“The central task of education is to implant A WILL and A FACILITY FOR LEARNING; It should produce NOT LEARNED but LEARNING PEOPLE...” – These were the words of Sarah Stein Greenberg of the Stanford Design School during the Design Thinking Seminar Workshop held on August 19, 2015, Wednesday, from 2 to 5 pm at the JV del Rosario Conference Room, AIM Conference Center, Makati City.
This joint venture of the Association of Foundations (AF), Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) brought together innovators and solution-seekers to discuss the concept of “design thinking”, which is an emergent idea generation and stakeholder engagement tool. The Institute of Design at Stanford (Stanford d.School) promotes the concept of Design Thinking – an approach of co-creation and can be characterized as the discipline of melding the sensibility and methods of a designer with what is technologically feasible to meet people’s real-world needs. This definition highlights the tools and practices of forming teams, running specific design projects, powering organizations, and shaping innovative new products or services. Design Thinking is prominent among start-up technology companies but is also increasingly applied in innovations in the delivery of public services such as health equipment affordable to low income communities.

The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines in partnership with the Australian Aid (AusAid), The Asia Foundation (TAF), and Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF), held a Focus Group Discussion/Workshop on Section 4 of the Residential Free Patent Act (RA10023) last August 28, 2015 at Max’s Restaurant, Elliptical Road, Circle, Quezon City.
Councilor Kirk Asis, ULAP Assistant Secretary General, welcomed a total of 45 participants from 14 provinces and 6 cities across Regions II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, and NCR in the workshop. Section 4 of RA10023 deals with untitled lands actually occupied and possessed by the Local Government Units and National Government Agencies for public use and/or purpose. Since the passage of the law in 2010, two Implementing Rules and Regulation were effected concerning residential public lands and untitled lands occupied and possessed by public school institutions. The purpose of the workshop is to gather initial data on the untitled lands occupied by the LGUs and NGA and to discuss possible issues and concerns that can be reflected in the draft IRR. The proposed IRR shall enable the LGUs and NGA to have these lands titled in their respective names.
ULAP Executive Director Czarina Medina-Guce moderated the workshop. ULAP was able to gather initial data (list of untitled lands) from the participating LGUs and issues concerning the implementation of the law from the participants. ULAP will consolidate the issues and concerns from the LGUs and will be forwarded to DENR and FEF for the development and finalization of the proposed IRR on untitled LGU and NGA lands for public use and/or purpose.

(INFO DISSEMINATION TO ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS )

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), in partnership with the National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) and Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) and with the support of Microsoft Corporation will be bringing the LGU ICT Forum: Strengthening LGU Capacities Through ICT to Cagayan de Oro (CDO) City , Manila, and IloIlo City on September 3, September 15 and September 22 respectively.

The target participants of the forum are selected Local Government Units (LGUs) from the 1,288 LGUs who completed the streamlining of business permits processes, identified as compliant to the Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) standards and deemed one of the E-ready LGUs by the DOST-ICTO survey.

The ICT Forum generally promotes the importance and use of technology in the local government units system and operations in addressing the demand and delivering the needs of their constituents and strengthen LGUs practices on transparency and accountability. It specifically offers an avenue:

(a) To promote the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in delivering services at the local level and in making regulatory functions of local governments more efficient, effective, and transparent
(b) To listen, meet, and consult with top private sector providers and other local governments who have successfully used ICT for various aspects of their operations
(c) To apprise ICT providers and system integrators on how ICT can be integrated into government plans and directions

The ICT forum basically aims to help the LGUs to choose from the array of products that fit their needs, meet customer demands, reduce costs and address public concerns for a better performance and service delivery.

For more information and for pre-registration to the ICT Forum, you may visit http://www.lguictforum.org/

(INFO DISSEMINATION TO ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS )

The National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Cyber City Teleservices Philippines Inc. (CCTP) launched in synergy the eGov Awards for LGUs in 2012. The first awarding ceremony was named the Jesse Robredo Awards for Excellence in ICT for Good Governance in honor of the late Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) who helped initiate the first eGOV Awards for LGUs in 2012 and for his exemplary work as a local public servant in integrating ICT as part of good governance strategies.

The eGov Awards is the first and most prestigious recognition to be given by the ICT sector to LGUs with exemplary performance in empowering its Public Customers and Business. It is an annual search for best practices in local government units in utilizing information and communications technology (ICT) to effectively and efficiently deliver its public services directly to its constituents and to its business stakeholders.

