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March 2010 FORUM INFORMATION

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ISA aims to be a leading public governance reform institute in East Asia by 2015. According to its website (isacenter.org), ISA has the following key purposes : work with sectoral leaders in raising the standards of professional and ethical practice as well as of social responsibility in their respective sectors; work with public officials in institutionalizing a public governance system, in partnership with multi-sectoral coalitions, for the long-term development of their communities and institutions; and work with institutions to develop centers for leadership dedicated to the continuing training of citizens in the exercise of their civic duties and in their participation to serve the common good of society. Mr. Francisco Eizmendi, former San Miguel Corporation president, is the current ISA president.

Among the key advocacies of ISA is the Public Governance System, which uses the famous Balanced Scorecard developed by Robert Kaplan, a Harvard Business School professor and David Norton, co-founder and president of the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative. Noting that more than 75% of an organization’s value comes from intangible assets that couldn’t be captured by traditional metrics, Kaplan and Norton conceptualized the Balanced Scorecard to enable organizations to quantify critical intangibles such as people, information and culture.

To Kaplan and Norton, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” In their subsequent work, “Strategy Maps,” they argued further that “you can’t measure what you can’t describe.” Both “The Balanced Scorecard” and “Strategy Maps” were published by the Harvard Business School Press.

ISA is convinced that the Balanced Scorecard model is not only applicable in the business sector but also in the public sector, as well as in the nonprofit sector. It must be pointed out that the Balanced Scorecard is not just a measurement system but also a strategic management system, which has enabled many organizations all over the world to execute their strategies effectively.

Among local government units in the country that have adopted the Public Governance System are San Fernando, Pampanga and Iloilo City. Both have already gotten citations for breakthrough accomplishments. San Fernando was given the Maharlika Award while Iloilo City became the biggest winner as it got inducted into the Palladium Hall of Fame for effective strategy execution within the PGS framework. The awards were given by David Norton himself.

National government agencies and public institutions such as the Philippine Military Academy, the Philippine Navy, the National Electrification Agency, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Department of Education have also used the PGS. So have professional organizations like the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants and an association of nurses.

It was moving to listen to Dr. Estanislao passionately talk about the personal, institutional and social values that must attend public governance. This piece is titled “Solidarity” not only as an allusion to ISA, but also because solidarity is a core value in the realm of public governance. Solidarity, Dr. Estanislao explained, is a profound sense of interdependence. He said it is a deep commitment of every member of an organization to work towards the common good. Solidarity fosters the spirit of generosity.

Solidarity, Dr. Estanislao stressed, is best understood by asking the question, “what can we do for others and for the community, instead of asking, what can others do for us or what can the community give us and do for us.”

Please log on to http://jslatoza.wordpress.com/ ffor the author’s blogsite from which this article was taken. Also published in the Daily Guardian in Iloilo City on Feb 17, 2010.

The four-day boot camp dubbed as “Governance ABC: The Fundamentals of Making Performance Governance System (PGS) Work,” aims to equip participants coming from the local government units of Iloilo, Calbayog and Naga, the National Electrification Administration, the Philippine Navy, Philippine Military Academy, and the private sector on strategic PGS implementation and formulation.

The boot camp includes organizational sessions and strategic PGS discussions with Zaens and ISA officials Nick Fontanilla, Jesus Estanislao and Marie Escueta.

“This is the first ever boot camp we are holding and we chose the city because it is already implementing and using the PGS. We did so because it has to be realistic and not theories alone. The city’s experience means a lot and will greatly help our associates in understanding strategies of PGS,” ISA Executive Director Christian Saens told Sun.Star Pampanga.

A tour to the slaughterhouse, sagip-Ilog project and the Nuestra Señora Integrated School where best practices will be observed first hand is also part of the itinerary.

City Administrator Ferdinand Caylao and City Planning Office Chief and Multi-Sectoral Governance Council Secretary Fernando Limbitco represented the City Government, which is a Hall of Famer of the PGS.

Councilor Jimmy Lazatin is also part of the city delegation.

For his part, Mayor Oscar Rodriguez thanked the ISA for choosing the city as its host.

