http://www.areu.org.

af/Uploads/EditionPdfs/1114E%20Local%20Governance
%20in%20Afghanistan%20SP%202011.pdf
Key Research Findings: Local Government Administration
Provincial governors have an important coordinating role across the
functions of administration, planning and security. However, the position is
essentially political in nature. Governors operate through a network of
informal actors that are often just as significant as formal office-holders.
District governors have a similar coordinating role, but have seen their
formal powers reduced in recent years, especially in the field of justice
delivery.
Development planning and budgeting at the provincial level is
dysfunctional largely as a result of the highly centralised nature of these
processes, which leaves provincial administrations unable to make
development decisions in line with local needs.
Civil Service Commission policies provide a realistic framework for
improving public administration through programmes that include
recruitment, performance appraisal and supervision of training. However, its
initiatives are under-resourced. Training of officials tends to be sporadic and
lacks continuity of focus. High levels of malpractice related to the
recruitment of civil servants remains the norm rather than the exception.
The shift of responsibility for local government to IDLG in 2007 has
improved communication between the province and the centre and the
speed of decision-making. IDLG has fulfilled a valuable role in developing
policy, coordinating ministries and providing training. However, its reporting
line directly to the presidents office has rendered it a highly politicised
institution, and its methods tend to reinforce rather than reduce central
control.
Corruption is an ever-present issue that extends throughout local
government structures, often to the very highest positions. Rent-taking
occurs at every available opportunity, and the influence of powerholders and
patronage networks remains pervasive.
. The Research Project 2.1 Research objectives and methodology Research
objectives: The research has been designed, as the title indicates, to
examine what is happening on the ground in Afghanistan. Its primary
objective is to better understand the progression of local government. In
doing so, it examines the nature of formal administrative structures, along

with their interactions with informal governance mechanisms at the local

level. This analysis then provides the basis for a discussion of policy. At a
time when unprecedented levels of resources have been flowing into
Afghanistan, the ultimate aim is to contribute information that will help
improve the structure and performance of local governance. Conceptual
framework: The IDLG Subnational Governance Policy11 can be interpreted as
describing two distinct systems of governance. The first is one of state
organisation and administration structured around local government officials
and line departments. The second relates to elected bodies at the provincial,
district and village levels, the powers and roles of which are yet to be
formalised in law. At present these features vary significantly across different
provinces and are supplemented by the influence of informal powerholders
and local elites. The Policy also demonstrates the governments desire to
maintain a strong measure of central influencefirstly, by monopolising
control over appointments and, secondly, by ensuring that officials report
directly to the central government in the form of line ministries or the
presidents office. This complex and sometimes inconsistent document is
thus caught between a pressure to improve efficiency by decentralising
responsibilities on the one hand and fear of the loss of control this might
bring on the other. To investigate the institutional framework of local
governance in Afghanistan, the research splits provincial and district
institutions into four major vertical lines of control (see Figure I). Vertical I
consists of the offices of the provincial governor and the district governor,
both of which draw their authority from the office of the president. As heads
of the provincial and district administrations, all administrative decisions
taken at the provincial and district levels respectively should ideally have the
sanction of the provincial and district governors. Vertical II consists of the
provincial and district line departments or representatives of central
ministries. Line departments have important service and justice delivery
functions and, as shall be seen, tend to function as self-contained units with
little collaboration between them. It is also worth noting that not all central
ministries maintain offices or personnel at the district level.12 Vertical III is
composed of representative institutions including provincial councils, District
Development Assemblies under the National Area-Based Development
Programme, District Community Councils under the Afghanistan Social
Outreach Program (ASOP) and other district shuras, Clusters and Community
Development Councils (CDCs) formed under the National Solidarity
Programme (NSP). The final vertical consists of non-state actors, informal
powerholders and others key actors in political and social mobilisation. These
include Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), nongovernmental

