Best practice II
 24 April 2008

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Excellence in governance was the main criteria for picking the best among the public sector projects in Region 6.

This was at the Awarding Ceremonies that I attended last week, where nine projects three each in the three categories – Local Government Units (LGU), Regional Line Agencies (RLA) and State Universities and Colleges (SUC) – were given cash awards and Presidential Trophies.

Going by the list of Winners and Runners Up, the pickings, to borrow a line from Frank Sinatra, were lush.

Top honors in the SUC category went to the Food-Always-In-The-Home (FAITH) Garden Plus Project of the Negros State College of Agriculture.

The FAITH Garden is a six-meter by 16-meter plot, consisting of three sections, with each planted to short, medium- or long-term crops like soy beans, tomatoes, pechay, sitao (two to four months), eggplant, squash, beans, alugbati (six to nine months), and kangkong, camote, taro, peas, etc. (11-12 months), so that a family of six could be assured of a year-round supply of fresh and home-grown foods.

The area of approximately 100 square meters can supply the nutritional requirements of an average family of six.

Bacolod City won the top plum in the LGU category for its IT (Information Technology) Investment Program, the city’s outstanding work in converting Bacolod into a major ICT hub in 2006, from being non-IT just the year before.

On May 27, 2005, Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued EO No. 8, creating the Bacolod City IT Focus Team, composed of government, private and business sector representatives, the academe and the telecommunications companies.

From this team effort, the "Make IT Bacolod" campaign was launched, and in a year’s time, four major international call centers sprouted in the city. A total of 2,000 jobs were created, to handle medical transcription and business process outsourcing.

The team focus in Bacolod allowed the players to harmonize related concerns in real estate, human resources and infrastructure, making the call center operation smooth and seamless.

A landmark policy was set with the passage of City Ordinance 402, S. 2006, laying down the procedures and requirements for approval of requests for endorsement from the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod for accreditation with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority or the Economic Zones. This endorsement of accreditation is becoming an issue in some LGUs hosting special economic zones, and they can surely learn from Bacolod City, where eight IT parks have been accredited by PEZA.

For the RLA’s, the awardee was the Department of Trade and Industry’s Comprehensive Marketing Program for the Floriculture Industry of Capiz, for making a breakthrough in the marketing of delicate cutfoliage in Japan.

The awards given last week should have been handed out last year as it covered projects from 2006 to 2007. But the schedule got pushed back.

Later this year, the award for 2007-2008 will be given out. We have to show, the RDC 6 organizers said, that good governance pays. And good performance deserves recognition and awards.

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