“We have gone a long way in the PGS and we are very happy to share with you our experiences as well (as) pains and triumphs with the system,” he said.

The City Government will once again be enrolled in the hall of fame during the Asia Pacific Palladium Group (Washington) Summit in Manila on September 22 this year, Zaens noted.

Published in the Sun.Star Pampanga newspaper on February 10, 2010.

On February 9-12, members of Technical Working Groups and PGS Focal Persons undergo a rigorous 4-day Boot Camp where they are trained to be the effective third arm in governance in their own areas of influence.

Norton Speaks at ISA’s Public Governance Forum

Balanced Scorecard Hall Pioneer Dr. Norton Speaks at the Public Governance Forum…

The Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philippine National Police, Departments of Education, of Transportation and Communications, of Health, of Public Works and Highways have “chosen to initiate this process” after discovering “there’s unfortunately no national vision where we could align our respective vision statements.”

Cesar Bautista, former ambassador extraordinary plenipotentiary to London, said at the forum the six government units were tasked to each formulate a performance governance system (PGS).

Business Mirror, Sept. 25, 2009

DO our top government leaders have even a faint idea of where the Philippines should be about 20 years from now? If they have, they have managed all these years to keep it under their collective hats.

Noticing they are having a hard time with their own objectives with no guidance from a missing national vision of the Philippines, several government agencies banded together in an effort to have what they call a “common scorecard of public governance” and presented it in a forum in Makati on Thursday.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philippine National Police, Departments of Education, of Transportation and Communications, of Health, of Public Works and Highways have “chosen to initiate this process” after discovering “there’s unfortunately no national vision where we could align our respective vision statements.”

Cesar Bautista, former ambassador extraordinary plenipotentiary to London, said at the forum the six government units were tasked to each formulate a performance governance system (PGS).

Bautista, who is also National Competitiveness Council chairman, added the managers of these agencieswere also tasked to craft a common vision of what the Philippines would be 20 years from now.

These two actions, they hope, would help them translate their strategies into concrete steps on how this vision can be achieved, as well as establish the key indicators that the goals are being accomplished, according to Bautista.

“This is something unique,” said balanced public governance scorecard originator David Norton. “What I’ve seen happening here is an evolutionary approach.”

Norton, also director of balanced scorecard consultancy firm Palladium Group, said these government agencies “should go ahead and build strategy as much as they can at their own level. But they should take it to the higher level [the executive] so that they become a catalyst for [good]governance.”

Palladium’s Ivan Choi said the governance scorecard can be used by Filipino voters to monitor government performance. “They would now have a basis to ask why the scores are low in this area, like education, than promised or stated in the scorecard. They can check the promises of politicians or the claims of officials that this strategy is working well for the people.”

A given example of the scorecard is the local government of the City of San Fernando in Pampanga, which was certified by Palladium as having institutionalized a balanced scorecard system.

According to the city government’s document, it envisions having developed a sense of pride of place among San Fernandoans by 2015. But this can only be reached if the city government is able to improve the socioeconomic condition of its people and have generated employment opportunities.

The city is given a score for every objective and strategy, e.g., social services and security, business friendliness, greenness and cleanliness, etc.

Norton said his rule of thumb is for an agency to allot 5 percent of its revenue to fund such initiative. It is also ideal to appoint three people to form a team that will go into monitoring scorecard performance full time.

The return or benefits of PGS, he said, could be expected after two to three years. One of the benefits is generating local income. For example, the City of San Fernando has decreased its dependency on its internal-revenue allotment to 49 percent last year from nearly 53 percent in 2007.

It took the City of San Fernando almost five years to reach higher scores and gain certification.

An official said during the forum one of the challenges in doing the PGS is the culture of patronage politics that permeates Philippine society.

But Norton urged them, “never give up the fight.”  D. Estopace

Original Article in Business Mirror, Sept.25, 2009

Bani is noted for producing the sweetest, reddest and juiciest watermelon in the country. When Anna Levy of Washington D.C., Ashley Acedillo of Institute for Solidarity and Asia and I visited Bani, Dr. Beth Navarro, Mayor Marcelo Navarro’s wife, served us the reddest, juiciest watermelon I have ever tasted. It was colorfully delicious, a delightful combination of color and sweet taste..”