organisations, political parties, local commanders, members of ulema shuras

(councils of clerics), maliks (community representatives) and arbabs
(leaders/landlords). This vertical also includes newly emerging civil society
organisations and broadcasting institutions that exist mainly in provincial
capitals. The aim of this institutional map is to present a generalised picture
of local government at the provincial, district and village levels. The four
verticals are not necessarily mutually exclusive and stakeholders may
overlap across two or more of them. In each province, responsibilities for
planning, budgeting and service and justice delivery may lie with one or
more stakeholders represented along each row. The division of responsibility
and flow of accountability between the institutions along each vertical are
similarly variable, especially among formal government structures.
Understanding how these different stakeholders interact therefore forms a
central feature of the study
Research methodology: The research was designed to gain a qualitative
understanding of the various actors and institutions depicted in Figure 1. This
determined how respondents were selected at provincial and district levels.
In each province, interviews focused on members of provincial
administrations, line departments and the provincial council, as well as other
key actors such as representatives of civil society, NGOs, political parties and
the media. At the district level, key informants included (but were not limited
to) the district administration, line departments, members of the DDA and
other district shuras (where present), local commanders, ulema, heads of
CDCs and local elites like maliks, arbabs and qaryadars. The primary method
used for data collection was semi-structured interviews. These covered a
series of designated topics for each category of respondent, but were
conducted in a flexible manner to allow respondents space to discuss what
they deemed important. Researchers eventually contacted almost 800
respondents, only one of which refused to take part in the study. Wherever
possible, information from interviews was rigorously triangulated, in some
cases involving the limited collection and use of statistical data on health
and education. A three-month scoping exercise was conducted in Samangan
and completed in January 2010. This exercise helped refine the research
methodology, better define research objectives and undertake researcher
training. Research also involved visits to the PRTs operating in the main
research provinces as well as in Faryab and Helmand. In most cases these
were embedded stays to observe operational activity and conduct formal
interviews. Finally, a series of interviews were conducted with relevant Kabulbased actors. Site selection: As with AREUs previous study on local

governance,13 provinces were selected to maximise variation, although the

need to ensure relatively safe access for the researcher teams was also an
important consideration. The research focused on the six provinces of
Samangan, Jawzjan, Sar-i-Pul, Day Kundi, Laghman and Wardak. The above
provinces were selected for their different ethnic compositions, economic
situations and levels of development resource flows and the fact that all
provided relatively safe access for researchers. The study covered every
district in each province to allow for a better understanding of the dynamics
between them. Data from a previous study in 2009 undertaken in northern
Faryab informed the research, as did research undertaken in two districts of
Helmand to better understand the operation of the District Delivery
Programme and the approach used to form district councils. Limitations:
There are problems with this type of research when set within the highly
charged environment currently prevailing in Afghanistan. They are
symbolised by a tale that has its origins in the Sufi classic The Walled
Garden of Truth by Hakim Sanai (d. 1150). It was later adapted by his
student Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi (also known as Rumi) in his parable of
The Blind Ones and the Matter of the Elephant, which is set in the Afghan
region of Ghor.
The Philippines is an independent island nation and one of the largest archipelagos in
the world. It is ideally located lying off the southeastern coast of the Asian mainland at
the western rim of the Pacific Ocean. It is composed of 7,107 islands and islets, of
which only about 3,144 are named. With a total land area of over 300,000 square
kilometers, the country is divided into three main island groups - Luzon, in the north,
with an are of 141,395 square kilometers; Visiayas, in the middle, with an area of
56,606 square kilometers; and Mindanao, in the south, with an area of 101,999 square
kilometers.
http://www.ph.net/htdocs/government/phil//index.html
The Philippines is a republican state, with a unitary type of government, founded on
democratic principles. Its government has three equal branches - the executive,
legislative and judiciary. These branches are separate and independent from each
other. Each is supreme within its own sphere; but each of these branches can exercise
only the powers assigned to it by the Philippine Constitution, based on the principle of
separation of powers.
The Executive Branch, which administers the functions of the governmnet, consists of

the President, the Vice President, and the members of the Cabinet. It Legislative
Branch, which has the primary responsibility for enacting laws, consists of the Senate
and the House of Representatives. The Judiciary Branch, which ensures the
administration of justice, consists of a system of courts, headed by the Supreme
Court.
http://www.ph.net/htdocs/government/phil/loc-gov/
LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The Constitution of the Philippines recognizes the importance of local governments. It

