The Naga City People’s Council and the People’s Budget�Naga City’s Good Practices �in Participative Urban Governance

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A guiding framework

• Progressive development perspective. Seeks prosperity-building tempered by an enlightened perception of the poor
• Functional partnerships. Vehicles that enable the city to tap community resources for priority undertakings
• Participation. Mechanisms that ensure long-term sustainability of local undertakings

Guided by experience, Naga City evolved its own governance model

The Naga Governance Model

Bureaucracy

Civil Society

Citizenry

STRONG

INSTITUTIONS

People Empowerment Program

• Continuing NGO accreditation
• Naga among the first to implement the provision mandating NGO accreditation
• Multi-level consultation mechanisms
• Multiple consultation channels were set up ̶ specific sectors, groups, or the entire constituency can participate in identifying and affirming developmental priorities
• Referendum on development issues
• On August 6, 1993, Naga pioneered the conduct of a citywide referendum when three development issues were submitted to Nagueños for decision
• The Empowerment Ordinance and the Naga City People’s Council
• Through a landmark legislation, a system of partnership encouraged the federation of NGOs and POs into the Naga City People’s Council (NCPC) – Ordinance No. 1995-092

FUNCTIONS OF THE �Naga City People’s Council

• Appoints NGO representatives to local special bodies of the City Government
• Observes, votes and participates in the deliberation, conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of projects, programs and activities of the City Government
• Proposes legislation, participates and votes at the committee level of the Sanggunian, and
• Acts as the people's representatives in exercise of their constitutional right to information

In 2015, the city government adopted a policy that fixed its annual budgetary outlays to the NCPC, pegging it as equivalent of 1.25% of its Local Development Fund (LDF). This provided predictability to the city’s funding commitments to the People Empowerment Program. (Ordinance No. 2015-038)

NCPC in policymaking

31 Standing Committees

of the City Council

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Rules and Privileges ● Blue Ribbon ● Appropriations ● Infrastructure ● Land Use ● Social Development ● Education ● Health ● Agriculture ● Trade and Industry ● Market Affairs ● Public Safety ● Youth Development ● Manpower Development ● Sports Development ● Laws, Ordinances and Reorganization ● Barangay (Village) Affairs ● Tourism and Foreign Relations ● Public Utilities ● Cooperatives ● Culture and Heritage ● Family ● Games and Amusement ● Consumers’ Protection ● Women ● Public Affairs and Information ● Environment and Ecology ● Children ● Urban Poor ● External Affairs ● NGO/PO Accreditation

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Local special bodies under 1991 LGC

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Development Council ● Health Board ● Peace and Order Council ● School Board ● Bids and Awards Committee

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Other mandated special bodies

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Investment Board ● Housing and Urban Development Board

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● Other sectoral councils

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● Other task forces, committees and other bodies created by the city government

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Selects own representatives to the following entities:

The People’s Budget

• In 2017, City Government adopted a new policy that revolutionized the way planning and budgeting is being done in the city
• Ordinance No. 2017-072, also known as the People’s Budget Ordinance of Naga City
• On top of national government issuances on local planning and budgeting, this new policy governed preparation of city budgets starting in 2019

Guiding principles

• Evidence-based policymaking
• Annual budget shall respond to challenges facing the city and local communities captured by the Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) and other indicators
• Citizen feedback
• Constituents shall have the opportunity to comment on the proposed budget, which shall be considered by city leaders before its finalization and approval
• Explicit plan-budget link
• Annual budget shall be based on local plans and annual investment programs formulated with participation of citizens, other interest groups in the community

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Plan-budget link

• Budgets must be based on local plans crafted participatively
• Annual Investment Program (AIP) is central
• Endorsed by the City Development Council (local planning body, 25% of members belong to NCPC)
• Approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod prior to budget proposal preparation
• MOV: certification from city planning department that all individual office/ department/project unit AIPs are responsive to CBMS, SDGs

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Plan-Budget Link in the Philippines

Mandated budget presentation, public consultations

• Section 8 of People’s Budget Ordinance is the heart of whole process
• Provides for a two-level system of presentation and consultation of proposed budgets to assemblies organized by the NCPC
• MOV: certification from NCPC that all city departments, offices and program units, as well as the city budget office, have fully satisfied requirements of Section 8

Sector/department budget assembly�August 21-September 6, 2019

Accounting

Treasury

Solid Waste Management

Social

Welfate

Public Market

Children’s Office

Insights

• Progressive leadership, sustainable partnerships and participation mechanisms are critical to livable, inclusive cities in the 21st century
• Successful implementation of the SDGs must be driven by a progressive perspective among local leaderships, particularly one shaped by enlightened perception of the poor
• Mechanisms for greater participation in governance process—both for marginalized groups and individuals, and both at planning and budgeting phase—are also essential
• Naga City People’s Council and the city’s People’s Budget Ordinance are good mechanisms that can be looked at.
• Continuing challenge is transforming these concepts into our second nature