About the Project | resourcegov

ABOUT THE PROJECT

I. Project Background & Objectives

Results of the 2016 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index which showed that the Philippines ranked 101 out of 176 countries with a score of 35/100 imply that corruption remains a persistent issue in the country resulting from lack of transparency and accountability in governance. These were supported by the results of the 2016 Social Weather Station (SWS) Survey of Enterprises on Corruption which showed that 63% of respondents said that there is a lot of corruption in public sector.

The 2016 DILG Governance Assessment Reports also showed unfavorable results on local governance. Of the 1,715 LGUs (81 Provinces, 145 Cities, 1,489 Municipalities) in the country, only 17% or 306 LGUs have passed the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). In MIndanao, only 17% or 81 out of 485 LGUs passed the SGLG. At the municipal level, only 13% or 56 out of 425 MLGUs passed SGLG (See table):

Most of those municipalities which failed to pass the SGLG were unable to pass the core assessment areas (i.e. financial administration, social protection and disaster preparedness) or one of the essential assessment areas (business-friendliness/competitiveness, peace and order, ecological management). In particular, some MLGUs failed to comply the full disclosure policy or the 3-year average local collection growth (financial administration), the meaningful participation of CSOs in LDCs (social protection), and the presence of local investment code and BPLS standards (business-competitiveness).

All these survey and assessment results underscore the need to enhance local governance through increased and more efficient civil society interaction with LGUs/stakeholders, especially promoting LGU transparency and accountability and fighting corruption at LGU level. These also underscore the need for LGUs to efficiently raise their local revenues and transparently manage their resources/budgets. These also underline the need for a transparent monitoring of LGU performance and service delivery and participation of CSOs and local communities in local governance, particularly in planning/decision making, budgeting and performance monitoring to improve access and quality of local public services.

The implementation of the RESOURCEGov project (phase 1) proved that the above issues can be addressed. Results of the project external evaluation indicated an increased participation of CSOs in local governance, particularly in participatory planning and transparent budgeting and monitoring of LGU performance and project/budgets using tools/systems/mechanisms such as ODK/Qlik/LITS, CSIS and CSO desks. The project also contributed in improved capacities of LGUs to generate local revenues using ODK/Qlik tools/systems and policy support such as updating of revenue, investment and economic enterprise codes which are crucial to increasing local revenues. As part of the recommendations of the external evaluation and the results of the project-end sustainability planning as well as the recent stakeholders' consultations with local DILG, DBM, LGUs and CSOs/CSO networks, this proposed project seeks to sustain the high impact interventions/best practices of the project for the existing partner LGUs/CSOs and replicate them to other LGUs and CSOs in Mindanao. As such, this proposed project is a continuation and scaling-up of the previous EU-funded RESOURCEGov project.

The overall objective of this 36-month Phase 2 project is to help improve the local governance, performance and service delivery of Local Government Units (LGUs) in the marginalised communities of Mindanao. To achieve this, the project seeks to enhance the local capacities, systems/mechanisms and policies of 56 LGUs in Mindanao on local revenue generation, budgeting, monitoring and CSO participation in local governance. Specifically, the project seeks to improve the situation of the target groups/final beneficiaries with the following specific expected results/outcomes:

II. Project Sites & Implementing Organisations

The project shall be implemented by Mahintana Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE), the largest coalition of Mindanao-based civil society organisations in Mindanao. This is in close coordination with the local/regional offices of DILG, DBM and DOF/BLGF in Regions XI, XII & XIII as associate partners/resource organisations. Project partners shall undertake all of the identified activities based on the proposed project sites, where they currently operate or had previous interventions.

Various performance monitoring assessments and consultations with local DILG, DBM, LGUs and MINCODE showed the need for the low income class LGUs in areas of local revenue generation, resource allocation and utilisation, legislation/legislative tracking and CSO participation which resulted to the identification of the proposed priority areas. The table below shows the covered areas of the project:

III. Project Management Structure:

The project shall be implemented by Mahintana Foundation, Inc. in partnership with MINCODE as co-applicant. As applicant, Mahintana shall take charge of implementing, overseeing and monitoring all components/activities of the project in all target areas. As co-applicant, MINCODE shall take charge of implementing the Mindanao Learning Exchange/Periodic Dialogue with EU Project Partners in Mindanao and overseeing and monitoring all components/activities of the project in Region 11 and 13.

