Rationale: “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. ” – Benjamin Disraeli In the light of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo’s reform agenda that focused on service to the people, it is our turn to paid tribute to his legacy by protecting and demanding the good governance initiatives that he had started. According to Chiyo Kanda, World Bank Philippines acting country director, she said Robredo “advocated not only straight and open governance but smart governance as well. ”
This is the very reason why Robredo always fought for an engaged citizenry – because they would be the ones to sustain and demand for good governance. The real driving forces behind the reforms are the ordinary citizens who do not succumb to the status quo. Transparency, accountability and good governance are the hallmarks of Jesse Robredo’s so-called “tsinelas leadership”. Under the leadership of Robredo, Naga City achieved a remarkable record, being the “most awarded” local government unit in the country by Galing Pook, a non-government organization which recognizes the best practices in local governance.
To date, Naga City has received a total of 14 Galing Pook awards. On its website, Galing Pook distill 10 lessons and “guideposts” on the practice of good local governance as shown by the record of Robredo and Naga City. These are: 1. Improve productivity. Naga embarked on a program that aimed to bring out the full potential of various departments and offices of the entire city government. The program focused on four main thrusts of providing sufficient services; getting optimum outputs with minimum expenditure; producing quality results as desired and planned; and making services accessible and acceptable. 2.
Computerize. The city created an effective and efficient management system that streamlined business transaction processes, provided a dependable database for more effective decision-making, and made the city administration more responsive to its citizens’ needs. 3. Empower the people. The city government laid down a clear and comprehensive framework that allows its constituents to take active part in governance. Naguenos are able to voice their concerns and suggestions to City Hall and act on various issues—from procurement to budgeting, to scuttling an initial plan of the local government to set up a golf course.
As a result, 193 nongovernment and people’s organizations now work with the local government through the Naga City People’s Council. 4. i-Govern. The city tapped the “power of information” and its value as a truly empowering tool when made accessible to the people. Naguenos need only to go online for their business license, birth certificate, or even when they want to bid for government procurements. 5. Reinvent institutions. In the reinvented school board of Naga, the structure is able to ensure transparency, accountability, participation, and predictability.
The membership has been expanded and has made education officials accountable to the public. 6. Train the youth. The City Youth Month Program of Naga engaged the city’s top youth leaders to compete for any one of the 45 slots that would put them in executive and legislative positions, as well as in the nongovernment sector. The project enhanced greater involvement of the youth in government affairs. 7. Be prepared always. Started in May 1991, Emergency Rescue Naga addresses the urgent need for fast and reliable service in times of emergency.
ERN provides 24-hour quick response medical and protective services to all Naga residents in crisis situations. 8. Prioritize the marginalized. Naga faced the challenges posed by informal settlers by launching the Kaantabay sa Kauswagan or Partners in Development Program in 1989 guided by two key principles. First, the government will not help the urban poor unless they actively participate in solving their own problems. Second is the tripartite effort among the urban poor organizations, national and local government agencies, and landowners in which the interests and abilities of each party are taken into account. . Invest in children. The comprehensive and innovative pre-school program addresses the need for improved access and equity in quality education for the young. The program has also facilitated the integration of differently abled children in the mainstream of society. 10. Together, we can do better. The Metro Naga Development Council pools together the efforts and resources of 13 local government units, the private sector and the national government agencies in Camarines Sur focusing on projects addressing the immediate needs of the community and lay the groundwork for long-term growth in the area.
Meanwhile, some of his most notable reform initiatives in the DILG were the “Full Disclosure Policy” requiring LGUs to disclose in public places 12 key financial documents showing how their funds are spent, the streamlining of LGU’s “Business Process Licensing System” which enables businessmen to receive permits from LGUs within 3 days or less; and the “Local Governance Performance Management System” used as a tool for assessing an LGU’s performance (which increased from 913 LGUs with high overall performance ratings in ’09, to 1,261 LGUs in 2011).
But Robredo’s greatest legacy was his unwavering belief in the genuine participation of the people. He created the space and mechanisms for civil society to be meaningfully involved in local governments. In a speech delivered just two days before the tragic accident, Robredo said “good local governance can be the conclusion of our unfinished revolution. ” To fittingly end this paper, I would like to quote Dean Andy Bautista in his column “My Four Centavos” that was published in the Philippine Star last August 25, 2012: Thank you Sec.
Jesse for walking the talk of good governance. Unlike Shakespeare’s Caesar, the good that you did should live after you and not merely be interred with your bones. And just like your biblical namesake, the father of King David, may your memory and example shepherd and inspire a new generation of good governance warriors. In Hebrew, the meaning of Jesse is “the Lord exists. ” In the Philippines, Jesse should now mean “good government exists. ” We owe it to him that we, the citizenry, should demand for transparency, accountability and good governance to our leaders.
