Manila, Philippines — Public institutions from vital sectors in the country presented transformative advancements in health, education, and local governance at the Public Governance Forum (PGF) on November 28 at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.
Organized by non-profit governance reform organization Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), the PGF is a recognition program where public institutions showcase their progress and milestones along the Performance Governance System (PGS), ISA’s good governance framework aiding public institutions in achieving its goals despite disruptions through long-term governance reforms.
Eleven public institutions highlighted their strategic reforms to nearly 400 leaders, experts, and stakeholders during the Public Revalida, a democratic exercise involving carefully selected multi-sector panels validating the progress and completion of organizations along the four-stage PGS pathway: Initiation (strategy creation), Compliance (strategy execution), Proficiency (strategy monitoring), and Institutionalization (strategy sustainability).
Among the organizations that presented, received awards, and advanced in their respective stages were:
PGS Initiated
- Biliran Province State University | Silver Trailblazer Awardee
- DOH Treatment and Rehabilitation Center – La Union | Silver Trailblazer Awardee
- Far North Luzon General Hospital and Training Center | Gold Trailblazer Awardee
- Makati Social Welfare Department (MSWD) | Gold Trailblazer Awardee
- Philippine Orthopedic Center | Silver Trailblazer Awardee
- Schools Division Office of Tarlac Province (SDO Tarlac) | Gold Trailblazer Awardee
PGS Compliant
- Bicol Region General Hospital and Geriatric Medical Center | Gold Trailblazer Awardee
- Region 2 Trauma and Medical Center | Gold Trailblazer Awardee
PGS Proficient
- Ilocos Training Regional and Medical Center (ITRMC) | Gold Trailblazer Awardee
- National Children’s Hospital
PGS Institutionalized
- Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMHMC) | Gold Trailblazer Awardee
MMMHMC in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, the sole institution set to achieve PGS Institutionalized Status, began as a 25-bed emergency hospital in 1968 and has become the province’s largest and most advanced medical facility. MMMHMC began its governance journey in 2017, earning a Silver Trailblazer Award at the Initiation Stage, followed by Gold Trailblazer Award at the Compliance Stage in 2018 and the Proficiency Stage in 2022.
In his presentation, MMMHMC Chief of Medical Professional Staff II and Office for Strategy Management Chairman Dr. Jose B. Orosa, III, highlighted the hospital’s remarkable breakthroughs across its 12 specialty centers, emphasizing the Neonatal Center’s expertise and commitment to saving newborn lives in Region I.
“Through NETS (Newborn Emergency Transport Service), we have touched as low as 0 to currently 1.8 % for Neonatal Mortality Rate,” MMMHMC Neonatal Center Project Manager Dr. Ma. Paz Otayza said in Dr. Orosa’s video presentation. “Our preterm survival rates have exceeded 90% and at one point [have] been a 100%.”
The hospital has also established strong partnerships with external stakeholders, including the local government of Ilocos Norte, to enhance its Bagong Urgency Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) initiative, providing crucial support to the community.
“Together, we are creating a future where healthcare is limitless, and every life is touched by possibility. This is something we promised to deliver: a healthcare paradigm worthy to serve our families, our communities, our Dream Philippines,” Dr. Orosa said.
Meanwhile, as a key player in Makati LGU, MSWD has taken the lead on the governance journey to become a national benchmark for citizen empowerment that goes well beyond compassionate support by 2028. While already providing inclusive social welfare programs, including free, quality healthcare and guaranteed access to education for all children in the city, MSWD has identified three core processes to ensure long-term, sustainable impact: Social Technology Development, Sectoral Case Management, and Community Mobilization.
“Under the social technology process is the establishment of the Maka-Teen Center located at Makati High School, [which] provides a safe and supportive environment for adolescents and students,” MSWD Department Head Ms. Joseline Niwane said in her presentation. “MSWD [has also established] a dedicated division and units for social technology research and development [that] streamlines processes, increases accessibility, and fosters creativity to improve program effectiveness, efficiency, and impactful services to meet the evolving needs of Makatizens.”
Meanwhile, with the 2023 National Achievement Test Grade 12 results revealing that Tarlac Province learners recorded the lowest performance in Philosophy among all senior high school subjects and trailed the national average by approximately six percentage points (35.3% in Tarlac compared to 41% nationally), the SDO Tarlac is now committed more than ever to becoming a leader in educational innovation improving learning outcomes that exceed the national average by 2028.
Through its four key processes—Educational Assessment & Research, Curriculum Management, Learning Resource Management, and Human Resource Development—SDO Tarlac has made significant strides in its PGS journey including the development of its “Project Habi”, an initiative that integrates subject areas and embeds real-world themes alongside 21st-century skills for learners and the establishment of Tarlac’s first ICT High School.
“This school represents a bold move toward equipping students with essential digital competencies, ensuring learners’ readiness for the demands of the modern world,” SDO Tarlac School Divison Superintendent Mr. Jessie Ferrer said in his presentation. “Both initiatives stand as testaments to our strategic focus on transforming education through innovative curriculum management.”
After the presentations, several new governance advocates were welcomed as ISA Associates and Fellows. The new Associates included PBGEN VICTOR V AREVALO of the Philippine National Police Training Service, Dr. Orosa III of the MMMHMC, Dr. Cherrie Laroco from ITRMC, and Dr. Jeffrey Castillo from Tondo Medical Center (TMC). Additionally, the newly conferred Fellows included Dr. Eduardo Badua III of ITRMC, Dr. Maria Isabelita Estrella of TMC, BGEN JOEL M PALOMA PA of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Usec. Mary Jean Pacheco of the Department of Trade and Industry.
Concluding the Forum, Former Secretary of Finance and ISA Founder and Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jesus Estanislao launched his final book, The Philippines: A Story of a Nation in Progress. In his speech, he said that while the book reflects on the past to build a foundation for the future, it also serves as a challenge to remain united in pursuit of a dream for the nation.
“This book is not only about the past; it is also a challenge for all Filipinos to … build this country so that by 2046 when we celebrate the first centenary of our independence as a republic, we Filipinos will be able to stand tall and say to the rest of the world we have built a country very much in line with the dreams and aspirations of our forefathers,” the economist said. “And I think our challenge is to pull together in solidarity, aim at higher goals and objectives, and then begin transforming our institutions so that they become the big, solid, rock-solid foundations of a great nation.”