FCM PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

OVERVIEW

The City of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada and the Provincial Government of Bohol, Philippines, has made a significant leap in strengthening the priority-setting policies of local government units (LGUs) in the Province of Bohol. The two governments have formed a partnership under the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Municipal Partnership Program. This partnership is an expansion of the successful 5-year partnership between the City of Portage la Prairie and Municipality of Tubigon, one of Bohol’s 47 municipalities.

The FCM Partnership generally aims to strengthen the capacity of Bohol LGUs in the area of strategic planning and the critical linkage of the process to the local budgeting system in the Provincial Governments and in the participating Municipalities of Carmen, Loboc, Loon and Talibon. Major completed activities of the program include workshops that strengthens capacities of LGUs’ staff, development of LGUs’ strategic plans, technical exchanges to Portage la Prairie and Bohol, and follow-up meetings to reinforce coordination and linkages among LGUs.

The end principle of this partnership is to build up the strategic management concepts in identifying strategies and actions that are best suitable in their area of coverage – considering resources, environment, the community and the people.

The awareness on the importance of the strategic planning process can increased throughout Bohol as the partnership program also aims to develop successful case studies of participating LGUs to be utilized as models and guides for other LGUs in the province.

RESULTS

Common to most LGUs in the Philippines, the Provincial Government of Bohol has been faced with socio-economic issues that affected the lives of the Boholano people. With a mandate of ensuring the well being of its inhabitants, the Provincial Government has to deal with these issues using its limited technical and financial resources.

Strategic planning is not a new process in the organization of the Provincial Government. However, with the FCM Partnership Program that strengthens the importance of strategic planning process in the delivery of public services and governance, the focus of the Provincial Government’s initiatives has been redefined to a more significant effort of reducing poverty in the province.

Short-term Results

· The workshop on Strategic Planning Process conducted under the FCM Program in early January of 2002 has strengthened and increased provincial leaders and chiefs of offices’ appreciation on the importance of the process and linking plans to budgets. Commitment has been established to perform mandates following the principles of strategic planning. The session has established the following:

o Commitment by key players to align their department strategies with the Provincial Vision

o Identified that there is a need to communicate to each department about the content of each department’s strategic plan

o Identified the need to communicate department strategies with key stakeholders in advance to enhance buy-in and ownership

o The governor has identified that strategic planning for capability building as priority in the Provincial Government

· Strategic planning has become an institutional process for every department/ office of the Provincial Government, as well as for the management level officials for better policy formulation, effective strategy setting and efficient resource utilization.

· The Province’s development thrust has been redefined through the concepts of strategic planning. Participatory process of planning has made the Provincial Government and stakeholders work in close coordination towards achieving a common objective of addressing development constraints and deprivation of people as well as improving governance.

o Crafting of the Bohol Program Framework on Poverty Reduction

§ Through a multi-sectoral consultative process, the framework was prepared to provide common guidelines in formulating poverty-focused policies, plans and programs – identifying priority areas for deployment of scarce resources. It establishes a more logical and consolidated stage of project identification and development, implementation and monitoring initiatives.

o Updating of the Provincial Government’s Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP)

§ A comprehensive plan formulated through participatory process at the Provincial Development Council – charting the development directions of Bohol for six (6) years. With all stakeholders represented and involved in its development, a sense of ownership, responsibility and accountability are developed to support the implementation and management of programs.

o Formulation of Provincial Annual Development and Investment Plans (ADP/AIP)

§ Crafted to set the priorities of the provincial government on a year-to-year operation based on the thrust and plans set-out in the MTDP. These priorities become the basis for the allocation of funds as reflected in the provincial budget. Individual departments/ offices based their budgets and activities on the approved development and investment plans. Provincial council has been directly involved in these processes as they will approved, after extensive review, the MTDP, Annual Development and Investments Plans, and the Provincial Budget

Long-term Results

Effects of undergoing the strategic planing process as a tool in improving governance and delivery of public services can not be seen overnight. Its direct benefits are clearly observed when implemented plans and programs have achieved their foreseen goals and targets.

The Provincial Government, however, through the process of strategic planning, has redefined its priorities and that plans and programs have been focused on poverty reduction. Reducing poverty is to be achieved through strategies that assist farmers attain high productivity, generation of employment and livelihood, improvement of infrastructure facilities, improvement of social and health services and stimulation of economic growth through eco-tourism promotion. The provincial government has employed these strategies and programs are implemented to achieve high-impact effects to target priority groups. However, due to limited resources, programs have been implemented on a year-to-year basis and on selected coverage.

The institutionalization of the strategic planning process creates an organizational culture that allows all members of the organization to take part, understand, own and involve in the planning, implementation and monitoring of programs that are collectively believed to achieve the goals of the government. This culture will enhance the organization’s pro-activity in addressing pressing concerns of the Boholanos.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFITS

The participation of the Provincial Government in the FCM Partnership has given those people directly involved to be exposed on the Canadian perspective of strategic planning process. The program has allowed planners, implementors, department heads and elected officials to broaden their understanding on the importance and nature of the strategic planning

This capability-building-focused FCM partnership enhances the Provincial Government’s capacity to objectively and collectively identify its development thrust and strategically plan and implement effective programs. It allows policy and decision-makers to appreciate further the importance of linking plans to the budget system.

Technical exchanges have also allowed acquisition of technology on management best practices that serve as invaluable inputs to improve governance and services.

The partnership program has strengthened the existing link between the Provincial Government and the participating municipalities to work for development – sharing experiences and creating solutions to common development constraints.

Most relevant benefit is that it strengthens the Provincial Government’s policy of prioritizing the use of limited resources to relevant and well-grounded programs – most beneficial to the majority of the people.

