are presented in Annex 2.

Table 5: PCCRP City Level Workshops

City Date Number of ParticipantsLipa June 21-22, 2006 46Cotabato June 28-29, 2006 33Cavite July 5-6, 2006 56Tagaytay July 19-20, 2006 50Puerto Princesa August 2-3, 2006 40Dumaguete August 16-17, 2006 56Butuan August 30-31, 2006 38

Total 319



Public Service Excellence, Ethics and Accountability Program (PSEEAP)

PSEEAP in Cities

To date, the implementation of Public Service Excellence, Ethics and AccountabilityProgram has been completed in the cities of Surigao, Island Garden City of Samal, Cotabato,General Santos, Iligan, Marawi, Butuan, Malaybalay, Panabo, Dapitan, and Dipolog. A totalof 1,078 participants have participated in the Public Service Excellence Module, while a totalof 2,659 have attended the Public Service Ethics and Accountability Module. The summaryof the Service Improvement Recommendations of these cites are presented in Annex 3.

Implementation of Service Improvements Recommendations formulated by participants fromthe cities of Koronadal, Oroquieta, Ozamiz, Tacurong, and Zamboanga are ongoing.Graduation ceremonies for these cities are expected to take place during the first quarter of2007.

Table 6: PSEEAP Participants (employees and departments)

Cities Number ofEmployees

Participated

Number ofOffices/Departments

Butuan 234 14Cotabato 180 5Dapitan 231 27Dipolog 198 22General Santos 158 7Iligan 552 28Island Garden City of Samal 174 8Koronadal* 79 12Malaybalay 243 16Marawi 243 16Oroquieta* 143 11Ozamiz* 150 8Surigao 151 7Panabo 212 18Tacurong* 81 10Zamboanga* 155 18

Total 3,737 219* On-going



The status of the PSEEAP activities in each city are as follows:

Butuan City

The PSEEAP Graduation ceremony took place on December 14, 2006. Mayor DemocritoPlaza II of Butuan City and officials from The Asia Foundation attended the graduationceremony. Two hundred thirty-four (234) city employees successfully completed the seriesof trainings under PSEP and PSEA, covering 14 departments.

Dapitan City

A total of 784 city government employees from 27 participating offices graduated from theprogram on December 20, 2006. The training complemented the on-going program of thecity government which is called “PASPAS Dapitan,” which was implemented from October2006 to January 2007. Under the “PASPAS Dapitan” program, respective city governmentoffices visit a particular barangay to extend services of business registration, registration ofbirth, application of marriage licenses, medical assistance, and dental services.

Koronadal City

A total of 79 participants from 12 departments have participated in the program.Participants identified the following services which need improvements: issuance ofcommunity tax certificate, business permit/license application, payments/ voucherprocessing, securing of tax declaration on lands, buildings and machineries, and securing acertified true copy of a birth, marriage, and death certificate. Customer feedback surveyswere also developed and distributed by each department to measure the satisfaction of theircustomers.

Malaybalay City

A total of 234 employees from 16 offices/departments participated in the program.

Oroquieta City

PSEEAP helped improve the service attitude and healthy atmosphere of various departmentsin the City Government of Oroquieta. The Office of the City Mayor and the City Councilapproved the requests of the General Services Office and the office of the Local CivilRegistry (LCR) to install air-conditioning systems to help preserve the civil registry files ofthe LCR Office and improve the conditions of the General Services Office.

Ozamiz City

PSEEAP facilitated the approval of the request of the City Treasurer for computerization toprotect the security of the records of the City Treasurer’s Office. This also made theprocessing of payments for business and real property tax clearances and requests forpayments of vouchers and salaries fast and efficient.



Panabo City

Two hundred twelve city employees from 18 departments participated in the program. Thegraduation took place on November 30, 2006 and was attended by guests from theDepartment of Education, representatives from non-government organizations, and membersof the City Council, headed by the City Vice Mayor.

Tacurong City

A total of 81 employees from 10 departments are participating in the program. Participantsidentified service blockages, and, as a result, service improvements such as a comfortablewaiting area for customers, signs, customer complaints boxes, and a friendly officeatmosphere were provided and initiated by the offices concerned.

Zamboanga City

A Service Improvement Workshop was conducted in the City of Zamboanga at GardenOrchid Hotel on September 8-9, 2006, which included nine departments of the citygovernment. Employees presented their service improvement recommendations andperformance pledges as a result of the Customer Feedback Instruments (CFIs) administeredduring their training. Mayor Celso Lobregat was present during the event and participantsreported the results of the customer feedback survey conducted by each participatingdepartment. They identified what contributions they can make and how to best to implementthem. Mayor Celso Lobregat delivered the inspirational message. He also stressed thatPSEEAP is an innovative approach to improve public servants’ commitment and dedicationto service which involves not only political will, but a total change in public servants’attitude towards customer service delivery.

Table 7: PSEEAP in CitiesJuly to December 2006

Module TotalNumber of

Pax

Male Female Muslim Christians

PSEP 604 237 367 1 603

PSEA 1,122 436 686 5 1,117



Table 8: PSEEAP in Cities 2002-2006


Pax


PSEP 1,078 420 658 137 941

PSEA 2,659 1,037 1.622 428 2,231

PSEEAP in Provinces and Municipalities

Significant service improvements have been observed in the 2 provincial and 23 municipalgovernments that completed the PSEEAP program in the second semester of 2006. Amongthe noticeable improvements were the attitude and responsiveness of provincial andmunicipal employees to customer inquiries and needs. Moreover, training outputs such asservice vision, values, strategies, customer maps, accountability web service cycle,commitment statements, a list of requirements, and the expected completion time forparticular transactions are now posted in conspicuous places to provide information to thecustomers. These improvements were validated after a series of monitoring visits conductedby the TAG project. Summary of the Service Improvement Recommendations of thesemunicipalities are presented in Annex 3.

Province of Maguindanao

In the Municipality of Sultan sa Barongis, the municipal government has continuouslyimplemented measures to address tardiness among employees and has imposed fines andpenalties for not attending the Monday Flag Ceremony and Convocation. As a result, adecrease in the number of tardy employees was recorded during the final two quarters of2006. Mayor Angas has continuously conducted quarterly Management Reporting ofDepartment Heads so they can present their accomplishments for the past quarter and theirplans for the succeeding quarter. According to the Municipal Administrator, since theimplementation of PSEEAP in their municipality, the volume of transactions in the variousoffices has doubled.

Province of Sultan Kudarat

In the municipality of President Quirino, some of the initial improvements include theplacing of signs in every department, compulsory wearing of identification cards by everyemployee, and the conduct of monthly convocations on Public Service Excellence, Ethicsand Accountability. Specifically, the Municipal Health Office constructed a patientconsultation room, while the Assessor purchased additional air-conditioning units to improvethe working environment of the office. The Municipal Agriculture Office conducted



capability building for its Specialists to better serve farmers on advanced technology infarming. Also, the City Engineers Office conducted Information Dissemination on NationalBuilding /Electrical Code. In addition, the municipality was able to generate Php 2 milliondue to proper and timely collection of local revenues.

The Municipality of Bagumbayan has implemented a variety of service improvements,including: computerized their accounting system; constructed a birthing facility at the HealthOffice (which is now generating additional income for the municipal government);constructed a counseling room at the Social Welfare Office; relocated and renovated theCivil Registrar Office for the convenience of their customers; and re-arranged the office set-up in the Treasury Office for easy transaction and payment of taxes.

In Lambayong, additional staff members were hired by the Budget Office and Civil RegistrarOffice to make service delivery more efficient.

Province of Sulu

Tardiness and absenteeism of employees are now better managed. The office of theProvincial Administrator purchased two bundy clocks to monitor the attendance of theemployees. It was agreed that every three cases of tardiness committed by an employee willbe charged as a one-day absence with an accompanying salary deduction. To prevent the useof official time for personal businesses, particularly for employees on official training andseminars outside of Jolo, the Office of the Provincial Governor designed a mechanism tomonitor the attendance of employees.

Province of Tawi-Tawi

The provincial service audit team regularly holds meetings to request the ProvincialGovernor to respond to the recommendations brought about by PSEEAP.

In the Municipality of Bongao, Mayor Albert Que ordered the Budget Officer to prepare thenecessary budget for the implementation of service improvement recommendations.

Province of Zamboanga del Norte

As a result of the PSEEAP Training, additional computers were purchased to improve workefficiency in different offices. Regular convocations were instituted as venues for the Mayorto remind the employees of the ethics and values – minimizing tardiness and absenteeism. Acustomer information assistant was also assigned at the entrance of the municipal building tohandle customers’ queries.

In the municipalities of Labason and Jose Dalman, part of the service improvementrecommendation is the renovation of offices. Now, offices are air-conditioned andrenovated, thus making municipal employees more comfortable and better able to serve theircustomers.