Scientists are just discovering the wonderful health benefits of watermelon, writes Dr. Willie T. Ong. In his Starweek article, Dr. Ong cites findings of an ongoing study conducted by Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center.

The deep-red watermelon variety contains the pigment lycopene which helps slow down aging and prevents prostate cancer. Watermelon has vitamins A and C which are beneficial for our eyes. Watermelon increases the body’s arginine, an important amino acid that relaxes the blood vessels making it good for the heart and for men suffering from erectile dysfunction.

Watermelon is made up of 92% pure alkaline water which makes it safe for the stomach and a good alternative drink. It has health benefits for the whole digestive tract, starting from the mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines. For example, it can relieve people with mouth sores. It can treat constipation and normalize bowel movement. Like coconut water, it cleanses the kidneys and bladder.

It is a rich source of B vitamins, electrolytes and potassium. Compared to an apple, it only has half as much sugar, and yet it tastes sweeter because of its high water content. It is effective for preventing heat stroke and heat exhaustion. The pulp can be used to treat heat rash and burns. Finally, which makes Dr. Ong’s article even more interesting, watermelon contains more glutathione per bite than 95 other fruits and vegetables making it an alternative solution for whitening and antioxidants.

Do you know that the best watermelon in the country is produced in Bani, Pangasinan?

Bani is noted for producing the sweetest, reddest and juiciest watermelon in the country. When Anna Levy of Washington D.C., Ashley Acedillo of Institute for Solidarity and Asia and I visited Bani, Dr. Beth Navarro, Mayor Marcelo Navarro’s wife, served us the reddest, juiciest watermelon I have ever tasted. It was colorfully delicious, a delightful combination of color and sweet taste.

Bani farmers started planting watermelon in commercial quantities only in 1989, three years after the Bureau of Soil introduced the product to them. With a combination of talent, hardwork, government support and the Bani community spirit, Bani farmers have mastered the art and science of producing the sweetest, juiciest and reddest watermelon in the country.

Bani is quite an interesting town. Dubbed as the “Golden West”, it is located in the westernmost part of Luzon and lies between Tampac Bay on the northeast and South China Sea on the west where its coast is punctuated by a handsome cove . It is surrounded by four more popular towns — Bolinao on the north, Anda on the northeast, Alaminos on the east, and Mabini on the southeast and Agno on the south. Honestly, I never heard of Bani until I visited the town in February 2009. Bani is a third class municipality with a population of only close to 46,000 people.

As unremarkable as it may seem as compared to other more popular towns in Pangasinan and other provinces, I see the municipality of Bani as one of the brightest stars in local governance in the country. The successful venture in watermelon production is not an isolated episode that demonstrates successful partnership between government and community. There are many other excellent programs. Let me cite two.

First, Bani has received many awards one of which is the Presidential Award for Child Friendly Municipality. Bani won the award for its innovative programs and interventions in the promotion of the rights of children including the Community-Based Child Protection Unit (CPU), establishment of Barangay Civil Registration System, Supervised Neighborhood Play, active participation of children in planning activities, and a functional Municipal Council for the Welfare of Children. Other Bani awards are Cleanest Coastal Municipality, Jueteng Free, Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran and Linis Dayat.

Second, the city hall and a multi-sector coalition have committed to a long-term vision that will make Bani into a city by 2020. Not just a city that qualifies because of population and income but a model green city in Southeast Asia. To prepare itself, Bani has enrolled in the Institute for Solidarity in Asia’s (ISA) Public Governance System (PGS). PGS is a management framework that prepares local governments for governance. Bani’s roadmap defines in quantifiable terms how it intends to become a model green city by 2020.

Bani has institutionalized many initiatives that can help it realize what it envisions to become by 2020 including becoming an educational hub for green technology in Pangasinan, implementing all critical greening technology, and encouraging farmers to exclusively use green farming technology. What gives me the confidence that Bani can successfully journey to its desired future is Bani’s greatest asset – a strong, working partnership between government and the community.

(This article was publised in Business World on April 30, 2009. for comments, write to abfontanilla@yahoo.com or nick.fontanilla@gmail.com)