provides as a policy that "the State shall guarantee and promote the autonomy of the
local government units -- especially the barangays -- to ensure their fullest development
as self-reliant communities."
Local governments constitute the foundation of the entire structure of the government.
The acts of the local government units affect the ordinary citizen more directly than
those of the national government. The average citizen has more and closer contacts
with the local governments and their agencies than with the national or provincial
government, and is more concerned with the local affairs than with those of the national
or provincial in scope.
The President of the Philippines exercises supervision over the whole country. But for
purposes of administrative control, the Philippines is divided into units of different sizes
-- known as political subdivisions. These are provinces, municipalities, cities, and
barangays. These political subdivisions enjoy autonomy, especially in local affairs. But,
they are also under the general supervision of the Chief Executive, through the
Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). These local
governments are agencies of the national government in the matter of collection of
taxes, law enforcement, and other governmental functions, which may be delegated by
the national government to these local governments.
PROVINCES
The provincial government takes care of the functionso which affect the people of a
certain province. The province is the largest political unit in the Philippines. It possess
the following powers --- 1) to acquire and transfer real and personal properties, 2) to
enter into contracts, including those incurring obligations, which are expressly provided
by law; and 3) to exercise such other rights and incur such other obligations as are
expressly auhtorized by law.

There are 77 provinces in the Philippines. They are classified according to their average
income for five consecutive years. The hiigher the income of the provice, the higher is
its classification. The salaries that can be paid to the provincial officials depend upon the
class to which it belongs. Higher salaries are paid to the officials of the higher-class
provinces. A province elects its executives -- the governor, vice governor, and the
members of the provinciial board (vocales). There are three vocales in the first, second,
and third class provinces, and two in the other classes of provinces. The rest of the
provincial officials -- like the provincial treasurer, provincial assessor, district auditor,
judges of the Regional Trial courts, provincial fiscal, division superintendent of schools,
district health officer, district engineer, and register of deeds -- are all appointed by the
corresponding deparments of the national government. However, under the New Local
Government Code, they are the administrative control of the provincial governor. The
election of the governor, vice governor, and members of the provincial board takes
place on the Second Tuesday of November of the election year. They hold office for
three years. They cannot serve for more than three consecutive terms. The provincial
governor exercises general supervisory powers over the entire province. He also makes
known to the people of his province all laws and orders of the government, especially
those which directly concern them and sees to it that they are faithfully carried out. He
acquints himself with the conditions of the municipalities comprising the province and
advises local officials in matters affecting their official work.
The provincial board is the law making body of the province, with the provincial
governor serving as the presiding officer. Some of its most important functions are as
follows: a) it passes laws for the welfare of the municipalites and cities within its
jurisdiction; b) it prepares andapproves the provincial budget; c) it appropriates money
for provincialpurposes; d) it exercises the power of eminent domain; and e) it provides
for the maintenance of equipment and buildings for provincial purposes. The board
holds a regular weekly meeting upon a day fixed by it. Special meetings, however, may
be called by the provincial governor on any day.
MUNICIPALITIES
Each province is composed of municipalities commonly called towns. The municipality
is a public corporation created by an act of congress and is governed by the
Municipality Law, which defines its duties and powers. Being public corporations,
municipalities can sue or be sued in court; enter into contracts; acquire and hold real
and personal properties for municipal purposes; and exercise such other powers as are
granted by law. Municipalities are classified according to their average annual income
for the last four fiscal years. There are 1,540 municipalities in the Philippines. They are
autonomous units of government and have elective and appointive officials. The elective
officials are the municipal mayor, vice mayor, and councilors. They are elected by the