The Mayor of Labason hired an employee to provide guidance and direction to customers ontheir transactions with the municipal departments. For the municipality of Jose Dalman, ithas been observed that employees are now serving their customers in a very friendly manner.Both municipal governments have been gradually granting the request of offices foradditional computer units.

As a result of PSEEAP, the municipality of Jose Dalman repaired the heavy equipment(bulldozers and graders) of the municipality. This will allow the municipal government to beless dependent on the provincial and national government for the repair of municipal andbarangay roads. The municipality of Jose Dalman has also implemented procedural reformsby simplifying the business permit and licensing system and real property tax administration.

In the municipality of Leon Postego, the Mayor is considering the replication of PSEEAP atthe barangay level to improve the delivery of basic services. The planning and humanresource office is tasked to develop the replication plan. PSEEAP was able to encourage theemployees to regularly wear their identification cards and uniform for the easy identificationby customers of the municipal government.

Province of Lanao del Norte

The municipalities of Kauswagan and Kolambogan completed all the modules in December2006 and conducted a PSEEAP Graduation and Gallery Viewing. The process has alreadyled to some improvements on the service provision systems of its various departments.Immediate results brought by the program include: posting of a whereabouts or locator’schart of the heads of offices, assigning of one staff information/receiving table, installation ofbulletin boards in order to post accomplishment report, activity highlights, and moreapproachable frontline personnel. These improvements demonstrated the positive effects ofPSEEAP on public service delivery.

Action plans generated from the service improvement recommendations require themunicipal government to set aside a budget of Php 3.5 million. These action plans include:

• Additional staff to deal with applicants for Electrical Building Permit at theEngineering Office;

• Updating of records on the tax registry;• Conduct of monthly meetings in order to evaluate, consult, and recommend

corrections on their services at the Accounting Office;• Acquisition of an ambulance for the Rural Health Office;• Creation of sectoral inter-department/office monitoring teams at the Planning and

Development Office;• Establishment of a crisis center at the Social Welfare and Development Office; and• Conduct of capability building for Agriculture Office by the Municipal Agriculture

Office to better serve better their farmer-customers.



In the Municipality of Kauswagan, improvements already implemented include: establishingan information desk at the main entrance of the municipal hall; placing of signs to guide thepublic in their transaction with the municipal government; and penalizing employees for notwearing office uniforms and identification cards. Additional improvements have beenidentified but would require a budget of Php 3.4 million from the municipal government toimplement the service recommendations. The recommendations include: the introduction oflaboratory services in the municipality; the establishment of barangay-based demonstrationfarms to intensify and extend its reach to its farmer-customers; relocation of the MunicipalEconomic Enterprise Development Office to better serve customers; codification ofMunicipal Ordinances; revision of the 10-year development plan; and formulation of a 10-year comprehensive agricultural development plan.

Both the municipal mayors of Kolambogan and Kauswagan have committed to implementthe action plans of their respective municipality to improve service delivery.

Province of Lanao del Sur

The Municipality of Wao completed PSEEAP in December 2006. During their ManagementReporting the municipal mayor agreed on all action plans presented by the differentdepartments and approved a budget amounting to Php 700,000 which will be included intheir FY 2007 budget and will be used to implement the proposed action plans.

In Kapatagan, PSEEAP Management Reporting and Graduation will be conducted in thelatter part of January 2007.

Province of Zamboanga del Sur

The municipality of Bayug completed all the training workshops mid-December of 2006.The service improvement recommendations will be presented to the Mayor and SangguniangBayan (Municipal Council) Members in January 2007. For the service improvementrecommendations of the twelve departments, the municipality had requested a total budget ofPhp 23,567,468. Because there is no guarantee that the requested budget will be approved bythe Sangguniang, the local government will first identify feasible activities that can beimplemented initially and do not require significant financial resources.

BCSS and PSEA Trainings

Stand alone modules on Basic Customer Service Skill and Public Service Ethics andAccountability modules were also implemented in nine municipal governments onSeptember 2006.

Province of Basilan

The City of Isabela and the Municipality of Lamitan are currently completing their trainingson PSEA and BCSS.



Province of Zamboanga del Sur

The technical assistance on Basic Customer Service Skills and the Public Service EthicsProgram for the municipality of Aurora is on-going and is expected to be completed by endof January 2007.

Province of Zamboanga del Norte

The trainings on PSEA and BCSS in the municipality of Pinan are expected to be completedby end of January 2007.

Province of North Cotabato

Four municipalities in the Province of North Cotabato (Kabacan, Magpet, Midsayap andTulunan) are currently undergoing trainings on Basic Customer Service Skills and PublicService Ethics Accountability. The technical assistance will be completed in a ManagementReporting and Gallery Viewing scheduled in the latter part of January 2007.

PSEEAP Module Review

To ensure the adaptability of the PSEEAP training tools and materials used, the TAG projectheld a three-day module review on October 16-18, 2006 at Marco Hotel in Cagayan de OroCity. The activity was attended by partner local resource institutes (LRIs) and selectedrepresentatives from local governments that have undergone the program. The sessionstackled critical issues and concerns in the current module, possible revisions, and areas forfurther improvement.

Table 9: PSEEAP in MunicipalitiesJuly to December 2006


Pax


PSEP 160 43 37 38 42

PSEA 1,102 205 284 116 497

Table 10: PSEEAP in Municipalities 2002-2006


Pax


PSEP 880 237 203 212 228PSEA 4,735 1,319 1,151 637 1,628



Promoting Transparency in Local Development Planning and Budgeting

With limited financial resources, local governments must exercise prudence in ensuring thatavailable resources are well-managed and that development programs respond to the needs ofcitizens. At the same time, transparency and accountability demand citizen information andparticipation. To achieve this, The Asia Foundation, through its local resource partners,provides technical assistance to local governments on planning and budgeting by usingmethodologies that promote community participation. From June 2002 through December2006, The Asia Foundation, through its local partners, has provided technical assistance ondevelopment planning to 61 municipalities and 727 barangays in Mindanao. Since 2002,596 barangay development plans and 50 municipal development plans were turned over tothe respective local governments in time for consideration by the Sangguniang Bayan(municipal council) members as they conducted budget hearings and approved their annualinvestment plans. The remaining 131 barangay development plans and 13 municipaldevelopment plans will be turned over to municipalities and barangays in January toFebruary 2007. The list of Municipalities with Technical Assistance on MunicipalDevelopment Planning and Budgeting is presented in Annex 4.

The Asia Foundation’s local resource partners ensured the smooth implementation of thetechnical assistance on barangay and municipal development planning and budgetingthrough preliminary activities such as: courtesy meetings with municipal mayors andgovernment officials; formation of a municipal technical working group; orientation andbriefings on technical assistance modules; capacity building of the municipal facilitatingteam on basic group facilitation methods, team building, data gathering, and analysis; andtraining of trainers on barangay and municipal planning and budgeting. In eachmunicipality, the capacity building activities were attended by the municipal facilitatingteams composed of the planning and development coordinator, budget officer, two of theirtechnical staff members, local governance operations officer, Association of BarangayChairmen (ABC) President, and the barangay chairmen from a selected barangay. As ofDecember 31, 2006, this component activity has produced a total of 393 local trainers inWestern Mindanao and 320 trainers in Central Mindanao. Each municipality had an averageof 10 trainers duly trained in participatory planning and budgeting who acted as trainers andworkshop facilitators, especially in those barangays that were not covered by the grant.

The Development Planning and Budgeting Module of the TAG project is a bottom-up, highlyparticipatory and inclusive planning and budgeting activity. It is participatory sincestakeholders from the level of the barangay will be part of the entire planning and decision-making. The local barangay leaders and planning participants jointly prepare the barangayannual investment plan and decide on priority projects to be funded using their 20%barangay development funds and other resources available. It is inclusive because thedevelopment plans of each barangay are presented and projects identified are consideredduring the preparation of the municipal development plan. A barangay plan integrated withthe municipal plan is presented to the municipal council members during annual budgetappropriations hearings, allowing for better prospect of inclusion in the annual investmentplan. The highlights and substance of the local development plans are printed in a billboardand are placed in a strategic place for the easy viewing of constituents.



The participatory local development planning and budgeting process also promoted theactive participation of women in community development. A total of 2, 297 women (830 inWestern Mindanao and 1,467 in Central and Northern Mindanao) out of 3,112 participantswere active participants in the preparation of the municipal and barangay plans conductedfrom July to December 2006.

With the availability of municipal and barangay development plans, local officials will beguided on which priority programs and projects to focus on and how much to spend for thesepriorities. Having a development plan is useful for local or foreign projects, especially thosethat require local government counterparts. In addition, most foreign-funded infrastructureprojects now require that community infrastructure projects submitted for foreign or donorfunding should have been identified through a participatory process.

