Every month of August, the country observes national events sparking patriotism and solidarity among its people. Last month, we celebrated National Heroes’ Day to honor all the heroes of the revolution and promoted the propagation and preservation of the Filipino language through the annual observance of Buwan ng Wika. But for the Institute of Solidarity in Asia (ISA) and our partners, every day is a renewed opportunity to build a national legacy towards making a united and progressive nation.
Hence, ISA delivered three insightful events to our partners last August. Kindle the spirit of patriotism with our August Governance Review!
26th Governance Boot Camp – Basic Class
ISA held the 26th run of the partner- favorite, Governance Boot Camp Online – Basic Class, from August 15 to 19. This five-day training program hosted 70 delegates from fifteen organizations from various sectors, including public health, local government units, and national government agencies. The Boot Camp consisted of modules that enriched their knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts of the Performance Governance System (PGS).
The program started with a lecture from ISA Trustee Atty. Alex Lacson. His lecture tackled topics such as the country’s current situation, the major causes of poverty, and ways to build a better Philippines. Atty. Alex also reminded the delegates that even ordinary citizens can also make a difference: “Saan ka man sa ating bansa, bata ka man o matanda, every Filipino is part of the answer.”
On the second day of the program, ISA Executive Director and PGS Practice Leader Mr. Chris Zaens discussed the module on Strategy Fundamentals. Mr. Zaens emphasized the importance of the evolution of strategies, where one must create a difference for the future and do beyond better to have a systemic change that will enable public entities to make an impact demonstrably higher than what one is currently delivering. The value of adjusting and customizing the system according to what the organization needs was also highlighted.
“‘Yung PGS, hindi siya straight jacket na i-kinakahon tayo. In the past 13 years, nakita namin na for the PGS to work, there has to be customization of the system dahil iba iba ang realidad ng bawat organization,” he said.
The third session underscored the Disciplined Execution module, where the delegates learned how to translate the good intentions embedded in their plans into tangible and substantial results that would benefit the organization and its constituents. To assess the strategic quality of an organization, Mr. Zaens said that one must conduct a sniff test, which includes looking at your strategic choices and checking if it is merely a “non-stupid” choice or an actual strategy.
“The choices are embodied in the core and support objectives. Once you have the position, if it’s a genuine position, it will impact your core process,” the PGS Practice Leader said.
This was then followed by a lecture about the processes enabling small successes, which are the bellwethers or gateways to breakthrough results. According to Mr. Zaens, “When we embark on a PGS journey, the expectation is to see results early, as soon as you are able to cascade. Early wins are important.” Mr. Zaens capped off the session with a workshop on conundrum case studies, where the delegates were tasked to explain how specific problems can occur during implementation.
The last day of the Boot Camp concluded with a series of presentations by notable PGS Movers, namely Dr. Kenneth Ronquillo, Assistant Secretary of Health Policy and Infrastructure Development Team of the Department of Health (DOH), Mr. Lindsley Jeremiah Villarante, the Chief Health Program Officer of the Performance Monitoring and Strategy Management Division of DOH, Dr. Maria Lourdes Evangelista of Mariveles Mental Wellness and General Hospital, and VAdm. Rommel Reyes of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who shared their experiences and breakthroughs in the PGS pathway.
Hailed as the 26th Ultimate Governance Warrior, Ms. Jocelyn Tendenilla of the Department of Information and Communications Technology thanked ISA and her group, Team Narra Arangkada, for the recognition and hoped to put her learnings from the Boot Camp into practice.
“Thank you again to everyone. Salamat po especially to the DICT team. We have a lot of work to do in our department. I have learned a lot, but I hope that these learnings do not go to waste.”
