ISA Fellow and Mayor Jesse Robredo of Naga City, one of the PGS-Compliant Cities, said the major challenge in following the governance pathway is “mainstreaming the scorecard so that it will be understood by an ordinary construction worker so that he can be part of it.”

The balanced scorecard is “just a way to deliver the outcomes but without engaging our constituents, it won’t work,” he stressed. “We have to go down to the level of the ordinary employee or citizen and try to make them feel a part of the system. We must strive to connect the dots.”

Governor Sally Lee of Sorsogon province said local government units will only be successful in good governance if “we can address the needs of our people.

” Mayor Robredo cited examples of Naga City’s projects that prompted a shift in the City government’s mindset in making things happen. These include coming up with a Citizen’s Charter, an i-Governance tool, and approving licenses.

PMA: Producing RP’s future leaders

THE list is short but highly contested in the rarefied world of top leadership schools in the Philippines.

UP, Ateneo, De La Salle, AIM – academic institutions that have produced some of the brightest political and business leaders in the country. If Maj. Gen. Maligalig had his way, he would like to add the PMA to the roster.

The PMA produces roughly 300 military professionals each year which are absorbed by the four armed services of the Philippines. PMA graduates supply the country’s requirements for generals in the AFP, a position that demands stringent leadership formation at the PMA.

“The PMA is in the business of developing leaders,” he said. “By 2015, we envision to be the top academic institution that produces excellent leaders in the country.” This is not just all talk. Already, the PMA has crafted a road map in attaining this vision. It has also established a Center for Leadership that will ensure the plan is carried out each step of the way.

Apart from the structural transformation, the PMA must also institute a culture change. “That culture has to change from one that says ‘Rank has its privileges’ to one that embraces ‘Rank has its responsibilities’,” said Dr. Jesus P. Estanilao, ISA founder. “Just a change in word makes a great change and it’s about time we start a sea change.”

PNPA: Becoming agents of change

THEY belong to an establishment often perceived as “inept, corrupt and sometimes unprofessional,” but the PNPA is bent on disproving the bad name and even rising as Asia’s premier public safety and training institution by 2020.

The road to PNPA’s discovery of the Governance Pathway started in April 2007 through the Union Bank of the Philippines. “We were soliciting trophies for our intramurals when we were asked about by Unionbank to show a road map. What we then got was a formal initiation to the PGS,” Col. Fajura said.

In just three months, PNPA achieved what Unionbank Corporate Social Responsibility executive director Maria Gonzalez-Goolsby said usually takes others two years: become PGS Compliant.

“Education and training play a very critical role in our common goal of good governance. We revisited our core values with our alumni, cadets, uniformed and civilian personnel,” Col. Fajura said.

“We do not exist in isolation; we are working within a context. Cadets are community leaders who can also be agents of change,” he added.

NEA: Holding the torch

ITS vision is to literally get the entire Philippines out of a shroud of darkness – but this may well also be its role in sparking hope that good governance is still alive and well among state agencies.

NEA and its partner electric cooperatives have already lit up 7.5 million households in the countryside. “Shared leadership” governs their combined 25,000-strong workforce. The agency has a council of leaders made up of seven associations that help mainstream programs in adherence to

NEA’s shared values. NEA also created a People Development Academy that focuses on leadership and values formation. To date, the PDA has already trained around 7,000 participants.