Good Governance

Programs offered here are meant for local application in a city or municipality, the provincial and regional levels, and to some degree in the national arena, depending on the program pursued and its challenges.

We will facilitate and guide you – whether LGU’s, NGA’s, PO’s or NGO’s – through the process that may include planning, consultation, training, application of solutions, and achievement of goals and; and also evaluation to improve rolled-out initiatives.

Capacity-Building

This is a conceptual approach to social development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit the people, governments and non-governmental organizations from realizing development goals, while enhancing their abilities to to achieve measurable and sustainable results.

This also refers to strengthening the skills, competencies and abilities of people and communities so they can overcome the causes of their exclusion and difficult circumstances.

Such may be pursued through a process that would assess needs, engage stakeholders, formulate and implement responses anchored on institutional arrangements, leadership, knowledge and accountability, and evaluate capacity development.

Policy Development

Improving the quality of life in a locality is never ending. New policies emerge when circumstances occur that underscore the need, especially to keep harmony and sanity in society. Thus, the need for LGU’s to develop policies that may not augur with some.

A sound policy is built upon good research and consultation with those who will be affected by the policy. The process needs to identify the issue that necessitates a policy, establish the process and the key persons to prepare the discussion paper and to undertake research and consultation.

The team will then draft the policy and subject it further to another round of consultation, incorporate revisions and pursue the adoption by the local legislature and/or the executive, conduct an information drive and probably trainings, then review and evaluate the progress for more improvement.

Participatory Governance

Democracy thrives better with this. It seeks to deepen citizen participation in the governmental process by examining and validating assumptions and practices, especially those that hinder participatory democracy.

Through democratic engagement, citizen empowerment and capacity building are given prime value and can create great impact service delivery, social equity, and political representation.

The process involves conducting consultations and forums.

Urban ♦ Rural Planning

A technical and political process in the development and use of land, protection and use of the environment, and public welfare, this also involves the design of the urban environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure that passes through, as transportation, communications, and distribution networks.

Planning guides orderly development in the locality, including the establishment of settlements and communities, use of water and other resources, rural and agricultural land, parks and conserving areas of natural environmental significance. This involves research and analysis, strategic thinking, public consultation, as well as policy recommendations, implementation and management.

The process taps cognate fields of architecture, civil engineering, and public administration to achieve strategic, policy and sustainability goals. An independent professional discipline, it includes fields as land-use planning, zoning, economic development, environmental planning, and transportation planning.

Solid Waste Management

Republic Act 9003 – the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2003 – is a framework for managing the growing problem of solid waste in the country. It gives prime importance to the role of an LGU in managing their respective solid wastes.

The law institutes the discipline to segregate as well as to reduce, re-use and recycle waste, and use organic materials for composting. For this process, materials recovery facilities are established, as open dumpsites are either closed or upgraded.

It further sets the civil, criminal and administrative liability of violators, the granting of incentives to LGU’s, private entities and NGOs, fees on waste generators and the fines and penalties for violators.

The law also prohibits the littering and dumping of wastes in public areas, the open burning of solid waste, and collection of non-segregated waste; as well as establishment and operation of open dumpsite, and the mixing of source separated materials with other solid waste.

Disaster & Risk Reduction Management

Republic Act No. 10121 – the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 – strengthens the country’s preparedness and response to calamities from national down to the local level, at least in the city and municipal levels, some even in the barangay level.

It covers the development of policies and plans, and implementation of actions and measures which pertain to all aspects of disaster risk reduction and management, including: good governance; risk assessment and early warning; knowledge building and awareness raising; reduction of underlying factors; preparedness for effective response and early recovery.