2017 was like no other and calling it our banner year is an understatement. ISA encountered truly unique challenges, challenges that we faced head on. And, without a doubt, all our efforts paid off.
We witnessed a ripple effect as our partner institutions flourished under the Performance Governance System (PGS), their stories and accomplishments inspiring others to start their own journeys. It was indeed a year of realized breakthroughs and evident impact in the Filipino community, even some reaching the international stage for their accomplishments.
We are proud of the Philippine Navy and the City Government of Balanga for their induction into the Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy. The global award from the Harvard-based group is a true testament to their dedication in transforming themselves for better governance and, ultimately, better service.
Aside from our partners’ accomplishments, we are happy to have welcomed twelve (12) new partners—such as the National Center for Mental Health, the Office of the Vice President, and the City of Sorsogon, Sorsogon—and steadily worked with a total of fifty (50) partners throughout the year.
Simultaneously, we organized our main events. Our two Governance Boot Camps could not have been possible without the help of our partners: The Municipality of Mariveles, Bataan for #BOOTCAMP15, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for #BOOTCAMP16. At our two Public Governance Forums, the second also serving as the Dream Philippines Fair, twelve (12) of our partners advanced in the PGS pathway, which included the Mariano Marcos Hospital & Medical Center (Initiated), Province of La Union (Compliant), and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (Proficient). The City of Legazpi became the 15th Island of Good Governance (IGG) for reaching the Institutionalization stage with flying colors.
We also met with various local chief executives at our Governance that Delivers luncheon to talk about how local governments can push for change through good governance, and to listen to our LGU partners’ inspiring PGS stories. In 2017, we also had the second run of our Skills Lab, where risk management expert Michael Gallego tackled the Enterprise Risk Management framework in the context of the PGS.
It is humbling to realize we achieved all these in a year. To everyone who made it happen, to our partners and to our team, thank you. I look forward to another year of challenges and triumphs for the good governance advocacy, and to another year of empowering public institutions for a better Philippines.