#AsensoPaMore is indeed a statement of progress. It is a resounding mantra to do more, give more, and learn more – and that is exactly the mission behind the benchmarking activity held from February 28 to March 1 in highly urbanized cities of Quezon City and Valenzuela City.
City Mayor Jane Yap, with key personnel from the City Government, embarked on a learning journey to gather local governance techniques and methods which can be replicated in Tagbilaran City.
Both cities showcased their full digitalization programs and their implementation. From getting business and occupancy permits to payment of real property taxes, transactions are guaranteed seamless and convenient.
Quezon City, ranked as the most competitive highly urbanized city in the whole Philippines also showcased its urban farming. Food security was achieved during the pandemic due to the vegetable supplies generated from the urban farms. Displaced employees were also given jobs. To date, 1,026 urban farms have been established with 25,000 urban farmers. It also won the Galing Pook Award for its innovativeness, integrating various agricultural interventions such as hydroponics, beekeeping, aquaculture, mushroom production, and smart farming.
Valenzuela City, on one hand, takes pride in the Tagalag Fishing Village which also bagged the Galing Pook Awards in 2023. Barangay Tagalag is geographically surrounded by water. To make their untapped resources more beneficial, the local government of Valenzuela City came up with an initiative to rebuild the fisheries heritage of the barangay. A fishing village in a modern city is an inventive means of re-establishing its identity. The Tagalag Fishing Village is a community initiative that promotes tourism and develops the local economy of the barangay and the neighboring communities. The Local Government of Valenzuela City continues its objective of transforming it into an eco-tourism zone by encouraging businesses to thrive in the area and conducting livelihood training for the residents.
When asked about their winning streak in the Seal of Good Local Governance and Galing Pook, both LGUs emphasized the value of commitment. Each department head must have the initiative to know the criteria and must automatically give the needed requirements even before the set deadline. Department heads should own and take the lead. An efficient data management system is another factor that propelled both LGUs to gain recognition. Accurate data would be a solid foundation for the projects and activities to succeed. As Austrian-American Peter Drucker, the Father of Management, was often quoted saying, “You can’t manage, what you can’t measure.” Regular monitoring and evaluation should also be in place as an overarching method to analyze what’s working or not.
City Mayor Jane Yap is optimistic that these learnings will be a reality in Tagbilaran City, “#AsensoPaMore is definitely more than just a hashtag, with focus, faith, and cooperation, all of this can be done”.