The FCM partnership has contributed in setting the required organizational culture that improved the quality and reasonableness of the Provincial Development Plans (MTDP, ADP, AIP) – formulated by all concern stakeholders. Strong linkage between plans and budgets has shown the following major outcomes in 2003 for the Provincial Government:

· Agriculture Development – Rice Hybridization Program

o Increased rice production from 2.8 metric tons/ hectare to 6-11 metric tons/hectare

· Generation of Employment and Livelihood – BEPO Job Generation Program

o Facilitated more than 1,500 jobs for overseas workers and assisted more than 1,000 prospective workers

· Improving Infrastructure Facilities

o Implementation of Leyte-Bohol Interconnection Phase III to generate 80 megawatts power

o Implementation of Bohol Irrigation Project Phase II to irrigate 5,300 hectares of rice fields

o Implementation of Bohol Circumferential Road Improvement Phase II - to improve road conditions in the northern part to eastern part of the Province

o Bridge improvement under the President’s Bridge Program

o Airport and Ports improvement

· Health – Facilities Improvement

o Implementation of the flagship hospitals – Improvement of facilities and services

· Tourism Promotion

o Bohol adjudged as the No. 1 Tourism Destination of the Year in the Philippines

· Poverty Reduction Programs

o Implementation of donor-assisted Programs

§ World Bank KALAHI-CIDDS Programs – 12 Municipalities

§ AusAID-PACAP-PATSSARD Program – 17 Municipalities

§ Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Program – 9 Municipalities

§ Heifer Project International – 19 Municipalities

FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF THE PARTNERSHIP

· Coordination and guidance given by the FCM Canadian Coordinator to the Provincial Government counterparts and LGU – FCM Coordinators

· Coordination and open communication between PPDO and LGU Coordinators

· Continued support provided by the partner city – Portage la Prairie for the Program

· Support provided by the provincial leadership for the program and generally the provincial government’s policy on prioritizing resource allocation for vital programs

· Continued support provided by the municipal LGUs, officials and FCM Technical Working Groups

· Support given by the municipality of Tubigon for the program

· Strengthened linkage between Provincial Government, LGUs , Tubigon and Portage la Prairie

· Commitment of time and effort of LGU coordinators for the program

PERSONS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM

For the FCM Program:

· Atty. Juanito G. Cambangay

Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator

- Provides overall supervision and guidance for the FCM Program in the Province of Bohol

- Supervises PPDO staff assigned for the FCM Program

- Resource in the conduct of strategic planning process

· Atty. John Titus Vistal – Planning Officer IV

· Peter Ross Retutal – Planning Officer I

· Glenn Doloritos – Planning Officer II

- Coordinate with the FCM Canadian Coordinator, the Bohol FCM Coordinator and LGU FCM Coordinators

- Assist in the conduct of Strategic Planning Process in LGUs

- Provide administrative support for FCM-related activities

- Link between Canadian coordinator and LGU Coordinators

· Jema Cabrias -FCM Intern

- Provided assistance in the conduct of environmental scanning of LGUs prior to workshops

- Assisted in the preparatory activities during the 1^st and 2^nd technical exchanges in Bohol and Portage la Prairie

- Resource in the conduct of strategic planning process in LGUs

· Engr. Noel Mendaña

Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator - Tubigon

- Provides support, assistance an insights for the partnership program

· Gov. Erico B. Aumentado

Governor, Province of Bohol

- Provides full support for the implementation of the FCM Program in Bohol

· Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council)

- Provides full support for the implementation of the FCM Program in Bohol

For the MTDP Formulation (Considered as the Strategic Plan)

· Provincial Planning and Development Office

o Facilitated the formulation of the MTDP according to sectoral groupings

o Facilitated workshops/ meetings/ consultations of PDC Sectoral Committees/ Full Council

o Drafted and finalized the MTDP

· PDC Sectoral Committees

o Provided inputs in the crafting of sectoral MRDP

o Reviewed and finalized draft sectoral MTDP

· PDC Full Council

o Reviewed, redefined, approved the MTDP

· Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council)

o Reviewed and approved the MTDP

· All Government Offices Concerned

o Translated plans to yearly programs from the MTDP

o Implement plans based on budgets

RECOMMENDATIONS

· It is recommended that the partnership be replicated in other parts of Bohol – to involve other set of municipalities. This would allow the municipalities to experience and gain exposure to Canadian perspective of strategic planning and management

· It is further recommended that for the participants of the existing partnership – Carmen, Loboc, Loon, and Talibon, an extended partnership be developed to help these municipalities address common problems, as identified in their respective strategic plans, which are beyond the technical and financial capabilities of the municipalities. The partnership may be in a form of technical and funding assistance.

CONCLUSION

Strategic planning is an effective tool of setting the development directions of the Provincial Government and it strengthens the organization’s ability to respond proactively to the needs of the people by ensuring that resources are allocated for the implementation of priority programs. The FCM Partnership Program has renewed and reinforced the value of the strategic planning process in the provincial and municipal LGUs, giving due importance to collective planning, open communication, ownership and accountability in the development and implementation of the plan.

The partnership has build up awareness and appreciation from the members of the organization on the advantages of linking plans to budgets and the importance of communicating the plans to all stakeholders.

The organizational practice of conducting strategic planning session in every office before the preparation of budgets has been supported. Top-level management also carry out this process to ensure that individual and office activities/programs is known to others and that a common direction is followed.

Generally, the FCM Partnership Program has transferred the technology of a different strategic planning perspective to the LGUs of Bohol. Further initiatives at the municipalities exposed leaders and members of the barangays to the strategic planning process.

All these outcomes will ultimately lead to better governance and public services in Bohol.

Thank you Portage la Prairie, Thank you FCM!