The i-Governance Program

of Naga City, Philippinesof Naga City, Philippines

WILFREDO B. PRILLES, JR. City Planning and Development Coordinator

Outline

• The i-Governance Program

– Conceptual framework

– Operating principles

– Delivery mechanisms– Delivery mechanisms

– Outcomes

• Sustaining i-Governance

• Lessons learned

Limitations

□ Not centrally located□ 377 kms south of Manila

(national capital), 380 kms north of Cebu (2nd biggest urban center)

□ The core of Metro Naga□ The core of Metro Naga□ A fast-growing area comprised

of 14 municipalities and Naga City belonging to Metro Naga Development Council (MNDC)

□ A medium-sized city□ 161,000 population (2007

census)

□ Daytime population of around 300-400,000

• Progressive development perspective. Seeks prosperity-building tempered by

THE NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL

A local guiding frameworkGuided by experience, Naga City evolved its own model anchored on strong institutions

BureaucracyBureaucracy Civil

Society

Civil

SocietyProgressive Progressive

perspectiveperspectiveprosperity-building tempered by an enlightened perception of the poor

• Functional partnerships. Vehicles that enable the city to tap community resources for priority undertakings

• Participation.Mechanisms that ensure long-term sustainability of local undertakings The Naga Governance Model

CitizenryCitizenry

perspectiveperspective

ParticipationParticipationPartnershipsPartnerships

Good Good

governancegovernance

STRON

G

INSTITUTI

ONS

Applying the framework

The i-Governance Program

• Seeks to bring the partnerships-driven model of governing in the city into the next stage – anchored on stronger participation by individual participation by individual citizens

Partnerships are biased towards organized groups for practical and operational reasons

i-Governance seeks to overcome this inherent limitation by opening wider avenues for participation of individuals in

governing the city

Operating Principles

• inclusive governance, which seeks to embrace, rather than exclude, individuals, peoples and sectors in running government

• information openness, which demonstrates that information is power, and truly empowering

• information openness, which demonstrates that information is power, and truly empowering when placed at the hand of the citizens

• interactive engagement, which puts premium on information exchange through continuing dialog between authority and constituency, and

• innovative management, which is committed to a culture of excellence sustained by creativity and innovations

Delivery Mechanisms• Analog or paper-based tools. Addresses need of around 50% of population without ICT access– Performance Pledges

– Citizens Board

– Naga City Citizens Charter

• Digital or ICT media (eGovernance)– naga.gov initiative, through the city’s website www.naga.gov.ph– naga.gov initiative, through the city’s website www.naga.gov.ph

• Mobile Governance. Uses cellphones which have higher penetration rate than dial-up internet. On the average, every household has 2 cellphone units (2007 Ateneo de Naga survey)– TxtNaga

• Network access improvement. Addresses digital divide through strategic IT investments– Cyberschools (Click Project)

– Cyberbarangays

• PUBLIC SERVICE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM (PSEP)

• Linked service values and orientation with existing

TRANSPARENCY IN PUBLIC SERVICE

Service quality improvement

orientation with existing procedures. Continually proposed improvementswhenever possible– Documentation of City Government’s frontline services

– Expanded service listings in Performance Pledges

The Citizens CharterACCOUNTABILITY IN SERVICE DELIVERY

• A guidebook on 140 key services being delivered by City Hall to customers–Procedure. Response time. Personnel responsible for each service

–Requirements checklist to –Requirements checklist to facilitate service delivery

–Schedule of fees (if applicable)

–Location maps sketching office/s handling the service

• A “contract” that can be enforced through feedback–Provides for customer feedback form, directory of city hall agencies

� 3rd edition came out in June 2009. Online version already available at city website by 1Q ‘09

How the Guidebook works• Maps: Full-page and mini-maps are provided for

– Provides geographical directions to customers, particularly in locating office of city hall agencies

MAIN CITY HALL BUILDING

MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING

SENIOR CITIZENS BUILDING

CIVIL REGISTRY BUILDING

CITY HALL ANNEX (OLD MTC BUILDING)

NAGA CITY

FIRE

STATION

HALL OF

JUSTICE

PLANNING

D

DOJ

EXECUTIVE

OFFICES

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION BUILDINGS &

OFFICES

JUAN MIRANDA (CITY HALL) AVENUE

BICOL SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY CENTRUM

NAGA CITY HALL COMPLEX

• User-friendly service entry:Facilitates availment of service– Service and sub-service

level– Service name– Mini-map– Contact person and

numbers– Service matrix

Performance Pledge• A more detailed presentation ofservice commitments per agency– Can be cross-referenced with service matrix

The naga.gov

initiative• www.naga.gov.ph - The

revitalized, reengineered

website of the city

• Provides information about

Naga to global Internet Naga to global Internet

community

– particularly web-enabled Naga

residents

• Maximizes use of Web

technology

– that is within reach of local

governments in a developing

country

Ongoing redesign

• Impelled by having a

new mayor in July 2010

• Reflects Naga SMILES.

new branding strategy:

– See Naga– See Naga

– Meet in Naga

– Invest in Naga

– Live in Naga

– Experience Naga (e-government in Naga)

– Study in Naga

• Allows citizens to send

complaints, other

concerns to City Hall

through SMS or text

messaging

TxtNagaA MOBILE GOVERNANCE TOOL

– Previously uses Smart

Telecommunication’s 2960

facility

• Reconfigured to meet

local needs more fully– TXTNAGA hotline with Globe

Telecoms (0917-TXTNAGA

or 0917-8986242)

WHY IS D YOUTH CNTER\'S POOL

W/C S SUPPOSD 2 B PUBLC POOL

BEING CLOSED COZ PRIVATE

SKOLS\' P.E. STUDENTS R USING D

WHOLE POOL EXCLUSIVELY? why?