qualified voters for a term of three years. They cannot serve for more than three
consecutive terms. The appointive officials are the municipal secretary, treasurer, justice
of the peace, and chief of police. The municipal mayor is the chief executive officer of
the town. His main functions are: 1) to execute all laws and municipal ordinances; 2) to
supervise the administration of the town; 3) to issue orders relative to the maintenance
of peace and order; 4) to preside over the meetings of the municipal council; and 5) to
recommend measures to the municipal council aimed at the improvement of the social
and economic conditions of the people. The municipal councils is the lawmaking body of
the town and is composed of the mayor -- who is the chairman of the council -- vice
mayor, and the councilors. The number of councilors for each municipality depends
upon the class to which the municipality belongs. Each councilor is in-charge of a village
or barangay. Some of the more important mandatory powers of the municipal council
are the following: 1) to fix the salaries of all municipal offices and employees, except the
treasurer, teachers in the public schools, and staff of national government agencies
assigne to the municipality; 2) to provide for expenses necessary to carry out the
functions of the municipality; 3) to provide for buildings adequate for municipal uses,
including school houses; 4) to provide for the levy and collection of taxes, fees, and
charges as sources of municipal revenue; and 5) to establish and maintain an efficient
police department and an adequate municipal jail.
CITIES
The chartered city is also a unit of local administration. It is created by a special law
which serves as its charter. The charter is the constitution of the city. The charter
creates the city, defines its boundaries, provides its system of government, and defines
the powers and duties of its officials. A city or any of its officials cannot perform any
official act which is not permitted by its charter. The city elective officials are the mayor,
vice mayor, and the members of the board of councilors. They are elected for a term of
three years. They cannot serve for more than three consecutive terms. The mayor is the
executive official of the city, aided by the appointive heads of the various departments.
The vice mayor is the presiding officer of the board. And the city courts exercise judicial
functions. The lawmaking body of the city is council. Among its important functions are
as folows: 1) to levy and collect taxes in accordance with law; 2) to enact ordinances; 3)
to provide for public workds constructions and for the maintenance of a local police
force; 4) to establish fire zones within the city and to regulated the type of building which
may be constructed within each zone; and 5) to provide for the protection of the
inhabitants from public calamities and to provide relied in times of emergency. There are
67 chartered cities in the Philippines.
BARANGAYS

Each municipality or city is composed of a number of villages or barangays. The

barangays are the smallest units of local government in the Philippines. They are
governed by the Barrio Charter. The elective officials of the barangays are the Barangay
Captain and the Barangay Councilors. As chief executive, the barangay captain is its
recognized leader. He enforces all the laws and ordinances applicable to his
constituency. He may organize fire brigades, preside over all meetings both of the
barangay council and assembly, organize groups of citizens to fight criminality and
brigandage, and approve all payments from barangay funds. He also sings all contacts
in which the barangay is a party. There are 41, 945 barangays in the Philippines. They
are public corporations and so, they can sue and be sued in court; can enter into
contracts, can acquire and hold all kinds of property; and can exercise such powers or
perform such acts as are provided by law.
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/Inspiring%20Story%20%20Philippines.pdf
PHILIPPINES Promoting Good Local Governance through Performance-Based Grants
What did the commitment seek to achieve, and why is this important?
The Government of the Philippines decided the best way to encourage openness was to reward it.
Their push for good local governance incentivises the two pillars of strong, responsive
government good performance and good housekeeping and makes the award process open
and transparent. In line with the Aquino Administration's aims for good governance, the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) launched two programs that seek to
promote and incentivize it at the local level: the Seal of Good Housekeeping and the
Performance Challenge Fund. How did you go about implementing the commitment? Who were
the key advocates both within and outside of government during the implementation phase? The
Seal of Good Housekeeping assesses Local Government Units (LGUs) on whether they attain
minimum governance standards. In the initial phase of the program, LGUs must meet two
standards to be conferred with the Seal of Good Housekeeping. First, the LGU must comply with
full disclosure policy by posting budgetary documents online and in their bulletin boards.
Second, the LGU must have no serious negative findings in its annual audit report published by
the Commission on Audit. As a means of providing incentives for LGUs, LGUs must receive the
seal to receive a grant from the new Performance Challenge Fund (PCF). Local government units
that receive the Seal are provided with a performance-based grant which they can use to
supplement funding for local development projects. The PCF program provides a subsidy of
PHP1 million (USD25,000) for municipalities, PHP 3 million (USD75,000), and PHP7 million
(USD 175,000) for provinces. Projects to be funded must contribute to the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals, tourism and local economic development, disaster risk
reduction and management and solid waste management. While the grants may not be that big,

