ISA institutionalizes Public Governance Forum

More taking less-traveled good governance pathway

From “Philippine shoe capital” Marikina City to former “lahar country” San Fernando, Pampanga. From Tagbilaran City in Bohol, the land of the Chocolate Hills, to the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City. More and more cities, sectors and institutions are taking the Governance Pathway to raise their standards of governance practices. “This just shows the very serious commitment in the Philippines to improve the level of public governance,” said John Callebaut, senior program officer for Asia of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) at the Mahal Ko Ang Pilipinas Public Governance Forum (MKAP Forum) on Aug. 30 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

To help transform cities’ and sectors’ “field of dreams” into “fields of outcomes,” the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) has institutionalized the MKAP Forum as a regular venue for reporting on progress made in improving public governance practices. “Since the Forum is held every six months, it should be easy to check whether the commitments made have been honored, and steps have been taken,” said Dr. Jesus P. Estanislao, ISA founder and chair. “This is typical governance discipline, and we shall be observing it religiously through the MKAP Forum.”

See Pathway, back page

 
  The second ISA Learning Institute on Aug. 29 at Sofitel Philippine Plaza featured (L-R): Bebet Gozun, project director of the World Bank-funded City Development Strategies of the League of Cities of the Philippines; former Mayor Mary Jane Ortega of San Fernando, La Union; John Callebaut of CIPE; Governor Sally Ante-Lee of Sorsogon; and Mayor Jesse Robredo of Naga City.