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Community benefits 08 May 2008 |
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At the 5th regular
meeting of the Pro-Performance System Steering Committee earlier this
week, the buzzword was CBA, and it was not Collective Bargaining
Agreement. It is a relatively new coinage -- Community Benefits Assessment, which the Strategic Monitoring Group (SMG) of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) undertook for the Steering Committee. PPS or the Pro Performance System was established under E.O. 564 issued by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in August, 2006, directing the integration of all project monitoring initiatives, including the Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System (RPMES) created by then President Corazon Aquino under E.O. 376, s.1989. The goal of the PPS is to accelerate the delivery of the Medium Term Public Investment Plan, 2006-2010, especially the SONA (State of the Nation Address) commitments, major infra projects, health and education programs and other projects the President may identify. Under the PPS, the core indicators to measure the progress of projects are physical development performance and quality, financial performance, and timeliness. Lately, community benefits have been added as one of the measures. The Steering Committee, which was created as PPS oversight, has multi-sectoral representation, with Ambassador Donald Dee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry representing the business sector; National Youth Commission Richard Nalupta for the youth; Jun Nicdao of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas for media; Fr. Anton Pascual of Caritas Manila for the church; Dr. Vincent Fabella for NGOs and the academe; and, Mayor Ramon Guico of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines for the LGUs, and Ambassador Marita Magpili-Jimenez, Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank, representing the international development organizations. The 149 priority projects were divided into clusters, and assigned to committee members for more focused monitoring, to wit: Mr. Nalupta, Roads/bridges, Flood control, and Sanitation; Amb. Dee, Airports, Seaports/RoRo, and Railways; Mr. Nicdao, Major and Small Irrigation; Mayor Guico, Farm-to-Market Roads and Cold Chain System; Dr. Fabella, Power and Bulk Water Projects; and Rev. Fr. Pascual, ICT, Housing and Upgrading of Hospitals. In Limasawa, Southern Leyte, residents are optimistic that coasturise traffic will improve dramatically with the completion of its port in January, 2008. This is a key island municipality. With the new Iloilo Airport, new investments have mushroomed in the area, including gasoline stations along the road leading to the airport. The Tubigon Port in Bohol, has spawned new livelihoods and made transport of goods better. But there seems to have been a downside with the rise in petty crimes and drugrelated problems that came with the bustling port. The Bohol Circumferential Road, itself a major infra project, has made the drive around Bohol not only faster but scenic and breathtaking, looking much like some sceneries in Hawaii, in some stretches of the road. A very positive outcome of the regular Steering Committee meetings, where all implementing agencies are called upon to defend and explain their projects, is the immediate threshing out and declogging of bottlenecks. Solutions, more than problems, are covered. In some of the reported projects, the need to market new ports was highlighted. In others, it was the access road. But in all cases, a coordinated response was hammered out, and firm commitments were obtained. This was just the Committee’s first pass on CBA. We look forward to more of the same in future meetings. |
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