they go a long way in extending assistance for development projects, especially for low-income
municipalities and cities that have inadequate funds to provide services and projects that have
been devolved to them by national government. These local government units often have to rely
on their provincial governments or district representative in Congress to provide supplemental
funding for their local projects. Projects that may be financed by the PCF include school
buildings, rural health units, water and sanitation system, local roads and bridges,
slaughterhouses, flood control, reforestation, postharvest facilities, cold storage facilities, among
others. What were the key factors in allowing this effort to succeed? What are the emerging
opportunities as a result? The Good Housekeeping Seal and the Performance Challenge Funds
were supported by a series of roadshows, known as the Tapatan Roadshows, and set up by the
then Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo. The roadshows were held in
various regions of the country and aimed to increase the level of awareness, participation, and
compliance of local officials and various stakeholders. Civil society was a vital part of the two
new incentive programmes civil society organisations were able to become members of
regional and provincial teams that reviewed and validated the assessment reports on good
housekeeping. How have citizens benefitted from this reform? If possible, please include
evidence of results or uptake, e.g. links to news coverage, quotes, and/or quantitative measures,
such as web analytics. In 2012, a total of 77% or 1327 out of 1713 local government units (71
provinces, 111 cities and 1,145 municipalities), were conferred with the Seal of Good
Housekeeping. More importantly, the Seal of Good Housekeeping has been adopted by other
government agencies as an eligibility requirement for its programs. The Seal is now required by
the Land Bank of the Philippines, a government financial institution, before a loan can be given
to a local government unit. The Bottom-up Budgeting program also uses the Seal as a
requirement for LGUs to be able to participate. The Seal and the Performance Challenge Fund
have had notable benefits increasing transparency in local government budgets and plans by
incentivizing compliance with the Full Disclosure Policy, instilling prudence and discipline in
local fund management and providing an initial benchmark for good local governance by
identifying concrete assessment criteria. They have also, through the new funds available,
augmented local government resources for development projects. A list of such local projects
funded can be seen here. What did NOT go as planned, and what did you learn from this? What
is the unfinished business, e.g. how might you take this work forward in your next OGP action
plan? Challenges remain the government aims to engage more civil society organisations in the
monitoring and evaluation of the two projects and to set ever higher standards for winning the
Seal of Good Housekeeping. In future, the Seal project will be expanded or scaled-up. LGUs will
be assessed in three levels and with increasingly stringent performance criteria. Furthermore, the
Seal will split into categories: SGH Bronze will be awarded to LGUs that met the criteria of
accountable and transparent governance. SGH Silver will be conferred to LGUs with
accountable and transparent governance and frontline service performance. Finally, SGH Gold
will be awarded to LGUs passing the SGH Silver criteria and working to implement participatory
governance. Once this phase is introduced, the Performance Challenge Fund will no longer be
given to SGH Bronze recipients and will be reserved for those attaining higher levels of the Seal.