Network Access Improvement

Provides access to the less privileged

• Cyberschools. Through CLICK project in partnership with Naga City School Board. Covers – internet connection for all public elementary and high schools, including wireless internet access in 4 upland barangays, andbarangays, and

– computer equipment and training for all public elementary schools and out-of-school youth

• Cyberbarangays. Internet stations at village halls – provide access to 50% of residents who do not have their own computer connections or do not have easy access to cybercafes

Outcomes

• Deeper, more meaningful participation

and engagement between the

governors and the governed

– By putting up the numbers for every one to – By putting up the numbers for every one to

see, the city is “requiring from us more than

greetings. They are asking us, for the sake of

the city, to look at the numbers, study

them, question them.”

–A visitor to the Naga website

Efficiency

• Generates more savings, especially in

regard to procurement of supplies and

materials

– A 15% average in estimated savings arise – A 15% average in estimated savings arise

from a more competitive and transparent

process

– Enables the city to “do more with less”

Transparency

• More empowered customers and

clients who can exact accountability in

the delivery of key government

servicesservices

– This is being made possible by the Citizens

Charter and its digital counterpart, Netserve

Policy Base

• i-Governance

Ordinance

institutionalizes

program

– Mandates – Mandates

• updating of

website regularly

• updating of

Citizens Charter

every 3 years

– Provides for

citizens redress

Support BaseKey Actors Role Why interested? Why

supportive?

Level of Involvement

Mayor John G. Bongat Local chief

executive

An advocate of good

urban governance in the

Philippines

Strong involvement.

Provides direction,

executive mandate and

resources for the program

Vice Mayor Gabriel

Bordado, Jr.

City Vice Mayor One of the more

progressive members of

the city council

Cemented policy support

for program through

legislationthe city council legislation

Naga City i-Governance

Project Team (Oliver,

Prilles, Perez & Maño)

In-charge of

pushing and

implementing the i-

Governance

program within City

Hall

Ownership and direct

responsibility over

project implementation

Strong involvement. Taps

resources inside and

outside of city hall to push

program implementation

Other City Government

Departments and Offices

Updates content of

relevant website

sections

These sections are

directly related to their

areas of concern

Commits time and other

resources to update their

respective sections of the

website

Ateneo de Naga, UNC

and other local IT schools

Provides a local

pool of trained and

trainable IT staff

Part of their education

mandate/reason for

being

Commits time, funds and

other resources for local IT

education

Resource Base

• Since late ‘80s, city government has invested on hardware and software required to support the program and other related initiatives– Allows multiple use and benefits

– Demand driven. Based on level of resources availableavailable

– Aggressive mobilization of external and internal funding to support upgrading, • USAID, UNDP-TUGI, World Bank, AusAID

• Special Education Fund

• Ayala Foundation. National government programs (eg DTI)

– Mobilization of community-based resources in maintenance, e.g. partnership with local university in maintaining CLICK centers

Knowledge Base

• Program taps into unique strengths, specialization of local staff– i-Gov team: multidisciplinary, multi-tasking. Did not require a new department but builds on existing ones• Team leader: systems development, investment promotion• Team leader: systems development, investment promotion

• Asst team leader: governance, education, development communication, program/project development

• Content specialist: networking, tourism promotion, development communication

• Graphics design specialist

• EDP head: IT component and support

– Participative approach: involvement of city government departments and offices

Knowledge Base

DEPARTMENT/OFFICE AREA OF CONCERN

Productivity Improvement Committee NetServe/Services

City Mayor’s Office Executive Orders, Governance Fora,

Reports and Innovations

City Council/Sangguniang Panlungsod Ordinances

City Budget Office City Government BudgetCity Budget Office City Government Budget

City Accountant’s Office City Financial Status

City Engineer’s Office Bids and Awards (Infrastructure Projects)

General Services Department Bids and Awards (Equipment and Supplies)

Public Employment Service Office Jobs

City Planning and Development Office Statistics and Special Projects

Naga City Investment Board Investment Guide

Naga City Visitors’ Center Tourism and Travel Guide

City Development Information Office City Journal

Summing Up

• Why pursue i-Governance?

– For Individual Households• Empowerment (“voice”), notwithstanding digital divide

– For Society– For Society• Benefits of “good governance”

• Improved access to government services

• Poverty reduction (making services work for the poor)

– For Local Chief Executives• Current buzzword. eGov an“in-thing”

• Improves image: forward-looking, development-oriented, modern