As designed, the project shall tap local CSOs/network members operating in the respective target areas for capacity building and technical assistance. As contractor, local CSOs/network members shall conduct specific work assignments as contained in the service contract, which include but not limited to training, mapping/profiling, monitoring LGU performance, etc.

The implementation of the project is also in close coordination with the regional/local DILG, DBM, DOF/BLGF offices of Region XI, XII and XIII as associate partners. As associate partners, local DILG, DBM, DOF/BLGF offices shall be actively involved in implementing key project activities and overseeing the performance of the target LGUs vis-à-vis the project interventions. Below is the project structure at the partnership level:

Replicating the RESOURCEGov 1 project experience, the project shall adopt the project management structure (below) utilising/organising Project Management Team (PMT) and Project Implementation Team (PIT) and DILG local structures to ensure effective coordination, oversight and support system. The organisational structure at the operational/project level and the roles and functions of the teams are presented below:

Roles and Functions:

Project Director (10% level of effort) - shall provide the overall direction and shall take charge of overseeing the overall project management and supervision.
Project Manager (100%) – shall take charge of the efficient and effective implementation and management of all project components and activities defined under the project. S/He shall likewise anchor the overall documentation and integration of all reports and activities undertaken by the project in various project sites. S/He shall monitor and review the performance of the project and formulate the necessary policies to the Project Management Team (PMT) to further improve the overall performance of the project.
Project Documenter (100%) – shall take charge of ensuring that all project activities are properly documented at various levels of project implementation. S/He shall anchor the documentation of all project-level activities and shall help in the preparation of periodic reports as required by the donor and other partner organisations. S/He shall take charge of consolidating the documentation reports from all projects sites and shall facilitate the initial preparation of project’s information materials. S/He shall closely coordinate with the project staff in the preparation of reports and other necessary project-related documents.
Project Coordinators (50%) - shall provide direct supervision over the Project Officers and Project Bookkeepers to ensure that project activities are undertaken based on approved implementation and financial plan.
Project Officers (100%) – shall directly take charge of the day to day operations of the project at the community level. S/He shall conduct proper documentation and reporting of the day to day operations and accomplishments of the project at the field level. Shall take necessary actions in order to ensure the effective and efficient project implementation at the community level; Shall conduct community mobilisation activities to ensure that project activities are properly implemented at the community level; Shall prepare monthly accomplishment reports for proper project monitoring and evaluation.
Admin and Finance Officer (50%) - shall be in-charge in the administrative, financial and procurement requirements of the project. Shall supervise the project bookkeeper and cashiers in the preparation of the project’s periodic reports and financial documents.
Project Bookkeepers (100%, 50%) – shall take charge of the recording, documentation and analysis of all financial transactions undertaken by the project. S/He shall anchor the preparation and prompt submission of periodic budget performance reports and financial statements of the project to the proponent and donors.
Cashiers (50%) – shall take charge of handling cash-related transactions. S/He shall provide assistance to the Bookkeeper while providing administrative support to the activities undertaken by the project.
Project Management Team (PMT) – is comprised of the Project Director, Project Manager, Project Coordinators, Admin and Finance staff, and representatives from DILG, DBM, DOF/BLGF, etc. PMT shall serve as the overall steering team who will facilitate the resolution of significant issues and concerns affecting the overall management and implementation of identified project activities. PMT shall meet at least quarterly to facilitate discussion and resolution of unresolved issues and concerns from the Project Implementation Team (PIT) and to help ensure the effective and efficient implementation of all project activities.
Project Implementation Team (PIT) – is composed of the Project Officers and Project Bookkeepers and field staff/representatives from DILG, DBM, DOF/BLGF, etc. who are directly involved in the actual project implementation. PIT shall meet monthly in order to discuss and resolve issues which have important implications in the project’s implementation process.
DILG regional, provincial and municipal offices – shall be the associate partners of the project and shall be involved in the key activities of the project. Shall provide technical staff and resource persons for technical assistance and capacity building activities of the project. Shall actively involve in overseeing and monitoring LGU performance vis-a-vis the project interventions.