https://wpqr4.adb.org/lotusquickr/copmfdr/PageLibrary482571AE005630C2.nsf/0/7E0AEAB811AEB05348257BA300
24A265/$file/Session%202b_PHILIPPINES,%20Eddie%20Dorotan.pdf
Decentralization in the Philippines Eddie Dorotan, MD, MPA Former Mayor,
Irosin, Sorsogon Executive Director, Galing Pook Foundation Convenor, Global
Public Innovations Network Basic Facts 94M people in 7,100 islands
(300,000 sq km) 1.9% pop growth rate MMR: 99/100,000 live births
IMR: 18/1,000 live births LE: 72 yrs Literacy : 92% 7% unemployment
rate GDP growth rate: 6.6% GDP/Capita: $4,100 26.5% below poverty
line 44.8% Gini Index Government Republican form Executive, Legislative
(Bicameral), Judiciary Local Government Units 80 provinces 143 cities
1491 municipalities 42,028 villages/ barangays Decentralization Push PostMarcos Dictatorship/ People Power Revolution Local Autonomy selfgoverning The granting of more powers, authority, responsibilities and
resources by the national government to local government units in order to
be self-reliant and active partners Decentralization transfer of power and
authority from central institution to lower or local levels of a government
system 3 forms of decentralization Devolution transfer of power and
authority from the national government to local government units (LGUs);
political and territorial Deconcentration transfer of power, authority or
responsibility or the discretion to plan, decide and manage from central to
local levels; administrative and sectoral Debureaucratization transfer of
some public functions and responsibilities, which government may perform,
to private entities or NGOs Aims of the Local Government Code 1991
Purpose: transform LGUs into self-reliant communities and active partners in
nationbuilding by giving them more powers, authority, responsibilities and
resources Hopes to achieve economic development at the regional and
local levels by giving LCE more freedom in carrying out their programs that
are suitable in their areas Devolved functions to LGUs 1. Agricultural
extension 2. Community based forestry 3. Field health and hospital services
4. Public works 5. School building program 6. Social welfare services 7.
Tourism 8. Telecommunications 9. Housing 10. Others like investment
support Devolved Regulatory Powers 1. Reclassification of agricultural lands
2. Enforcement of environmental laws 3. Inspection of food products and
quarantine 4. Enforcement of national building code 5. Operation of tricycles
6. Processing and approval of subdivision plans 7. Establishment of cockpits
Share of LGUs in the Proceeds of National Taxes Allotment of Internal
Revenue: 30-40% Percentage of internal revenue allocated to LGUs:
Provinces : 23% Cities: 23% Municipalities: 34% Barangays: 20%

Participatory Governance Local special bodies Local development councils

Local health boards Local school boards Peace and order councils
Others ( nutrition, agriculture, economic, etc, bidding committees, etc) Recall
and Referendum and consultations Corporate Powers of LGUs Acquire and
convey real or personal property Enter into contracts Operate and
manage of economic enterprises Generate revenues Apply for credit and
loans, float bonds Secure grants and donations 2 decades of devolution
Local Government Performance Mx System (107 indicators) Governance
legislation, transparency, citizen participation Administration devt
planning, revenue generation, resource allocation and utilization, financial
accountability, customer service, human resource mx Social services
health/nutrition, education, housing/basic utilities, peace/security and
disaster preparedness Economic development agricultural/fisheries devt,
entreprenuership, business and industry promotion Environmental
development natural resource management, waste management, pollution
control High administrative capacities, variable productivities, improving
MDG attainment 2 decades of devolution Galing Pook (Excellent Places)
Awarded 270 innovative best practice programs from 160 LGUs since 1994
Performance/results/impact Citizen participation
Replicability/Transferability Sustainability Innovation Survey on Local
Governance (2010, Social Weather Station) +44 Good Net Satisfaction
rating +18 Net local economic optimism score 58% say local govt system
transparent/understandable Survey on Local Governance (2010, Social
Weather Station) Very Good ratings (Net Satisfaction score of +50 and
above) on 5 issues: Repair and cleanliness of the public market,
Implementing educational programs, Promoting sports programs,
Maintenance of health centers, and Lighting of streets. Good ratings (Net
Satisfaction score of +30 to +49) on 4 issues: Providing information
regarding getting permits, licenses or paying of taxes, Protecting the
environment, Collecting garbage, and Managing traffic/ flow of vehicles
Survey on Local Governance Moderate ratings (Net Satisfaction score of
+10 to +29) on 13 issues: Consulting the people, Collecting taxes, Providing
legal services, Setting up of monitoring systems for development projects
and programs with NGO/PO participation, Implementing development plans
with effective citizen participation, Efforts to create and collect additional
income or funds for the city/municipal government, Repair of bad roads and
drainage, Fighting crime, Promoting business, Making information regarding
revenues, expenditures and operations of the city/municipal government
easily available to citizens, Helping the poor, Promoting tourism, and
Providing assistance in farming needs. Survey on Local Governance Neutral

