Performance evaluation of Baguio City gov’t proposed

 BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – Like Isko Moreno of Manila, Mayor Benjamin Magalong of this tourism resort is apparently doing the right moves in moving this city to the right direction, according to observers.

Except for the hard-headed, it seems motorists are now observing traffic laws and don’t just park their vehicles anywhere. Somehow, heavy traffic is slowly easing. The bus terminal which had been a bottleneck over the years is now a breeze to pass as buses cannot park on one side.

The Irisan dumpsite’s machines are now working even as the air has become fresher in the area, residents there are saying. The problem of squatting is reportedly now being addressed particularly at Busol Watershed which is still a sticky question due to ancestral land claims over the area.

Residents of Brooks Point beside the watershed have often complained about squatters who have mushroomed in the area over the years.

What the good mayor could check is whether those with such ancestral land claims over the area are really Ibalois considering  some Kankanaeys affiliated with city hall bigshots the past administration reportedly applied for such land claims over the area.

Meanwhile, a sizable lot at Dominican Hill near the old and dilapidated Dominican Hotel titled under a group of former Benguet Electric Cooperative employees had also been squatted upon.

The owners however couldn’t drive away the notorious squatters who wield bolos every time they go there. “Bagi yo to papel, bagi mi ti daga (You own the papers, we own the land)” they reportedly shout at them every time they are there.

It is high time these squatters are driven away so the legitimate land owners could peacefully use their lots and the mayor could play a major role in this.

Anyhow, while Magalong and his men are clearing roads of obstructions and illegal structures over road rights of way like those along Marcos and Naguillan roads, he is also reportedly addressing the problem of stray dogs and is looking at imbedding microchips on these animals wherein the owner could be immediately identified and penalized for letting their dogs on the streets.

It seems the former chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is on a mission with no time to spare.

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But there are still reportedly the “sipsips” sowing intrigues who are trying to get into his good graces – some affiliated with the past administration.

He bared this to a group of media persons on the sidelines of a press conference at the DENR compound before he assumed office. We wish the mayor well in his endeavors to “fix” the city.

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This, as the city council approved a resolution “urging the mayor to create a city government performance and governance audit team to conduct a performance evaluation of all city hall departments focused on three sectors: plans, programs and projects; budget and personnel and actual implementation, output and impact to stakeholders, as tool for the city to enhance delivery of public service.”

A report by Dexter See of the city information office said the  resolution authored by Councilor Isabelo B. Cosalan, Jr. stated that “foremost in the 15-point agenda of the local chief executive is to speed up government action -- an indication that delivery of government services appears to be a challenge to the patience of the city’s constituency.”

The resolution noted “one of the indicators of good governance is the responsiveness of government officials and employees in effectively responding to the real needs of the people and their expectations within a reasonable period of time and with efficiency.”

The resolution stipulated that “the local government leadership can effect much needed reforms, the public is looking forward to in regards city government actions on various issues and concerns, to focus more on the actual impacts of the said actions in the promotion of the general welfare and benefits of the citizenry or stakeholders.”

According to the proposed resolution, “there have been previous initiatives by the local government to conduct an organizational audit of the city but unfortunately such plans were not sustained or had they been implemented, fell short in addressing persistent organizational and operational loopholes.”

The resolution pointed out that “it is imperative to determine the public’s perception on how government officials and employees dispense their duties and responsibilities as well as how they connect with the stakeholders not merely as employees executing routine tasks, but representatives of the government in their respective capacities.”

The proposal said “proper planning starts with a clear identification, appreciation and understanding of the challenges and circumstances to appropriately address issues and concerns that affect the realization of the set goals and objectives.”

The Local government Code of 1991 as amended provides that efficient, effective and economical governance of local government units is geared to the general welfare of its inhabitants pursuant to Section 16 of the same code.

The resolution with this, the “city mayor shall initiate and maximize the generation of resources and revenues, and apply the same to the implementation of development plans, program objectives and priorities as provided for under Section 18 of the code to ensure the delivery of basic services and the provision of adequate facilities as provided for under Section 17.”

Administrative Order No. 052, series of 2019 reportedly “constituted the project management team for a citywide organizational audit, analysis and organizational development within the local government does not provide for a timeframe the audit should start and end, neither does it provide that the results of such audit be furnished the local legislative body for appropriate legislative intervention.”