NGOs monitoring: the report card system

Grading the government

by: Rachelle Marie Gutierrez Dangin

            “Naa sad juy improvement!” (There really is improvement!)

Lihok Pilipina Program Coordinator Jacqueline dela Peña.remarks on the effects of the report card system as monitoring process of NGOs.

Initiated last 2001, Lihok Pilipina in partnership with The Urban Governance Initiative (TUGI) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the report card system was created to promote good governance.

The performances of the government offices were examined according to the nine core characteristics of good governance: participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensus orientation, equity, effectiveness and efficiency, accountability and strategic vision.

As Prof. Felisa Etimadi puts it, “it was quite effective as we saw changes in their performances.”

            In her article entitled Monitoring Governance: Civil Society Experience in Cebu City, the government is pressured to improve its performance. “This exercise serves as a reminder kung unsa pa ang kulang ug dapat i-implement sa balaod.” (to find out what the shortcomings are and what legal provisions have yet to be implemented).

            “It is very helpful because it serves as a wake-up call to the government officials,” Advocacy Officer Ernie Al Edralin of the Center for Participatory Governance adds.

Straight A's

            With its goal of upholding good governance, the system receives five stars.

But more than just this impact, the report card system has also “empowered a sense of empowerment to civil society”, as described in Etimadi’s article.

With the simplicity of the system’s nature, the citizens can easily participate. “The report card is a simple tool, thus dili lisud sabton (not hard to understand). We even translated the report card into Cebuano. Even the marginalized makatubag pud (can answer it too).” explains dela Peña.

 “In good governance, apil ang tao sa pag-gobyerno (the people also govern),” asserts Edralin.

Etimadi’s article further states that the state, civil society and the private sector interact to pursue societal development and good governance. Citizen feedback has widened the citizen participation in governance.

And through “citizen monitoring, we produce positive results”, says Etimadi.

Red Marks

Effective and helpful it might be, the system sees some red marks.

“The system is mainly perception. Others might be biased in grading the offices. If, at first, dili najud siya ganahan ana nga office, ma-apektuhan sad jud iyang grades ihatag (doesn’t really like the office, thereby affecting the grades he’ll give).” dela Peña observes.

With the grade results, there is that “element of readiness in our politicians”. For Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Evelyn Nacario-Castro, they need to be prepared to accept the results of the grading system; else, “they will discredit it if it’s unfavorable”.

Even Edralin admits that the offices have different interpretations to the results. “There are just those who don’t want to be accessed”.

Take Mayor Tomas Osmeña. He thinks of this monitoring process as “lousy but better than nothing.” For him, it doesn’t really matter. “These NGOs should play active roles in providing service instead of criticizing.”

Former Mayor Alvin Garcia shares the same sentiment. The NGOs should talk about the projects they can do together with the government. “It is better than a report card system.” But still, “if report card is effectively implemented, then it can be helpful.”

Future Stars

Therefore, with the upcoming elections come May, the NGOs plan to improve this mechanism, making it more reliable and efficient in monitoring the government offices.

Lihok Pilipina plans to carry out this system yearly while the Kaabag sa Sugbo has rescheduled the use of report card system.

But then again, Rudy Villanueva, Coordinator of Kaabag sa Sugbo expresses that “we need funds to help us accomplish our projects.”