Western Mindanao Area

The Western Mindanao area is composed of the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur,Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan Province, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. FromFebruary 2005 to December 2006, technical assistance on local development planning andbudgeting was provided to 26 municipalities and 359 barangays in Western Mindanao.Some of the resulting priority projects identified during the planning and budgeting exercisehave been funded and implemented through their 20% development fund allocation. For theyear 2006, infrastructure projects that were implemented and funded by the localgovernments through their 20% development fund were estimated at Php 42.1 million.

Province of Zamboanga Sibugay

Four municipalities – Kabasalan, Alicia, Payao, and Tungawan – have adopted their 2006Annual Investment Plan (AIP), which included the priority projects identified during themunicipal and barangay development planning and budgeting exercises.

The municipal government of Kabasalan allocated its entire 20% development funds (Php8,326,000) to implement barangay projects identified in the planning and budgeting exerciseassisted by the TAG project. The full allocation of the development funds was achievedbecause the mayor, municipal councilors, and other key municipal government officials werepresent during the conduct of the development planning and budgeting workshop.

The municipal governments of Tungawan, Payao, and Alicia allocated Php 10.5 million, Php8 million, and Php 11.5 million, respectively, for their identified barangay priority projectsfor the budget year during the participatory development planning and budgeting workshops.

Sulu

Three municipalities in Sulu Province were given technical assistance on participatorydevelopment planning and budgeting. These are Siasi, Pangutaran, and Indandan. ForPangutaran and Indanan Municipalities, a total of 729 community residents participated in 20barangays. Two hundred seventeen of the participants were women.



For the year 2007, Pangutaran’s municipal development plan identified Php 71.425 millionworth of multi-sectoral projects for implementation. Php 4.46 million will be directly fundedthru the 20% development fund of the municipality. The other projects will presented forpossible funding to other national government agencies and foreign funding institutions.

In Indanan Municipality, the newly adopted municipal development plan identified a total ofPhp19,035M worth of multi-sector projects for implementation for year 2007, of which Php16.405 million will be funded from the municipal government’s 20% development fund.

Central and Northern Mindanao Area

Since 2002, a total of 38 municipalities and 369 barangays have been assisted in municipal/barangay development planning and budgeting in Central and Northern Mindanao area. Todate, there are seven municipalities and 70 barangays that have implemented municipal andbarangay development planning and budgeting activities in the province of Lanao del Norte.

Maguindanao

As a result of the development planning and budgeting activities, several identified andprioritized municipal and community projects in Maguindanao have received funding fromdonor agencies with the municipal and barangay governments providing counterpartfunding. ARMM Social Fund provided funding support for the construction of additionalsolar driers, warehouses, and health centers in Barangays Linamonan and Tamar (both in theMunicipality of Talayan) and Barangays Macasampen and Lumbayao (both in theMunicipality of Guindulungan). The barangays provided an estimated counterpart of Php400,000 worth of cash and in-kind contributions for the implementation of these projects.

In Sultan sa Barongis, through its 20% development fund, the municipal governmentimplemented projects that had been identified and prioritized during the developmentplanning process. The municipal government provided development funds for the following:

• Electrification of 5 barangays in partnership with AMORE Project and MaguindanaoElectric Cooperative worth Php 100,000;

• Construction of Postharvest facility and health center in partnership with the ARMMSocial Fund worth Php 200,000;

• Construction of a school building funded in partnership with a non-governmentorganization worth Php 100,000;

• Construction of a social hall and 12 waiting lounge/sheds for customers who transactbusiness with the municipal offices, and

• Allocation of funds for salaries of 10 additional schoolteachers.

In Datu Paglas, the municipal government implemented the rehabilitation of 4 kilometers offarm-to-market roads.



Lanao del Norte

At the end of December 2006, a total of 7 municipalities and 70 barangays completed theirdevelopment planning and budgeting activities. As a result, they identified priority projectsat the municipal and barangay levels and have allocated funds through the 20% developmentfund for implementation in FY 2007. A total of 3,112 community residents have participatedin the different activities in the planning and budgeting exercises.

Table 11: Development Planning and BudgetingJuly to December 2006


Pax


ToP12 60 13 17 - 30

PRA3 3,722 2,152 1,570 1,492 2,230

BDPB4 3,722 2,152 1,570 1,492 2,230MDPB5 486 155 88 187 56

Table 12: Development Planning and Budgeting2002 to December 2006


Pax


ToP1 906 625 281 490 416

PRA 12,031 7,133 4,898 7,052 4,979

BDPB 16,648 9,963 6,685 11,709 4,939

MDPB 2,205 1,301 904 1,544 661

Developing Stakeholders Partnership in Real Property Tax Administration

Real property taxes contribute the largest share among local sources of revenue to thetreasury of local government units. However, many local governments have not fullymaximized the revenue potential of real property tax. Under the Local Government Code of1991 (RA 7160) barangay officials are mandated to levy specific taxes, fees, and charges tofinance the delivery of basic services and facilities within their jurisdiction. Aside from this,

2 Technology of Participation Level 1-Basic Group Facilitation Methods3 Participatory Rural Appraisal4 Barangay Development Planning and Budgeting5 Municipal Development Planning and Budgeting



barangays are entitled to receive 25% of a municipality’s Real Property Tax Collection.Thus, higher collections of Real Property Tax would lead directly to a higher share forbarangays and possibly better services for their constituents. Four different modules wereimplemented specifically for the use by municipal and barangay officials and byteachers/school officials as they are the beneficiaries of the program under the law. Themodules include the following: Real Property Tax Administration (RPTA) - ConsensusBuilding and Action Planning; RPTA Workshop for Barangay Officials; RPTA Workshopfor School Teachers and Officials; and RPTA Social Marketing Planning and Designing.These modules were designed under the auspices of USAID’s Governance and LocalDemocracy (GOLD) project and were piloted in over 50 municipalities in the provinces ofBohol, Capiz, Negros Oriental, Cotabato, Nueva Vizcaya, and Palawan.

From September to December 2006, a series of workshops on the various RPTA Moduleswere held in the municipalities of Sultan sa Barongis (Province of Maguindanao), Upi(Province of Shariff Kabunsuan), and municipalities of Bagumbayan, Lambayong, andPresident Quirino (Province of Sultan Kudarat).

During the workshops, the participants crafted action plans to address problems encounteredon the different phases of RPTA implementation. The phases include: Tax Mapping,Appraisal and Assessment, Records Management, and Collection and Enforcement. Theaction plans include:

• Hiring of tax mapping aide;• Renovation of office space to accommodate voluminous records; and• Conduct of tax education and information campaign.

Participants in these modules are composed of staff from the municipal treasury, assessor,planning, and budget offices; barangay chairman, barangay treasurers, and barangaysecretaries; and district supervisors, school principals, and social studies teachers. Themunicipal governments, barangay officials and school officials have agreed to collaborate toimplement the action plans crafted and to assist the municipal government’s efforts toincrease real property tax collection.



Table 13: Real Property Tax AdministrationJuly to December 2006

Module Total Numberof Pax


Consensus Building andAction Planning Workshop 53 16 37 40 13

RPTA Workshop forBarangay Officials 90 67 23 80 10

RPTA Workshop for SchoolTeachers and Officials 44 18 16 21 23

RPTA Social MarketingPlanning and DesignWorkshop

89 63 26 33 56

Accountability Not Lip Service: Citizens Query

The TAG project, in partnership with the Bingawan Working Youth Federation, isimplementing the Kwentahan Hindi Kwentuhan: Pamangkutanon Sang Banwa(Accountability Not Lip Service: Citizen’s Query) in the Municipality of Bingawan, Iloilo.This project was selected from among the nearly 1000 entries to the World Bank – organizedPhilippine Development Innovation Marketplace, or Panibagong Paraan (New Ways). Theproject is a multi-sectoral participatory governance program that assesses the performance ofpublic officials on the 14 barangays in Bingawan, Iloilo. It also provides a feedbackmechanism aimed to increase awareness and education among the constituents regarding theutilization of public funds on government projects.

Pamangkutanon Sang Banwa (Citizen’s Query) is institutionalized in the Municipality ofBingawan through Municipal Ordinance No. 01 s. 2004 entitled: An Ordinance Establishingthe “Pamangkutanon Sang Banwa in the Municipality of Bingawan, Province of Iloilo.” Theordinance calls for performance leadership and accountability through a public disclosuremechanism. The people comprising the basic marginalized sectors are given the opportunityto monitor and influence the performance of public officials on service deliveryimprovements, policy implementation, and other development initiatives. Its strength lies inthe social pressure generated by the general public through participating and scrutinizing theelected local officials on unfinished government projects, non-performing local officials, andpoor delivery of basic services.

During the 4th Pamangkutanon Sang Banwa (Citizen’s Query) conducted on September 28,2006 headed by Bingawan Municipal Mayor Ted Peter Palagata, elected officials highlightedtheir accomplishments and activities of their respective committees. The Legislative Council



provided updates on local legislations and processes and also shared what ordinances andresolutions were passed in the last quarters of 2006. Trainings and seminars attended bypublic officials were also presented.