It was developed as a strategic approach to stimulate the country’s e-governance, particularly in LGU level to enable LGUs to become catalysts of change and index models of development anchored in the Philippine Digital Strategy (PDS), the Philippine ICT Roadmap 2011-2016.

The objectives of the eGov Awards are the following:

1. To encourage the effective and efficient utilization of information and communications technology (ICT) in the delivery of services and performance of the duties and responsibilities by local government units (LGUs).

2. To commend, collate and document best practices of LGUs in integrating ICT in their processes to serve as example and benchmarks to other LGU’s.

3. To improve the business ecosystem of the LGUs and motivate the private and business sector to actively participate and/or invest in the growth of the LGU’s .

4. To promote transparency in governance.

The awards aim to recognize two (2) major responsibilities of government:

1. The Best in eGov Customer Empowerment (G2C) Award - This category recognizes the measurable effect of an LGU’s outstanding practices in applying ICT solutions in the education and engagement of the public in the use of electronic facilities/channels towards providing improved, timely and relevant delivery of public services.

2. The Best in eGov Business Empowerment (G2B) Award - This category awards the significant effect of an LGUs laudable practices in integrating ICT solutions and the commitment of its administration in the bureau’s responsiveness to the needs of business enterprises, thereby creating business opportunities.

The eGOV Awards is open to all local government units such as a city, municipality or province, or a cluster of municipalities or component within a province. Only one (1) project can be nominated for each of the two categories to represent the agencies described above. Hence, there can be two (2) projects for both Awards Category.

Six (6) LGUs, three each for two categories with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd , shall be awarded during the National ICT Summit on October 24, 2015 at the Oriental Legazpi, Legazpi City, Albay.
Please further be informed that the nomination is extended until AUGUST 31, 2015. Join Now!

For requirements, steps on how to register, criteria for judging and other information regarding eGov Awards, please click this photo album.

ULAP enjoins all LGUs to actively join this event.

To know more about NICP and this event, you may also contact the NICP Secretariat at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
0906-260.NICP (6427)
www.nicp.org.ph
facebook.com/nicp.org.ph

DAY 1. The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) in partnership with the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI), and Bantay Kita conducted the fourth of the six LGU Roadshows, National Resource Governance at the Local Level: Making Transparency Matter, Waterfront Hotel, Davao City. Councilor Danny Dayanghirang on behalf of Mayor Rudy Duterte welcomes the 35 participants composed of LGUs from Region IX, XI and XII, local CSOs, Regional Directors of the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Department of Energy, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philippine Ports Authority, Bureau of Customs, Department of Budget and Management and Department of the Interior and Local Government and Bureau of Local Government Finance. Also present during the first day are Augusto Blanco (Board Member), Nenita Lopez (Councilor), Datu Tangcala (Councilor), Neiljun Esdrelon (Councilor).
The first day of the Forum discussed current gaps and issues in the extractive sector and possible policy recommendations on the national and local levels. It also looks at how the EITI process can contribute to good governance in the extractive industries. During the morning session, the PH-EITI Multistakeholder Group, represented by Atty. Marie Gay Alessandra Ordenes, presented the highlights and findings of the 1st EITI Report.
A panel discussion was also conducted to gather insights from the different stakeholders on what have emerged from the first report and can these insights target particular policies and implementation reforms, specifically on the computation and release of the LGU shares on the national wealth. The panelists were Datu Tangcala (Councilor, T’Boli), Wilhelm Suyko (DILG), Atty. Wilfredo Moncano (MGB), Atty. Ronald Recidoro (PH-EITI), Starjoan Villanueva (PH-EITI). The panel was moderated by ULAP Director for Plans, Programs & Policy, Genixon David.
The participants were asked to sign the commitment on continuing the advocacy of transparency and good governance in extractive industries.
On the afternoon, the participants attended different track sessions on extractive industries. The topics are: Sub-national EITI Implementation, Environmental Governance, Social Development and Management Programs and Social Expenditures, Mining 101 and Small-scale Mining.
Atty. Sofia Yanto of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was also present to discuss the existing process and structure on the LGU Shares from the national wealth. She also mentioned that the Department, together with the different collecting agencies such as BIR and MGB, are currently looking into the current process to hasten the release of shares to the LGUs.