ratings (Net Satisfaction score of +9 to -9) on 4 issues: Fighting drug

addiction, Solving the squatter problem, Developing housing programs, and
Developing jobs. Poor rating (Net Satisfaction score of -10 to - 29) on the
issue of Eradicating graft and corruption. Survey on Local Governance Trust
in local government officials and institutions enjoy strong public trust: it is a
very good Net Trust rating of +66 for the Mayor and +54 for the Barangay
Council, a good +47 for the City/Municipal Council and +42 for the Police in
the city/municipality, and a moderate +25 for the non-government
organization or NGOs and +17 for the business associations in the
city/municipality. The local government employees obtained a very good
Net Satisfaction rating of +50, with higher satisfaction coming from
Mindanao and Balance Luzon. Challenges Patronage, money politics,
fiefdoms Inefficient, politically influenced civil service Dependence of
local governments on national government Building an Archipelago of Good
Governance Reform the electoral system Decentralize more powers,
responsibilities and resources to local governments Professionalize the civil
service Mobilize the citizenry to demand good governance

https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/PhilippinesLocalGovernance.pdf
Local Governance in
the Philippines
Almost two decades after the enactment of the
Local Government Code of 1991 that decentralized
power from the national government and
devolved services to local governments, the law
has yet to fulfill its promise of building selfreliant
communities that contribute to national
development.
Many local governments in the Philippines
still fail to address the most basic needs of their
citizens. Some local governments lack mechanisms
for transparency and accountability and most
local governments have yet to exercise genuine
autonomy from the national government.
But this scenario is gradually changing. Many
local governments are now also taking the lead in
e-governance, some are raising local revenues, and
others are preparing for the challenges of rapid
urbanization, migration, and climate change.
Business and civil society organizations are working
hard to improve the quality of their engagement

with local governments.

TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE
(TAG) PROGRAM
The Transparent Accountable Governance (TAG)
program of The Asia Foundation addresses some of
the local governance problems in the Philippines
through customized technical assistance, supporting
civic engagement, and by working with the
leagues of local governments.
In the past seven years, TAG has given special
attention to local governments in Mindanao.
The region has been hounded with problems of
security, law and order, poverty, and economic
underdevelopment. Local governments play a critical
role in conflict management and local development,
thus TAG works to improve local governance
in Mindanao.
TAG PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS
TAG helps cities improve their overall business
environment, boost competitiveness, and increase
revenue collection through direct technical assistance.
The program has worked with 16 cities in
Mindanao and six others in Luzon and Visayas
implementing reforms in business licensing, real
property administration, investment promotion,
economic enterprise management, and human
resource management and policy reforms.
In municipalities, the program helps improve service
delivery, increase local government capacities
to generate revenues, enhance financial management,
improve the performance of public economic
enterprises, and facilitate the professionalization of
municipal bureaucracies. The project has worked
with more than 70 municipal governments and
767 barangays (villages) in Mindanao.
PROMOTING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
The program works with business chambers,
non-government organizations, and other civil
society groups to strengthen local government
and private sector collaboration for reforms. With
the Mindanao Business Council, City Coalitions
for Transparent Accountable Governance
(CCTAG) were organized in 10 cities as a venue
for discussing issues affecting the city, for planning

courses of action, and for giving feedback

involving business and civil society. As a sustainability
measure, TAG built the capacity of the
CCTAGs to leverage funds from the local business
community and other sources for reform
activities.
TAGs assistance to
local governments
resulted in simplified
business registration,
efficient real property
tax administration;
improved the efficiency
of budget allocations,
increased citizens
satisfaction with government
services, and
professionalized the
local bureaucracy.
TAG started in
1999 as a national
counter-corruption
project. In 2002, it
included local governance
reforms in
Mindanao, and further
evolved to work with
more local governments
in Mindanao. Later it
was replicated in
six cities in Luzon
and Visayas.
PHILIPPINES
HEADQUARTERS
465 California Street,
9th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
Tel: (415) 982-4640
Fax: (415) 392-8863
info@asiafound.org
WASHINGTON, DC
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Suite 815
Washington, D.C. 20036 USA
Tel: (202) 588-9420
Fax: (202) 588-9409