To date, a total of four (4) barangays namely; Tubod, Tapacon, Quinangyna and Ngingianhave already adopted transparency and accountability mechanisms such as public reportingof plans, budget, and accomplishments. A series of Barangay TAG consultations for theremaining barangays in the municipality will be conducted in the future to further increasethe level of participation of the citizens in local government activities.



FORMING PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIP AND BUILDINGCONSTITUENCIES

To complement efforts to increase transparency and accountability in governmenttransactions, The Asia Foundation is deepening the engagement of the private sector and civilsociety organizations in counter-corruption advocacy at the national level and in promotingtransparency and accountability at the local level. Through the TAG project, the Foundationhas relied on a variety of strategic approaches in its counter-corruption initiatives to identifyreformers in government interested in collaborating with the Transparency andAccountability Network and the private sector. Among these reformers are the PresidentialAnti-Graft Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman. The Foundation is coordinatingcity-level initiatives, through the City Transparency and Accountability Network of civilsociety and the City Coalition for Transparent Accountable Governance led by the privatesector, with ongoing work being undertaken by the League of Cities of the Philippines.

General Support to the Office of the Ombudsman

The National Anti-Corruption Program of Action (NACPA) is a result of the anti-corruptionconvergence process of the following: the executive, legislative and judicial branches ofgovernment; the Office of the Ombudsman; the Commission on Audit; the Civil ServiceCommission; civil society organizations; and the business sector. NACPA will be themechanism that will ensure the coordination of efforts in the fight against corruption. It willmonitor anti-corruption plans and activities. It will also communicate anti-corruption effortsand victories to the general public, donors, participating agencies, and civil societyorganizations. As such, the NACPA will address concerns regarding different anti-corruption efforts; gaps and overlaps in policy development; enforcement and systemsimprovement; and the lack of accounting and monitoring of the progress in combatingcorruption.

The NACPA Secretariat was officially constituted through OMB Office Order No. 67 issuedby the Tanodbayan (Ombudsman) on June 23, 2006. The Secretariat, which is composed of17 members from the Office of the Ombudsman, is tasked to perform technical andadministrative duties to support the national anti-corruption program. The Secretariat formedthree thematic groupings to fight corruption based on the 3Ps – Promotion, Prevention andProsecution.

The duly constituted NACPA Secretariat undertook three capacity-building programs: (1)Orientation on RA 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act); (2) Project ManagementTraining; and (3) Seminar on Internal Control, which mainly aim to enhance the capacity ofthe Secretariat members.

On July 21, 2006 during the Strategic Planning Session, the Secretariat identified key priorityprojects in line with the NACPA implementation. The eleven priority projects include:

• Organization of a Multi-Sectoral Advisory Body (MSAB);• Documentation of NACPA;



• Establishment of a Database of Anti-Corruption initiatives;• Conduct of an Anti-Corruption Roadshow ;• Establishment of a Tracking System;• Creation of an Anti-Corruption Training Program;• Drafting of a Multi-Sectoral Communication System;• Resource Mobilization and Management;• National and Local Policy Advocacy Program;• NACPA Secretariat Staff Development Program.

On November 27, 2006, the Office of the Ombudsman organized the Inception Workshop forthe Creation of the Multi-Sectoral Anti-Corruption Council (MSACC). The inceptionworkshop acquainted the participants on the objectives and convergence process of theNational Anti-Corruption Program of Action. The workshop also gathered the inputs ofvarious stakeholders in creating the Multi-Sectoral Anti-Corruption Council (MASSC). Atotal of 48 participants from the government, constitutional commissions, academicinstitutions, and civil society organizations attended the whole-day activity.

Media Trainings

A recent study conducted by the project, “Reverse Engineering of Surveys on Corruption”(see below), mentioned that media reports on corruption have a significant impact onperceptions. In recognition of the impact of the media, technical assistance was provided toanti-corruption groups both from civil society and government sector to be able to transformpublic perception through effective communication of their anti-corruption efforts.

A workshop on "Facing the Media: The Art of Being Interviewed" was conducted on August3-4, 2006 for civil society organizations and government agencies such as the ProcurementWatch, Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), Makati Business Club, Barug!Pilipino, Evelio B. Javier Foundation, Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance, LaSalle Institute of Governance, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Presidential Anti-GraftCommission. The workshop equipped the participants with skills such as speaking to themedia in a concise and confident manner, crafting effective messages that are appropriate totheir activities, getting their key points across on issues related to counter corruption andgood governance, and developing sound bites and key messages on corruption. A similartraining for government representatives of National Anti-Corruption Program of Action(NACPA)-implementing agencies was also conducted on October 5-6, 2006.

On October 10-12, a writing workshop entitled “A Guide to Media for Good GovernanceAdvocates” was conducted by three well-respected Filipino journalists. Participants included20 representatives from civil society, NGOs, and the academe working on anti-corruptionprojects. The training enhanced the participants’ skills in understanding how the mediaworks; writing effective press releases, commentaries, letters to the editor, and featurestories; assembling a press kit; and framing and pitching governance and corruption stories.



Table 14: Media Trainings

Date Activity Number ofParticipants

Number ofOrganizations

August 3-4, 2006 Facing the Media: The Artof Being Interviewed (foranti-corruption CSOs)

15 10

October 5-6, 2006 Facing the Media: The Artof Being Interviewed (forNACPA-implementingAgencies)

25 14

October 10-12, 2006 A Guide to Media for GoodGovernance Advocates 20 10

Institutionalization of the Transparency and Accountability Network

In line with providing critical information to the public on governance and anti-corruptionissues, the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) organized three Anti-corruptionBriefings on the following topics – Forum on the Ombudsman’s Resolution of Mega PacificCase; Forum on the UN Convention Against Corruption; and Roundtable Discussion on theCOMELEC Mega Pacific Case and Procurement Monitoring: Its Implications. TAN, inpartnership with Transparency International (TI)-Philippines, also organized the forum onUN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) on December 8, 2006. Senator EdgardoAngara served as the keynote speaker of the event, which was attended by representativesfrom civil society, donor agencies, and media. The forum informed the public on pertinentprovisions of the convention and on how it can be effectively implemented in the Philippinecontext. A very important provision guaranteed in the UNCAC is the participation of civilsociety in anti-corruption efforts. TAN worked with the Office of the Ombudsman inadvocating for the ratification of UNCAC in November 2006.

Over time, there has been a growing recognition of TAN as a leading counter-corruptionadvocacy group. TAN was invited to participate and present its case in the Conference ofState Parties to UNCAC in Jordan on December 10-14, 2006. Locally, TAN was also invitedto be part of the Transparency Board, a body which reviews contracts and procurement ofgovernment projects. It also serves as one of the members of the Department of Health(DOH)’s Integrity Development Committee, primarily tasked with monitoring andimplementing the agency anti-corruption programs and commitments. TAN’s membershipin Bantay Lansangan (road watch) and its role as coordinator has taken its advocacy effortsto the policy level. Bantay Lansangan, a multi-stakeholder partnership composed ofgovernment agencies and civil society, works towards improved road services in the countrythrough advocating greater public awareness and transparency in the national roads. BantayLansangan members include the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), theRoad Board, the Philippine Contractors Association, the Federation of Jeepney Operators and



Drivers, Transparency and Accountability Network, the Office of the Ombudsman, and theWorld Bank.

TAN is also the lead group in organizing the Philippine Taxpayers Organization, under aseparate USAID-funded project. For the network’s internal operations, TAN has expandedits network through the addition of new members such as the Northern Luzon Coalition forGood Governance, UP National College of Public Administration and Governance, andChristian Convergence for Good Governance.

Over the past few months, TAN has generated a considerable amount of media coverage,reflected by the growing recognition of media networks of its views on national issues. TheTAN Executive Director has represented the Network in number of media venues (see Table15):

Table 15: Media Coverage of TAN

Date Media Coverage/TopicJuly 27, 2006 Take One with Twink Macaraig - Government s anti-

corruption effort, particularly with regard to the MCCgrant

October 27, 2006 Prime News with Mariton Pacheco - Supreme CourtAppointment Watch Project

November 10, 2006 Interviewed by Probe Team - Infrastructure projects ofpoliticians

November 11, 2006 24 Oras with Pia Arcangel - TI-Corruption PerceptionIndex

November 29, 2006 Interview with Korina Sanchez - Supreme CourtAppointments Watch

December 6, 2006 Dong Puno Live - Supreme Court Appointments Watch

Support to Coalition Against Corruption (CAC)

The Coalition Against Corruption (CAC) organized a press briefing on December 20, 2006,to highlight its accomplishments for 2006, as it marked its second year of operations. Manyof its member organizations were present to report on its major projects.6 The projectsinclude: Medicine Monitoring, Pork Barrel Watch, Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA)Watch, Textbook Count Project, Development of Lifestyle Check Tool, and Creation of a

6 Member organizations that attended included the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and itsNational Secretariat for Social Action (CBCP –NASSA), Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Ateneo School of Government,Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), Barug! Pilipino, and Makati Business Club, among others.



