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CITY STRATEGY & GOVERNANCE
The Naga City Model
Outline
• The Setting
• Governance Model
• Illustrative Examples
• Growth Programs
• Equity-Building Programs
• Participatory Mechanisms
• Insights
THE SETTING
What Naga is Not
NOT
CENTRALLYLOCATED.
Approximately 450
kilometers from both
Manila and Cebu; not
even Bicol’s regional
government center
NOT A BIG
CITY. Of the 114
Philippine cities, 63rd
in terms of land area
and 53rd in terms of
population
NOT A PORT CITY.
Landlocked; no access to the
sea and, therefore, at a
disadvantage compared to
Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo
and General Santos
THE SETTING
What Naga Is
RECOGNIZED CENTER OF LOCAL INNOVATIONS. More
than 40 national and international recognition– including the 1998 Dubai
International Award for having one of the Top 10 Best Practices worldwide.
LIVABLE CITY. Says Interface, the newsmagazine of the League of Cities.
STRONG NON-GOVERNMENT SECTOR. In the form of civic,
business and people’s organizations. More than 100 are accredited with the city.
TOOK ADVANTAGE OF LOCAL AUTONOMY. The state policy
to promote local autonomy has helped Naga mainly because it has helped itself,
crafting innovations that even antedate the Local Government Code.
But this did not happen overnight…
THE SETTING
Naga in 1988 – Development Challenges
despite a tradition of being the center of trade and commerce,
local economy was sluggish and stagnating due to years of neglect
 reduced from a first- to a third-class city
 low business sector confidence with the number of firms
plateauing at 2,000; the Central Business District (CBD) was
overcrowded and remained unchanged for more than four decades
 basic services had been deteriorating
 resources required to address problems were not forthcoming
 crime was on the rise; smut films and lewd shows proliferated;
illegal gambling was rampant
 homeless urban poor population was growing

Naga’s Answer: Good Urban Governance
NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL
Progressive
perspective
Good urban
governance
Partnerships
 Progressive development
perspective - based on
“growth with equity” as a
core philosophy
 Functional partnerships vehicles that enable the city
to tap community resources
for priority undertakings
 Participation - mechanisms
that generate stakeholderParticipation
ship and ownership over
local undertakings
NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL
Progressive Development Perspective

a function of the local leadership

In the case of Naga, given its problems in 1988, had to
involve:

confidence-building measures

sharing with the community a vision for the city

leadership by example
NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL
CORE PHILOSOPHY: “GROWTH WITH EQUITY”
Shows an enlightened perception of the poor. It seeks to:
Promote economic
development
(growth)
Sustain the
implementation of
pro-poor projects
(equity-building)
NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL
Functional Partnerships

Multiplies the local government’s capacity and enables it
to overcome resource constraints

May be:

for growth or equity-building strategies

with community groups or individuals

government-initiated or private-led
NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL
People Participation

Borne out of the belief that the extent of the city
government’s success is contingent on how people respond
to its initiatives

Mechanisms to ensure the inclusion of individuals and the
community in decision-making

Mainstreams and engages people in governance

Promotes long-term sustainability by generating broadbased ownership of initiatives

Promotes the partner-beneficiary concept
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
Partnerships in Growth Programs
Urban Transport & Traffic Management Plan

a growth strategy for expanding the CBD only
through the relocation of transport terminals
outside the CBD

expanded the commercial area by a third of its
original size
Satellite/District Markets

development dispersed to areas outside the CBD
bv encouraging the development of
privately- owned district markets (5 currently in
operation)
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
Partnerships in Growth Programs
Panganiban Upgrading & Beautification

created a new business corridor at a main
thoroughfare leading to the CBD (formerly a
swampy one-kilometer eyesore)
Central Business District-II

a 27-hectare distinct commercial area
developed by the private sector

has resulted in a 100% expansion of the
commercial district, and stabilized commercial
land prices
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
Partnerships in Growth Programs
Naga Southwest Development

multi-billion property development covering approximately
90 hectares

another private-led partnership involving one of the
country’s leading property development conglomerates

will be the area for first-class commercial and residential
development
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
Partnerships in Equity-Building Programs

Urban Poor Program (Kaantabay sa Kauswagan) – with urban
poor organizations, landowners and private developers; already
covers 6,940 households

Livelihood – provides livelihood assistance to the urban poor
and other micro entrepreneurs
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
Partnerships in Equity-Building Programs

Health, Nutrition and Emergency Assistance – brought down
the number of malnourished children to 5.3% of the pre-school
population; institutionalized Emergency Rescue Naga with
various community groups

Education – schools for early education and development,
specialized high schools
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
Participatory Mechanisms

Naga City People’s Council – institutionalized the concept
of NGO participation in governance

Other Local Special Bodies – participation by specific
sectors in various policy-making bodies (City
Development Council, Housing Board, Livelihood
Management Council, Investment Board)

I-Governance Program – seeks to involve the individual
Nagueño in governance through more avenues for
information openness and transparency
INSIGHTS
Why Partnerships?





They can take place between and among the various levels of
government (national, regional, local); between government and
the business and NGO-PO community; and between
government and private individuals or entities
They can be government-led or private-led (with the
government providing the environment for partnerships)
They enable LGUs to marshal untapped resources of the local
community for local development initiatives
They allow involved parties to attain mutually-beneficial
objectives even with minimum individual resources
They multiply the LGU’s internal capability, opening doors to
opportunities that are otherwise beyond its resources to pursue
INSIGHTS
Operating Principles of Partnerships

Role definition – setting of rules of engagement minimizes
potential conflicts

Resource complementation – “the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts”

Specialization – moving towards one’s core competencies
INSIGHTS
Why Participation?

Participatory mechanisms promotes accountability and
transparency which lead to further innovations

They can lead to more partnerships

They are effective strategies for encouraging and increasing
stakeholders support for local development programs, projects
and activities
INSIGHTS
Partnerships and Participation

both are key components of Naga’s governance model

however, at the operational and practical level, partnerships
work best among organized groups and institutions

this can exclude individuals and the community at large from
the governance process

partnerships must be complemented by mechanisms that
promote stronger participation at the level of individual
citizens

this is addressed by the city’s current initiatives such as IGovernance
Naga City: An Maogmang Lugar

among the country’s fastest-growing economies with an
annual growth rate of 6.5%-- a big jump over 1988
 A lower
unemployment rate of 5.2% compared to the national
 A per
capita gross product which is 115% higher than the
national average; a family income that is comparable to other
highly-urbanized areas, 126% higher than the average family
in Bicol, and 42% higher than the national average
 A lower
poverty incidence of 29% compared to the region’s
more than 50%
All a result of a concerted community effort…
- end of presentation -