Development Entrepreneurs

A week ago I was pleasantly surprised to learn, in a workshop on  Local Road Network Development Planning, that the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur had created not one, but at least five move “Industry Maps” and infographics.  These maps show the location of key players in a specific sub-sector that drives the Provincial economy of Agusan del Sur. Provincial planners use these maps to identify roads that connect key players. They then identify road segments that require investment, and propose  projects for inclusion in the  road network development plan. Compiling the list of key players and mapping their location can be challenging. So when ADS agreed to explore this idea with us about two years ago, we decided to focus on one specific commodity: Palay (rice).  The Provincial project team, working with the local Chamber of Commerce, identified organizations, business, facilities that performed functions described in Michael Porter'...

12th Anniversary of Mayor Tommy Osmena's Management Team, May 5th 2017 T o be a member of Tommy Osmena’s “Mayor’s Management Team”, one has to have graduated at least cum laude . As MMT you go through training on service improvement, project management, and perhaps most important, handling intimidation.   Reformers need to know how to manage intimidation because they’re sure to encounter it. Intimidation is anything that seeks to prevent her from doing what she intends to do. It could take many forms - withholding of favors, diversion/distraction, sabotage, even threats - plata o plomo and everything in between. To persist in her reform, the reformer needs to be aware when she is being intimidated, needs to know how to deal with it, and even (when appropriate) how to intimidate right back. All MMTs start out implementing a service improvement project, then manage special projects. Some take on a regular appointments in the City Government, a few become Department Hea...

S ince 2012 we have been working with selected organizations of businessmen (Chambers of Commerce and Business Clubs, also known as Business Service Organizations or BSOs) to see how they can influence public spending for roads. Businessmen need roads to move goods from production and processing sites to customers, and to deliver services to their clients. They have a natural interest in having certain roads fixed. The challenge was, could they get Government to spend for these roads? They did. They proposed road projects to strengthen their Province’s economic drivers, and got funding for their roads. How did they do it? Some used the old-boys’ network. They tapped Chamber members who have social capital with specific Key Actors at the Provincial and Regional levels. These members asked for the latter's support at key points in the project identification and funding process.  Some secured the Chairmanship of key Provincial and Regional Development Council Commit...

F our years ago we started helping about 15 Provincial Governments to build road network maps for evidence-based road investment planning. We engaged Governors and Provincial Planning Officers, who led the training and coaching of City and Municipal personnel. They mapped the centerlines of all roads within the Province, encoded road names, surface type and road condition.  Technology was not the biggest constraint in this effort, as local partners used available GPS units and GIS software. The political work of engaging Mayors, Planning Officer and Engineers, and technical staff, was more challenging. The challenge to the reform team was, how could the all other Provinces in the country produce their own road network maps?  Mentor Jaime Faustino advised us that there are only two standing armies that can sustain and scale up reform - the market, or Government.  In another project, the team had discovered that using orthophotos took less time, effort ...

Free Patent Application Center, Consolacion Municipal Assessor's Office, Cebu Province I n a local government unit, resources are always tight. There’s just about enough funds for essential supplies, equipment, overhead, personnel. There are barely enough people to carry the regular workload plus the Mayor’s (or Governor’s) special projects. Even office space is limited. So when somebody comes up with a brilliant reform idea, practical managers will always ask, “do we have resources for that?” The easy answer is “no”. But when there’s enough buy-in into the reform, something interesting happens. Committed personnel are trained to implement the reform. Even when everyone’s already up to their necks with work.  Budget for essential reform activities is found.  Office space is allocated for reform use. With the corresponding signage, no less. In any Assessor’s Office there would be space for the library of section maps, Field Appraisal and Assessment ...

Recent reversions of Obama-era policies by Mr Trump reveal the fragility of policy-based reforms, and the reality of political change. When the new administration comes in, reforms introduced by the past one could be so easily thrown out.  In the Philippines, the new leader does not even have to come from an opposing party; wives replacing their husbands as Mayors or Governors have been known to ditch their better half’s policies and programs (and vice versa). Sometimes the reform itself is not cancelled. Officials behind the reform are removed by the new powers, or choose to remove themselves. The reform dies without its champions. But some reforms survive changes of administration - sometimes with new people in charge, sometimes with the same old folks.  They are sustained because they are relevant, needed, and beneficial both to target beneficiaries and those in power. Plus, it’s been practiced sufficiently much that there's sufficient bench depth of technica...

N othing says “Institutionalized” better than having your reform included in the organization’s basic services. In the earlier days of our public land titling reform, Title Distribution events were biggies for our partners - and for us. Local government and DENR partners would organize the event, specifically for the purpose of distributing titles. They would invite the Registrar of Deeds, invite title holders, find a suitable location and usually prepare for a little celebration.  Title distribution events were the culmination of the LGU and DENR’s work, the result of either systematic or sporadic adjudication.  They signaled to other lot occupants that the public land occupants that the partnership was a legitimate titling efforts, convince those who had been burned by past titling scams to apply for free patents.  And like I said, they were usually “stand-alone” single-purpose events. If these were offered in a restaurant, they would be on “Special Off...