info@asiafound-dc.org
PHILIPPINES
P.O. Box 7072
Domestic Airport Post Office
Pasay City, Metro Manila
Philippines
Tel: + 63 (2) 851-1466
Fax: + 63 (2) 853-0474
tafphil@asiafound.org
www.asiafoundation.org
SURVEYS AND TRACKING STUDIES
With the Social Weather Station (SWS), the
program has done Surveys on Good Local
Governance to measure citizens perception on
the effectiveness of local governance in 15 cities.
TAG also does customer-satisfaction surveys in
local governments. The surveys are done in local
governments that undertake reforms in select
services, and those that implement the Public
Service Ethics, Excellence, and Accountability
Program (PSEEAP). The survey is conducted to
measure the customers level of satisfaction with
local government services before reforms are initiated,
and after reforms have been implemented.
TAG has also done tracking studies of the business
registration process in 16 cities. The results
of the studies are discussed with city officials, and
are used to design improvements on the registration
process. Later, the results also serve as a
benchmark for monitoring the improvements and
actions implemented by cities.
PUBLIC SERVICE ETHICS, EXCELLENCE, AND
ACCOUNTABILITY PROGRAM (PSEEAP)
PSEEAP helps improve the organizational culture
of local governments. It encourages a shift from
an organizational culture of poor service and corruption
to that of public service ethics, excellence,
and accountability. In PSEEAP local governments
formulate their service vision and values, audit the
quality of the services they deliver, train frontline
staff on basic customer service skills, and allow
the various offices to propose service improvements
for implementation.
Many local governments that went through
PSEEAP have cascaded the program to all their
offices, their barangays, and one city even launched

an awards program to encourage continuous

improvement among employees and departments.
PSEEAP is institutionalized in local governments
through legislation and through the use of inhouse
trainers.
WORKING WITH THE LEAGUES OF LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS
TAG partners with the leagues of cities and
municipalities to convene and manage activities
with local governments, while at the same time
helping to build the capacity of the league staff on
policy analysis and advocacy, project management,
knowledge management, and networking. The
partnership also ensures that the leagues establish
appropriate organizational structures, install clear
and predictable processes, and put in place policies
that will help professionalize the staff and operations
and enable the staff to cope with leadership
transitions.
PARTNERSHIP WITH CIVIL SOCIETY NETWORKS
TAG has worked with regional networks of civil
society groups like the Mindanao Coalition
of Development NGOs (MinCODE), the
Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS),
and Coalition for Bicol Development (CBD) in
advocating reforms in local governance and building
the capacity of local civil society groups for
effective engagement with local governments.
NURTURING LOCAL RESOURCE INSTITUTIONS
TAG partners with local academic institutions
in implementing reforms in local governments.
By working with local institutions, TAG ensures
that local expertise is available and accessible to
local governments needing immediate technical
assistance.
In the Philippines The Asia Foundation programs are also funded by, the U.S.
Agency for International Development, the Australian Agency for
International
Development, the Canadian International Development Agency, the United
Kingdoms Global Opportunities Fund, and the Asian Development Bank.
04/10
The Asia Foundation is
a private, non-profit,
non-governmental
organization. Through
its programs, the

Foundation builds
leadership, improves
policies, and strengthens
institutions to foster
greater openness and
shared prosperity in the
Asia-Pacific region. It is
funded by contributions
from corporations,
foundations, individuals,
and governmental
organizations in the
U.S., Europe, Canada,
Australia, and Asia, and
an annual appropriation
from the U.S. Congress.
TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE PUBLICATIONS
1. Manual on Participatory Planning and Budgeting
2. Training Manual for Public Service Ethics and Accountability
3. TAG Resource Kit (Tales and Technical Notes)
4. TAG Tools (Guide for the Local Government Reform Process)
5. Service Standard Guidebook on Business Permitting and Real Property Tax
Administration