Network of Corruption-Intolerant Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs. The event wasattended by representatives from the media, donor agencies, government, and civilsociety/business sector.

Table 16: Major Accomplishments of Coalition Against Corruption

Project Major AccomplishmentsMedicine Monitoring Project (inpartnership with NAMFREL)

§ Through a volunteers report, at the bidding of a Php 11million worth of drugs and medicines was stopped in agovernment hospital for failure to advertise thebidding, a violation under the Government ProcurementReform Act (GPRA)

§ Finalization of Toolkit on Medicine Monitoring

Government ProcurementMonitoring (in partnership withBishops-Businessmen sConference)

§ The Department of National Defense regularlyrequests the presence of observers during the pre-procurement conference and post-qualification oflowest calculated or high rated responsive bidders

§ The 39 total number of BBC-CAC trained observersplanned to cover 26 BACs in 20 government agenciessuch as Department of Agriculture, Department ofBudget and Management, Department of Public Worksand Highways, Department of Tourism, and othernational government agencies.

Internal Revenue AllotmentWatch (in partnership withCBCP-NASSA)

§ Since May 2006, volunteers have monitored 91barangays in 3 Diocesan Social Action Centers of SanCarlos, Jaro, and Marbel as test-run for the project

§ Cases of best practice include Bgy. Amurao, Cabatuan,Jaro, Iloilo, where the barangay officials engagedcommunity members in drafting the AnnualProcurement Plan and in the implementation of theprojects.

§ Finalization of Toolkit on IRA Watch

Pork Barrel Watch (inpartnership with CODE-NGO)

§ 64 road projects were monitored; 18 (or 28%) of themonitored projects were found to be defective; 3 (or5%) were nowhere to be found

§ Only 20 legislators (or 8%) of total legislatorsprovided data/information on their PDAF/CA projects

§ Finalization of Toolkit on Pork Barrel Watch



Differential Expenditure and Efficiency Management (DEEM)

The Differential Expenditure and Efficiency Management (DEEM) project assessesefficiency gains in government expenditures arising from the implementation of governanceand anti-corruption reform interventions. It does so by measuring government expendituresprior to implementation of the reform intervention, measuring expenditure after theimplementation of the reform measures, and then comparing the two measurements todetermine if the reform intervention achieved the desired result of improving expenditureefficiency.

During the reporting period, Procurement Watch, Inc. (PWI) encoded the data of 206samples (out of 1,633 disbursement vouchers) from Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center forits procurement in 2005. The processed data will help the team in analyzing the informationfor patterns or signs of efficiency or inefficiency in procurement, benchmarking of costs,among others.

The initial observations drawn from the vouchers that have been gathered include:

• Two different expiration dates in the effectiveness of the medicines purchased;• Date of the Purchase Order is almost 4 months after the Date of the Bidding;• Date of acceptance was ahead of the inspection date for equipment;• Date of the inspection report is 4 months and 12 days later from the date of delivery of

the medicines;• The contract was awarded to the second lowest bidder with a different brand name.

Lowest bidder was tested and found acceptable with free one roll of tape for every boxordered; and

• In most cases, the Purchase Order (PO) and Purchase Request (PR) cost are the same,when ideally, the PO cost should be lower than the PR cost.

PWI is currently conducting further research and validation on all of the vouchers withdiscrepancies. The vouchers on procurement of drugs and medicine and equipment purchaseand rental will be prioritized for this research since these procurements have significanteffects on the expenditures of the agency.

Reverse Engineering of Surveys on Corruption

The TAG project recently engaged the services of a survey expert to conduct a reverseengineering study of local and international surveys on corruption in the Philippines. Theobjective of the study was to reconcile the results of the numerous researches and surveys oncorruption versus the efforts of the government towards curbing graft and corruption. Thestudy focused on surveys conducted by the following institutions:, TransparencyInternational, Social Weather Stations, IBON Databank, Pulse Asia, Asia ResearchOrganization, Political Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), and Makati Business Club’sExecutive Outlook Surveys.



The findings of the study pointed out that Philippine government efforts in curbingcorruption have not been effectively communicated to the public, thereby giving theperception that the government is helpless in stopping corruption. The findings also showedthat systems and efforts that will help lower incidences of bribery in public transactionsshould be maintained, with an emphasis on high profile corruption cases because theycapture the attention of analysts, businesspeople, and expatriates. The results of the studywere presented to the government, civil society organizations, and donor agencies throughthree separate presentations on August 8, 9, and 22, 2006.

Table 17: Specific Recommendations in Managing thePublic Perceptions on Corruption:

Managing Perception of the Public on Corruption

• The need to have to a clear, comprehensive, and inter-linked plan for combatingcorruption. The plan needs to be communicated to the public in simple layman sterms.

• The gains in anti-corruption efforts should be aggressively and consistentlypublicized in the tri-media through a regular TV, radio, newspaper blitz orperyodikit in barangays.

• The hotlines for reporting cases of corruption should be propagated andpopularized.

• School curricula should incorporate values which would foster a corruption-intolerant society.

• Linkages and joint efforts of religious and civic organizations with governmentshould be encouraged.

• There should be a strong grassroots support to create a continuing momentum foranti-corruption efforts.



Table 18: Specific Recommendations in Managing the Business Sector Perceptions on Corruption:

Managing Perception of the Business Sector on Corruption

• Establish a database of members of the business community, regional managers(especially in Hong Kong and Singapore), expatriates and their respective networks.Create a regular means of updating them about the government s anti-corruptionefforts (this can be done through an email system or newsletter).

• Follow up on the commitment of businesses that are willing to contribute anti-corruption funds to strengthen efforts to combat corruption.

• Hold a regular forum for the business community, hosted by the government, toinform businesses of recent actions, solicit its assistance, and hear suggestions.

• Address areas where businesspeople are susceptible to corruption and focus anti-corruption efforts in these areas. These include: local and national governmentpermits and licensing, income payments, import/export regulations, and receivablesfrom government. The sectors to watch out for include construction, defense,import/export, logging, and lumber.

• Focus anti-corruption efforts on: Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs,Department of Public Works and Highways, Armed Forces of the Philippines, PhilippineNational Police, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

• Emphasize to business groups and networks the importance of promoting strongprivate sector (business) ethics to help prevent corruption.

First National Congress on Good Citizenship

Centered on the theme of Values Formation, the First National Congress on GoodCitizenship was held on October 27-28, 2006. The congress was convened in partnershipwith the Public Administration Research and Extension Service Foundation, Inc. of theUniversity of the Philippines’ Center for Leadership, Citizenship and Democracy (UP-CLCD), and in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and GoodCitizenship Movement. The event was attended by 340 participants from the government,civil society organizations, business sector, and academe coming from the National CapitalRegion (NCR), Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and from other regionsof the country.

The congress succeeded in formulating a consolidated three-year national plan for goodcitizenship among action plan for government, civil society, business, and the academe. Thecongress also established a Multi-sectoral Council tasked with formulation of guidelines andmechanisms for implementation and monitoring of the three-year National Anti-CorruptionPlan of Action. A framework defining 12 strategies was drawn up during the workshops todefine how values formation efforts may be aligned with anti-corruption efforts that areimplemented in the country.



Network of Corruption-Intolerant Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs

Barug! Pilipino organized the Network of Corruption-Intolerant Young Professionals andEntrepreneurs (NCYPE) with potential members from Cebu-based organizations such asCouples for Christ, Bukas Loob sa Diyos, and Cebu Jaycees. Through the network, BarugPilipino hopes to form an active group in central Visayas from the business sector that usescounter-corruption tools developed by other existing corruption-intolerant groups andinstitutions.

Private Sector Constituency Building in Mindanao

Strengthening Economic Governance, Policy Advocacy, and Counter-Corruption Initiativesof the Mindanao Coalition of Transparent Accountable Governance (MCTAG)

A series of area visits, benchmarking scorecards presentations, and capacity buildingtrainings among the TAG cities was conducted after the institutionalization of MindanaoCoalition for Transparent Accountable Governance (MCTAG). These activities contributedto the strengthening of the coalitions and in the operation of the City Coalition forTransparent and Accountable Governance (CCTAG) efforts in various TAG cities.

The Mindanao Business Council organized the First Capacity Building on CoalitionManagement and Project Development Training on July 25-27, 2006 in General Santos City.Training participants included representatives from city governments, local businesschambers, and civil society from Dapitan, Surigao, Oroquieta, Cotabato, Marawi, GeneralSantos, Koronadal, Zamboanga, and Ozamis. The training enhanced participants’ skills inwriting project proposals, event organizing, and resource generation. After the training, thevarious coalitions have developed project proposals that are vital to managing and facilitatinga sustainable CCTAG.

