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ISA forum celebrates good governance stories from the public sector
Shaky breaths and nervous smiles abounded when ISA’s long-awaited Public Governance Forum (PGF) finally arrived on November 28, 2019.
In partnership with PLDT, Metrobank Foundation, Inc., Ayala, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), Inquirer, and GMA Network, this event gathered over 500 professionals representing local and international groups at Bayanihan Center in Pasig City, to witness the public revalidas of 22 ISA partner organizations undergoing its good governance program.
Seventeen public hospitals, four national agencies, and one local government unit were set to undergo the public revalida, a platform where public sector institutions present their impact reports before a carefully selected multi-sector panel.
The heads of these institutions showcase the maturation of the Performance Governance System (PGS) after many months of working with ISA for strategy development and implementation.
These reports are then vetted by governance and industry experts who can endorse and validate the institution’s achievements in transformative governance.
Revalidas not only culminate the institutions’ efforts per PGS stage, but also call on them to continue enhancing their governance practices.
The presenting organizations were:
- Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (ARMMC)
- Baguio General Hospital & Medical Center (BagGHMC)
- Bataan General Hospital & Medical Center (BatGHMC)
- Bicol Medical Center (BMC)
- Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC)
- Caraga Regional Hospital (CRH)
- Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research & Medical Center (Dr. PJGMRMC)
- Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC)
- Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP)
- National Children’s Hospital (NatCH)
- Navotas City Hospital (NCH)
- Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC)
- Region II Trauma & Medical Center (R2TMC)
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital (SLRWH)
- Talavera General Hospital (TGH)
- Talisay District Hospital (TDH)
- Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC)
- Bureau of Customs (BOC)
- Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
- Philippine Air Force (PAF)
- Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO)
- Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU)
A day’s worth of governance stories
As soon as the forum opened, the revalidas were set in motion. Two partners, the PAF and the PVAO, sought to be conferred the highest stage of the PGS Pathway: Institutionalization. The hallmark of this stage is the presence of validated breakthrough results that have been sustained for at least two years.
The institution must also exhibit strong commitment to adopt governance as a culture or a way of life.
PAF commander Lieutenant General Rozzano Briguez and PVAO Administrator Ernesto Carolina graciously shared the stories behind their institutions’ journey towards better performance and sustained excellence.
In his presentation, Briguez underscored how the PGS ensured that the PAF's strategic direction was placed above any commanding general’s tactical flexibility commonly used to build a personal legacy.
For PVAO, Carolina imparted a moving sentiment to the audience, saying that the veterans' agency “wanted to send the message that we are a country that does not forget its defenders.”
After a day’s worth of governance stories, the attendees gathered for the closing ceremony late in the afternoon.
ISA’s new CEO Lenard M. Berba opened the program, congratulating the revalida takers and calling on them to stay the course of good governance.
This was followed by the awarding of newly inducted ISA Fellows and Associates. Armed Forces of the Philippines Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Major General Adriano S. Perez and OTi Philippines, Inc. CEO and principal consultant Romulo S. Romero were welcomed into the Society of Associates, while PVAO's Carolina officially joined the Society of Fellows.
Shortly after, ISA Trustee Mary Jane Ortega kicked off the anticipated awarding portion. Revalida takers went from being on pins and needles to standing proud onstage as they received the signature PGS Heart. Many of them also went back to their institutions carrying a Trailblazer lantern, which is given to the institutions recognized for their outstanding efforts in making governance a way of life.
The Silver Trailblazers were: ARMMC, BagGHMC, CVMC, EVRMC, NatCH, NCH, NMMC, SLRWH, VSMMC, TDH, and PGLU, while the Gold Trailblazers were: BatGHMC, BMC, Dr. PJGMRMC, R2TMC, BOC, PAF, and PVAO.
Never a sprint
Having achieved Institutionalized status, the PAF and the PVAO were then designated Islands of Good Governance (IGG).
In his acceptance speech, Briguez shared PAF’s long journey from being the underdog lagging behind the Philippine Army and the Philippine Navy in the governance pathway to finally becoming an Island of Good Governance.
“The most important thing that we did was that we didn’t stop developing our men and our procedures,” he said.
Carolina, also reflecting on PVAO’s momentary delay in moving up the pathway, said that the IGG award is just "the start of bigger responsibilities."
"From here on, after what we’ve learned, the only way to go is forward," he said.
Capping off this sentimental day was a keynote address by Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III, a former ISA chairman. He congratulated the revalida takers for progressing on the PGS Pathway, reminding them that though the PGS is undertaken by many, there remains a uniqueness to it when applied to each organization.
“Just like a marathon, the PGS is never a sprint. You have to get the pacing. You have to have the grit to finish, to reach the finish line,” he said.
Press release from the Institute for Solidarity in Asia.
The Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) is a non-partisan, non-profit governance reform organization that envisions a Dream Philippines where every government institution delivers and every citizen participates and prospers. ISA has worked in collaboration with national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), hospitals, and sectoral institutions in hopes of achieving governance breakthroughs. To know more, visit isacenter.org or call (+632) 8-886-3652.
