Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

2004 Category 4: Philippines
Asia and the Pacific
Philippines
2004 Category 4 Winner
i-Governance
City Government of Naga
Philippines
Description
Creating an electronic governance programme to encourage participation in
governance processes and improve governmental transparency.
The Problem
Naga is currently one of the Philippines’ fastest growing local economies, with an
average household income 42% higher than the national average. Yet in 1988, Naga
was stagnating. Business confidence was low, unemployment was on the rise and tax
collection was in decline. Low economic growth resulted in steep increase in crime;
approximately 20% of the city’s population was homeless. The delivery of basic
health and education services was negatively affected.
The Solution
The city’s transformation to become one of the most “livable cities in the country”
can be attributed, in large part, to the government policies implemented over the past
15 years. The Empowerment Ordinance, passed in 1995, established a functional framework
for partnerships with more than one hundred NGOs and civic organisations in
the Naga City People’s Council (NCPC). NCPC representatives sat in all local bodies
and legislative councils. They could observe, propose legislation, vote and participate
in policy discussions, as well as design, implement and evaluate city government
programs. Individual citizens were encouraged to participate in decision-making
processes, in order to promote long term sustainability and community ownership
of local initiatives. Despite participatory systems put in place by the Empowerment
Ordinance, many Nagueons remained, however, uninvolved in local governance issues.
Since for operational reasons working partnerships were biased towards organized
groups, many citizens remained removed from the activities of the city government.
The i-Governance sought to overcome these limitations by inviting public
dialogue and civic participation in governing the city.
The i-Governance initiative of the city government of Naga is a “people-driven”
program that promotes participation of all groups in society, especially the vulnerable,
with the objective to improve governance processes, local service delivery and
overall attractiveness of the city.
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