As a follow-up activity to further strengthen partnerships among CCTAGs, the SecondCapacity Building Workshop on Conflict Management and Negotiations Skills Developmentwas conducted on September 26-28, 2006. It was designed to equip the CCTAGs with theknowledge and skills necessary to manage and resolve conflict and to develop negotiationstrategies for TAG initiatives in the CCTAGs. Forty eight participants from the three sectorsbenefited from the training, which involved exercises on conflict management andnegotiation strategies.

On December 13-14, 2006, the third capability building workshop on Anti-CorruptionCampaigns and Campaign Management for the members of the CCTAG was conducted.Forty-three key representatives of various CCTAGs participated in the workshop.

As a result of the training activities that were conducted, CCTAGs in various citiesdeveloped project proposals that further the pursuit of transparent accountable governance.Public-private partnerships have been strengthened and the various CCTAGs were able toformulate action plans for needed improvements which were identified during thebenchmarking survey conducted in the 16 cities.



Below are highlights of the various CCTAG activities in some TAG cities:

Butuan City. The civil society organization that was identified to partner with CCTAG inthe city is Educational Discipline in Culture and Area-Based Development Services. Thecoalition plans to create a committee to gather input from stakeholders that can be used as abasis for developing project proposal to address the CCTAG’s needs.

Cotabato City. The coalition met on November 25, 2006 to discuss their plan to publish amonthly newsletter that will feature CCTAG activities. They also plan to organize a businessforum that would provide a venue for the city government to demonstrate the improvedprocedures in the business permits and licensing system and the amended versions of theLocal Tax Code.

Dapitan City. The CCTAG was able to secure a small office space in the City Treasurer’sOffice which will serve as the temporary office of the coalition. A project proposal focusingon tourism and investment promotion has been drafted by the CCTAG.

General Santos City. A coalition meeting was conducted on November 4, 2006 to discussprojects and activities that will be undertaken by the CCTAG, including: develop a feedbackmechanism for the City Hospital, continue the GAWAD TAN Awards for 2007, present thesuccess of the CCTAG to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and request a resolution declaringthe first week of April as CCTAG week. Also planned is a renewal of the Memorandum ofUnderstanding between the public, private, and civil society organizations, which was signedin 2003.

Island Garden City of Samal. One of the projects to be carried out by the CCTAG is aregular forum that will serve as a venue for the public, private, and civil society groups todiscuss policy dialogues on possible strategies and systems for the City. An orientation onthe benchmarking survey which will serve as a diagnostic tool to identify the weakness andmeasure the success of the CCTAG was also conducted for the three sectors.

Malaybalay City. A newly formed Malaybalay City Business Club was formally brought onboard to join the coalition. During the action planning activity conducted on November 22,2006, Mayor Florencio T. Flores, Jr. stressed the importance of having a fruitful relationshipbetween the business sector and the city government. A presentation on the Role of BusinessSector in Local Economic Development was also made to inspire the newly formed CCTAG.

Marawi City. The CCTAG has crafted the Local Investment Code which provides incentivesto potential investors in the city. The Investment Code was submitted to the city governmentfor review. The CCTAG is also completing its benchmarking survey for the three sectors.

Oroquieta City. The strategic planning workshop, which was supported by the citygovernment, was conducted on September 5-6, 2006. The planning workshop resulted in adraft mission statement for the CCTAG and action plans for policy reforms, personaldevelopment, and resource mobilization. The utilization of the City Planning Office or the



Senior Citizen’s Building as a possible office for the CCTAG was also discussed. Aresolution adopting the Mission Statement and the three-year strategic plan of the OroquietaCCTAG will be submitted to the City Mayor’s Office for review and eventually to the CityCouncil for concurrence.

Ozamis City. A half-day orientation and planning for the CCTAG was conducted onDecember 6, 2006, organized by the Ozamis Chamber of Commerce. During the planningmeeting, coalition members discussed the projects to undertake, with a focus on operationsand systems related to tax collection.

Surigao City. Partnership was forged between the CCTAG and the Development Academyof the Philippines Mindanao for the enhancement of their project proposal for a Citizen’sTransaction Manual.

Zamboanga City. A two-day strategic planning workshop was held on November 8-9, 2006,attended by 19 participants from the city government, business chamber, and the civil societyorganizations. Mayor Celso Lobregat attended the activity and shared the actions taken bythe city government in simplifying the business permits and licensing system in the city.

Area visits and a series of meetings with the CCTAGs of Koronadal, Panabo, Tacurong,Dipolog, and Iligan will be undertaken to discuss planned activities and projects of the citycoalitions.

Presentations of the results of the benchmarking survey were conducted in the cities ofDapitan, Koronadal, Ozamis, Oroquieta, Surigao, and Zamboanga. The results of the surveyin other cities are still being processed and will be presented during the Second MCTAGForum in February 2007.



Table 19: Capacity Building WorkshopsConducted by Mindanao Business Council

DateConducted

Capacity BuildingWorkshops

Number ofParticipants

Results

July 25-27, 2006

Coalition ManagementWorkshop & ProjectDevelopment Writeshop

14 • Surigao CCTAG has forged partnershipwith Development Academy of thePhilippines-Mindanao for the enhancementof their project proposal on Citizen sTransactions Manual.

• Dapitan CCTAG has drafted a proposal oninvestment promotion and tourism.

• General Santos City CCTAG requested aresolution from Sangguniang Panlungsoddeclaring the first week of April asCCTAG week.

• Zamboanga, Malaybalay, and OroquietaCCTAGs conducted strategic planningworkhops to identify action plans focusedon coalition building, policy reforms, andresource mobilization to sustain theoperation of the CCTAGs.

September26-28,2006

Conflict Managementand Negotiation SkillsDevelopment Workshop

33 • Drafting of CCTAG Quotations among thedifferent CCTAGs which will be theiremerging philosophies in resolvingconflicts.

• Conflict management strategies wereformulated.

• Negotiation skills were fostered amongvarious CCTAGs and areas of negotiationsand its corresponding strategies wereidentified.

December13-14,2006

Anti-CorruptionCampaigns and CampaignManagement

43 • Increased awareness on the Anti-Corruption Campaigns and CampaignManagement

Civil Society Constituency Building in Mindanao

Accountability and Transparency Now-Mindanao (ACT NOW – Mindanao)

Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks continued its campaign to activate civilsociety organizations by supporting the agenda of the TAG cities in Mindanao through theCity Transparency and Accountability Network (CTAN). So far, the original seven TAGcities have collectively designed their own strategy of promoting TAG initiatives throughprint media by way of TAG campaign slogans reflecting the seven cities’ accomplished TAGactivities. The summary of City Transparency and Accountability Network (CTAN)Activities is presented in Annex 6.



On October 25-26, 2006, a Mindanao-wide TAN forum provided various stakeholders inMindanao the opportunity to share and celebrate accomplishments on good governance andexplore ways of sustaining, replicating, and scaling up good practices in local governancetowards achieving effective service delivery. The activity was jointly convened by 18development organizations that gathered officials from local government units andgovernment line agencies, the business community, and civil society groups to identify needsand future actions towards promoting and sustaining good governance initiatives inMindanao.

In order to set up a City Transparent Accountable Network for the newly included TAGcities (Butuan, Dipolog, Koronadal, Tacurong, Malaybalay, Ozamiz, Oroquieta, Panabo, andZamboanga), a city-wide mapping and profiling of active community-based organizationsrepresenting various sectors will be conducted in the first quarter of 2007. Moreover,Transparent Accountable Governance Core Group will be formed to conduct meetings andfocus group discussions to gather TAG-related local policy issues and concerns.

Cotabato City. A forum was conducted on November 9, 2006 to carry out the Junior GraftWatch organized by Cotabato CTAN. The Junior Graft Watch was organized by CTAN toinvolve the youth sector in the promotion of good governance in the city as part of itsstrategy to widen its constituencies. With the theme “Deepening Inputs on Anti-Corruption,”the Forum provided information for key youth leaders of Cotabato. Discussions wereconducted on topics such as the framework of Islamic good governance and its impact on theissues of peace initiatives such as the Government – Moro Islamic Liberation Front PeaceTalks. As a result, the Junior Graft Watch action plan for 2007 was crafted, which includesactivities on anti-corruption advocacy through essay writing and mural painting, schoolsymposium, distribution of leaflets on anti-corruption, expansion of membership throughorganization of inter-school chapters, and capacity building through seminars on EHEM andAHA.7

As a follow-up activity on the trisectoral forum on TAG last March 2006, a forum on theCREED for Good Governance was also conducted on November 9, 2006 to discuss majorkey areas that the local government, business sector, and civil society groups can collectivelypursue. The focus is on market operation management, market administration, revenuegeneration, and investment opportunities.

