Barangay planning, working with the academe: the need for a better way

IN THAT U.P. event the other day, two things struck me because they were were asked and I had to write them down (I usually don't; call it sloth or something, but it's just me:)).

One is the unique potentials and possibilities that lie in truly and meaningfully integrating barangay development plans as key inputs in the city planning process. I have to admit this is not one of Naga's stronger suits (although barangay planning and budgeting was part and parcel of the GOLD technical assistance in the late '90s), and certainly it is not the exception here among Philippine cities. But then again it is a weakness we need to address.

The common practice of recycling annual barangay investment plans as the convenient substitute to a more forward-looking development plan surfaced in the exchanges. But I think we have to ask ourselves: Why do barangay officials do it? Is it because of the usual for-compliance mentality? Or is it something deeper—maybe a statement against the higher level government's continuing failure to recognize and integrate community priorities in the planning process? Even I missed this critical item in our ongoing process of updating local plans. I must admit this realization bowled me over, and resolved that we need to do something about this huge gap.

The other thing concerns how local authorities can make use of academic institutions in improving its governance processes. This brought to mind two entries on the subject by Dominique Cimafranca of Dumaguete, which can be found here and here.

My comment, reproduced below, essentially sums up what I think local governments need to do.

...On the point raised about the insularism between government and the local schools, there are institutional mechanisms through which this can be overcome. The City Development Council comes to mind, whose membership should at least be 25% NGO, and I'm sure that includes academia. My own personal experience with the City School Board shows it can be an excellent vehicle: we have expanded it to include the high school principals of Ateneo de Naga and University of Nueva Caceres. Their presence have raised the quality of discussion many times over.

Previously, I have had problems as to why Ateneo de Naga (where most of our local elected officials came from) doesn't seem willing to engage the city government. Now, I believe it is incumbent on the city government to take the lead and create opportunities for it to happen, as we are little by little doing. It also helps that a good number of our middle managers teach in these schools on the side. My personal journey will be complete when I become one of these teacher-practitioners...:)

For this reason, we shall be touching base with the Faculty of Architecture of the Camarines Sur Polytechnic College and the University of Nueva Caceres to bring them onboard in the ongoing land use planning process. And this should be the shape of things to come.