Dapitan City. The results of the governance scorecard were presented to various sectors inthe city on November 7, 2007. The survey resulted in an average score of 6.03 for theperformance of the city on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest rating. The survey resultspresentation was attended by 35 participants, all coming from civil society organizations.Attendees encouraged the city government to sustain its efforts for a more effective andefficient public service. This is reflected in its slogan “Panggamhanan sa Dakbayan saDapitan Ipadayag sa Katawhan” (Practice Participatory Governance).

7 EHEM is a culture-based corruption sensitivity program. AHA is a citizen’s primer on whistle-blowing andtipping launched by the Office of the Ombudsman as part of its strategy to battle graft and corruption in thePhilippines.



Iligan City. A series of anti-corruption barangay awareness campaigns was conducted fromMay to September 2006, focusing on youth participation and community involvement inlocal governance. Eight barangays (Dulag, Mainit, Rogongon, Mahayahay, Digkilaan, SanRoque, Bonbonan, and Mandulog) participated in the campaign. Activities involved a seriesof activities that included discussion with the barangay council on Transparent AccountableGovernance and a symposium on good governance among community constituents. Theseinterventions also facilitated the formation of community-based organizations specifically forthe youth sector who took part in promoting TAG in the community.

School awareness campaigns were also conducted to complement the campaign amongconstituents in the community. Four schools in Iligan City took part in advocating goodgovernance by building awareness among the youth. The campaign involved orientationamong students on Transparent Accountable Governance with a lecture on corruption and therole of the youth in local governance. A workshop was also conducted to enable the youth toexamine their personal experiences with corruption and share it among their colleagues.Three hundred seventy youth committed to support the promotion of TAG in their area.

Island Garden City of Samal. The City Transparency and Accountability Networkconducted a sectoral forum on corruption on November 29, 2006. Forty-eight individualsfrom various public and non-government organizations, the religious sector, and the academeattended the activity. A case presentation was made by a member of the City Council, citingexamples of corruption in the city government processes and transactions. Civil societygroups were encouraged to be more vigilant. The forum led to a unified stand among thecivil society organizations to sustain efforts to advocate TAG through an information andeducation campaign on local government issues.

General Santos City. A two-day strategic planning workshop was conducted for the TAN-Gensan to review the organization’s plan, evaluate its achievements, and assess itsorganizational capacities. A three-year strategic plan was formulated outlining the strategiesof TAN-Gensan which includes: the expansion of its target communities to cover SouthCotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani areas; formulation of a concept paper on anti-corruption project for submission to funding agencies; promotion and sustaining of TAGactivities which are already established such as GAWAD-TAN and TAG-Talk; andestablishment of a secretariat to strengthen organizational capabilities and networking.

Marawi City. An anti-corruption poster complemented the TAG billboards, which have beeninstalled in visible places in the City. Six hundred copies of the posters were printed,distributed, and posted in various offices and public places as of December 2006.

A consultation workshop on TAG Sustainability was conducted on December 1-2, 2006. Theworkshop provided a venue for the Marawi CTAN to review and assess its accomplishmentsand formulate a plan that would sustain the interventions on good governance. As a result,an action plan was crafted that focused on bringing the TAG advocacy to the barangay level.Specific activities include a discussion among community leaders and the youth, enhancingparticipation of government agencies through a participatory dialogue on TAG-related issues,



and providing recognition to agencies that support and practice TAG mechanisms andinterventions.

Surigao City. A strategic planning workshop between the city government and the membersof the Surigao CTAN was organized to review and assess accomplishments of the group.Strategies outlining the roles of each sector to sustain TAG initiatives were also discussedduring the workshop, including the strengthening of previous TAG initiatives in the city. Acitizen’s manual campaigning for good governance was distributed to various governmentagencies, private institutions, and to 56 barangays in the city to further enhance citizens’awareness of transparency and accountability in public service.

To date, a series of meetings and strategic planning sessions have been conducted in the TAGcities to assist them in discussing other possible ways to sustain the advocacy of goodgovernance and outline the specific role of each sector in pursuing the initiatives. Among themajor points raised was the formation of TAN Mindanao, which is perceived to facilitatetrisectoral concerns, and coordinate the regular exchange of information among TAG citiesin terms of concretizing the TAG initiatives into a Mindanao-wide strategy of advancinggood governance in the region.

Below is the summary of City Transparency and Accountability Network (CTAN) Activities.

Table 20: Summary of City Transparency and Accountability Network (CTAN) Activities

City Activities StatusCotabato City Forum of Junior Graft

Watchü Conducted a forum entitled Deepening Inputs

on Anti-Corruption on November 9, 2006which was attended by key youth leaders ofthe city.

ü Crafted an Action Plan for Junior GraftWatch.

Forum on the Creed forGood Governance

ü Conducted a forum with the theme Harnessingthe tripartite CREED for good governance onNovember 15, 2006.

ü Action plan was forged by public, private andcivil society groups.

Dapitan City Scorecard ResultsPresentation

ü Presented the results of scorecard surveyamong various sectors on November 7, 2006.

TANCSD RoundtableDiscussion

ü Conducted assessment and planning ofTANCSD on December 27, 2006.

Iligan City Barangay AwarenessCampaign

ü Conducted in the eight communities in the citystarting from May 2006 to September 2006.

ü Discussion among members of the barangaycouncil and local residents on anti-corruptionmeasures, the Government ProcurementReform Act, and the role of citizens inpromoting transparent and accountablegovernance.



City Activities StatusSchool Awareness Campaign ü Symposium on TAG and anti-corruption

awareness building was conducted in fivesecondary schools on August 17-22, 2006,creating awareness among 370 students.

Forum on Sustainability ü Discussion among representatives from thelocal government and business sectors wasconducted on August 30, 2006 on sustainingTAG interventions and initiatives in the city.

Island GardenCity of Samal

Sectoral Forum onCorruption

ü Conducted a sectoral forum on November 29,2006 for various sectors to develop the anti-corruption mechanisms of civil society.

Design, Printing and Postingof Advocacy Material

ü Advocacy material in the form of 4 x5tarpaulin was utilized to describe the city saccomplished TAG activities.

ü TAG campaign slogans were posted.General SantosCity

CTAN Strategic Planning ü Provided a venue for the TAN-Gensan toreview their two-year old organization s plan,evaluate their achievements and assess itsorganizational capacities.

ü Outlined strategies to sustain TAGinterventions in the city.

Surigao City Printing of Citizen s Manual ü Printed 100 additional copies of citizens manualwhich were distributed to various government-line agencies, private institutions, and 56barangays in the city.

LGU-CTAN StrategicPlanning

ü Provided a venue for civil society and localgovernment to review and assessaccomplishments on TAG and to identifymechanisms to sustain the TAG initiativesalready implemented.

2006 Mindanao-Wide Local Governance Forum

In celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the Local Government Code, the TAG project, inpartnership with Surveys, Training, Research and Development Services, Inc. (STRIDES)and Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE), organized aMindanao-wide Local Governance Forum with the theme, Innovative Local Governance forPeace and Development in Mindanao. The Forum took place on October 25-26, 2006 inDavao City. It provided various stakeholders in Mindanao the opportunity to share andcelebrate accomplishments, plus explore ways of sustaining, replicating, and scaling up thegood practices in local governance towards achieving effective service delivery. The activitywas jointly convened by 18 development organizations8 and brought together officials from

8 Conveners included the following: Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), MindanaoEconomic Development Council (MEDCO), League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), Local GovernmentAcademy (LGA), Ateneo de Davao Resource Center for Local Governance (ARCLG), City Transparency andAccountable Governance Coalitions and Networks, Development Academy of the Philippines sa Mindanao(DAP sa Mindanao), Galing Pook Foundation (GPF), Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF), Mindanao BusinessCouncil (MinBC), Mindanao Land Foundation (MinLand) & Invisible Link, Philippine Rural Reconstruction



government line agencies, local government units, the business community, and civil societyorganizations to identify needs and future actions towards promoting and sustaining goodgovernance initiatives in Mindanao.

Mindanao Participation in Fifth ASEAN People s Assembly

The Institute for Strategic and Development Studies hosted the Fifth ASEAN People’sAssembly on December 8-10, 2006. The Assembly brought together around 300representatives from various civil society groups, think tanks, and key policy-makers inSoutheast Asia who are interested in promoting people-oriented development in the processof ASEAN community building. Sixteen representatives from non-governmentorganizations, people’s organizations, academe, and media from Mindanao were sponsoredby the TAG project. They actively participated in the dialogue and shared in the plenarysessions the political, economic, security, and social-cultural issues affecting Mindanao.There were 15 panel discussions covering a wide range of issues affecting ASEAN countries.

Recommendations in support of peace-building in Mindanao with a human securityperspective were identified which include:

• Address the “historicity” of the Bangsamoro experience, including all the dimensionsof the Bangsamoro identity;

• Engage a mix of actors in implementing strategic approaches, frameworks, andmechanisms for peace-building to build trust and foster cooperation;

• Build leaders in the area, not only implementers of projects and programs;• Adopt a two-pronged strategy by applying pressure to reach an agreement and

continuing to ensure a situation conducive to peace and development by puttingpeople on the ground;

• Match views between the investors and the conflict areas – investors think that peaceshould come before development and the conflict areas think development shouldcome before peace;

• Ensure sustainability of the projects and programs along with the commitment topeace and development;

• Manage Official Development Assistance (ODA) by encouraging people-to-peopleand community-community rather than government-government cooperation orinteractions; and

• Develop a non-donor driven model for sustainability.

Movement (PRRM), University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), German Agency for TechnicalCooperation (GTZ), Local Governance Support Program in ARMM (LGSPA), and Peace and EquityFoundation (PEF).



ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF PARTNERS

The Asia Foundation’s third theme focuses on enhancing the capacities of partners, both inthe government and the private sector. By and large, this theme accelerates the developmentof improved practices in local governance; increases the interaction among civil society,government, and the private sector; and ensures the sustainability of governance effortstowards peace and development. Through the development of local expertise, and bypartnering with local resource institutions, the Foundation ensures the sustainability of goodgovernance practices and the ability of localities to assess technical assistance.

Training on Survey Methodologies

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted two batches of Data Collection SkillsTraining for committed civil society organizations and academic institutions. The trainingswere held with the objective of addressing the sustainability of the Corruption Survey after2007. The trainings aim to transfer SWS’ skills in data gathering and technology to localorganizations and equip these organizations with techniques in analyzing survey results. Thetraining modules include Conduct of Pre-Survey Activities, Interviews, Field Assessments,and Data Processing.

The first training was held on November 13-15, 2006 in Tagaytay City, while the secondtraining was held on November 16-18, 2006 in Cagayan de Oro City in partnership withCapitol University. A total of 47 participants from 16 organizations benefited from the twotrainings.

Table 21: Trainings Conducted on Survey Methodologies

Date Total Number of participants Total Number ofOrganizations

November 13-15, 2006 27 from National CapitalRegion

15

November 16-18, 2006 20 from Mindanao 1(6 Departments ofCapitol University)

Empowering Women to be Effective Local Government Leaders in the Philippines

During this reporting period, results of the competency survey conducted by project partnersin their respective areas were the basis for the revision of the political leadership trainingmodules. Revised Module 1 is on Leadership and Good Municipal Governance Practice9,

9 The module aims to build capacities of women councilors to take charge of their professional development inthe context of technical, political, organizational and ethical elements of governance. It also aims to trainwomen councilors to create gender responsive policies, projects, and plans.



and Revised Module 2 is on Consensus Building Approach to Conflict Management10. TheAteneo School of Government (ASG), in collaboration with The Asia Foundation and theproject partners, DAWN Foundation and Al Mujadillah Foundation, designed the revisedtraining modules.

Revised Module 1 now covers topics on: Ethical Dilemmas in Politics; Understanding theLocal Government Bureaucracy; Transformative Politics and Citizenship; Government andCivil Society Partnerships; and Developing a Culture of Reform. Ateneo administered this to21 Luzon-based women councilors on August 29-31, 2006 at the Rockwell Center, Makati.DAWN Foundation presented the Visayas leg of the same module to 27 women councilorson September 6-8, 2006 in Cebu City. Al-Mujadilah Development Foundation (AMDF)conducted the Mindanao part on October 26-28, 2006 in Cagayan de Oro City, where theytrained 16 councilors and one vice-mayor.

A joint assessment of the series of trainings on Module 1 was held on December 11, 2006.Ateneo, DAWN, and AMDF stated that the leadership training was well-received by thewomen councilors, most of whom have voiced their appreciation for the information.Participants were particularly impressed by the structured learning experience (SLE)exercises, which was a good alternative to the usual lecture style of training. Most were alsoinspired by experiences and stories shared by resource persons and facilitators. Some of theparticipants have stated their commitment to apply their learning in their work, in order tomake an impact in their constituencies. One councilor spoke for many when she mentionedthat she was challenged to change, to break free from the notion of many that she is one ofthe “cronies” of the one in power (i.e., “tao ni Mayor” or “one of the Mayor’s people”), andto convince people that she has changed for the better. For AMDF, additional reactions fromparticipants touched on the discussions about gender issues in the Muslim community. Somefelt this was not an issue, but others openly commented on its gravity in the home as well asin politics.

The second phase will be conducted from January – February 2007. Aside from training thewomen councilors on conflict management, Revised Module 2 will also discuss gendermainstreaming strategies in the local development council. The Ateneo has designed thetraining module on conflict management, which the AMDF reconstructed to include thecultural context of mediation and conflict resolution.

During the reporting period, Probe Productions documented the training programs andlearning processes of women councilors who have undergone the empowerment training. Bydocumenting the phases of the workshops and monitoring the women in implementing theirprojects or advocacies, Probe hopes that the stories will reveal the important role of womenin the community and in politics. Probe captured on video all three training sessions andinterviewed some participants to obtain reactions on the training programs, as well as todetermine potential councilors who will be involved in a case study on the transformation ofselected women councilors. They plan to observe the activities of the councilors who will

10 The module aims to address the need for women councilors to handle potential sources of personal and socialconflicts which may arise as they deal with their constituencies, communities, and other elected officials.



run during the election period, and examine whether the platform for action includescommitments expressed during the training.

Participants in the training discussed plans to form a networking group to serve as a supportfor women leaders, a mechanism for mentoring and coaching, and a platform for technicalassistance. As an initial step for networking, the project team will create a mailing list of allparticipants, where they can provide and obtain updates about the initiatives of their fellowcouncilors, and where the resource persons can impart knowledge and ideas to the membersof the network. The Foundation will gather newly elected women councilors in June 2007 toformally implement the networking plan.

Table 22: Trainings on Empowering Womento be Effective Local Government Leaders

Date Activity Total Number ofparticipants

August 29-31, 2006 Leadership and Good MunicipalGovernance Practice Training Luzon-Based Women Councilors

21

September 26-28, 2006 Leadership and Good MunicipalGovernance Practice Training Visayas-Based Women Councilors

27

October 26-28, 2006 Leadership and Good MunicipalGovernance Practice TrainingMindanao-Based Women Councilors

16

Books for Mindanao

On August 28, 2006, a successful books turnover ceremony was hosted by the city ofZamboanga, headed by Mayor Celso Lobregat. The event was supported by USAID incollaboration with TAG. The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program turned-over a totalof 17,705 books to 500 public elementary schools, high schools, and colleges in ZamboangaCity, Isabela City, and the island province of Basilan. Around 350 local city and municipalgovernment officials, principals, and students attended the ceremony. Officers of USAIDand The Asia Foundation joined the ceremonies.

During the reporting period, a total of 39,304 books were distributed to day care centers,public libraries, schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions all over the Mindanao(see Table 23). The Asia Foundation, with major support from USAID under the TAGproject, has already donated a total of 167,861 volumes of books to various institutionsacross Mindanao since the start of the Books for Mindanao Program in 2003 (see Table 24).Through the Books for Mindanao Program, there has been an average increase of 30% in thedistribution of books to Mindanao every year. Due to this increase, the Books for Mindanao



Program has been able to reach increased numbers of recipients, especially in the conflict-affected Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Table 23: Books for Mindanao DistributionJuly December 2006

PERIOD REGION TOTALJuly to December 2006 IX X XI XII ARMM CARAGA

Elementary Public 10,342 35 0 0 14,420 100 24,897

Private 0 0 0 0 500 0 500

Secondary Public 1,100 88 140 155 550 60 2,093

Private 515 0 40 0 129 0 684

Colleges & Public 405 370 568 523 346 170 2,382

Universities Private 724 358 1,612 907 1,768 470 5,839

Non-AcademicPublic 530 255 744 210 295 507 2,541

Private 0 0 163 50 55 100 368

Total 13,616 1,106 3,267 1,845 18,063 1,407 39,304

Table 24: Books for Mindanao Distribution2003 to 2006

PERIOD: REGION TOTALFiscal Year

2003 to 2006IX X XI XII ARMM CARAGA

Elementary Public 11,184 2,590 10,203 4,027 20,904 655 49,563

Private 676 1,182 625 336 4,500 174 7,493

Secondary Public 1,744 883 2,647 1,418 4,647 385 11,724

Private 590 542 1,154 730 838 145 3,999

Colleges & Public 1,250 1,669 2,613 4,289 2,120 1,610 13,551

Universities Private 2,050 4,612 4,550 4,510 5,216 1,256 22,194

Non-Academic

Public 12,181 2,649 2,952 11,200 5,314 1,106 35,402

DayCare

2,849 425 6,780 8,495 1,787 150 20,486

Private 125 220 1,117 768 768 451 3,449

Total 32,649 14,772 32,641 35,773 46,094 5,932 167,861

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