Talaga namang “power” bicycle ang na-develop ng ilang high school students from Bulacan. Ilang padyak lang — kaya nang magproduce ng kuryente. Pwede pang mag-recyle ng papel at lapis? Tara, let’s change the game sa project cycle!

Source: GMA News

(A five part series on the Training of Principals in the Province of Iloilo under the Proof of Concept initiative on the Devolution of Basic Education Towards Better Reading Outcomes to LGUs )

Part 1: Riding on the Journey of Self-awareness

When you see a Principal, what comes to mind?

The Head of a school whose voice demands attention and response. The most powerful and intelligent leader who believes in his power to change situations and people. The penultimate talent whose skills and experiences are above everyone else and therefore possesses the utmost credibility and integrity worthy of the best in its class of school commanders.

So how do you train a Principal without getting a piercing look in the eye, a raised eyebrow or a fierce tone?

Synergeia recently conducted a two day training workshop for 120 school principals from 12 LGUsin the Province of Iloilo, the experimental group for the Proof of Concept initiative on the Devolution of Basic Education Towards Better Reading Outcomes to LGUs.

The training activity was aimed at building the capacities of principals to produce 100 per cent of grade three students as independent readers by the end of school year 2024-2025.

How did the training go? In the end, why did the principals smile in gratitude, raise their right thumbs in approval, and pound their hearts in serious dedication and commitment to their mission of developing good readers of their grade three pupils?

The importance of self-awareness was at the core of gaining acceptance of how the principals viewed their roles, attributes and characters in the jobs that they perform (internal) and how others see them while they do what they are mandated to fulfill (external).

Self-awareness is quite a rare quality. The boldness and courage with which Synergeia filed the spirits and demeanor of the principals to ride on this journey of self-awareness was remarkable.

And the journey became more exciting because the principals didn’t ask “why” but “what” they can learn to see themselves more clearly. They were unanimous in their belief that no matter how much they have achieved, there is always more to learn.

In the process, the principals acknowledged that school leadership is a multifaceted and high expectations role that requires them to think, behave and relate as:

1. CEO of a school
2. Mentor
3. Listener and Consensus Builder
4. Team Lead and Collaborator
5. Role Models
6. Culture builders of learning and achievement

They also recognized that there are challenges confronting them which they must collectively overcome with the help of their local leaders.

Among them, the principals cited conflicts with parents, protection of teachers from aggression, differences in viewpoints with other school officials and superiors, problems in classroom infrastructure and supplies, constant changing of positions and tedious workload.

But the most compelling one was the set of values and skills that they must adhere to as a guide for their decisions, actions and interactions with others.

Part II. Rediscovering The Roles Of The Principals

The training was anchored on the outcome of the self-awareness process where the principals rediscovered their roles and how they visualized their transformation as multi-dimensional leaders in their schools.

1. As CEO

   The principals identified a CEO as the highest leader in an organization or corporation who oversees everything from its vision to execution to sustainability.

   They pictured the CEO as the guy who:

   • Identifies the problems and priorities;
   • Establishes systems and defines processes;
   • Sets performance targets or expected outcomes;
   • Implements programs that will achieve expected outcomes; and
   • Undertakes the monitoring/assessment/evaluation of program results vs expected outcomes.

   The principals agreed that their role is like that of a CEO who is responsible and accountable for the school’s performance in terms of learning outcomes, stakeholder management and resource generation.

2. As a Mentor

   The principals identified a mentor as one who:

   • Welcomes and values opinions, ideas, advice from other people;
   • Trusts and shows appreciation for teachers’ work;
   • Knows, emphasizes and understands concerns of teachers;
   • Fosters democracy, objectivity, fairness and equity in decision-making and conflict resolution;
   • Focuses on issues without being influenced or pressured by others, including politicians; and
   • Ensures transparency, flexibility and accountability.

   The principals further agreed that as mentors, they must be role models to inspire others and through time, earn their respect and admiration.

3. As Listener and Consensus Builder

   Through a case study, the principals were exposed to a potential scenario which raised the questions of how a decision-making process can be more effective through a participatory model characterized by collective listening, insighting and consensus building.

   Specifically, the case study revolved around a situation where a principal employed the School Governing Council or SGC to gather inputs and ideas on how the school could increase its potential to obtain a higher passing rate on the National Achievement Test for its students.

   The principals found that while a participatory model helps in developing the values of shared responsibility, accountability and transparency and in strengthening empowerment and involvement of stakeholders, there are some

   disadvantages. These included inefficiency, lack of competency of some stakeholders, and invariably the prevalence of a less solution-oriented discussion.

   Ultimately, the principals agreed that there is good in a more consultative and inclusive process but there is scope for improving how it is done to ensure diversity, equity, transparency and integrity of decision-making. This is most relevant in school programs requiring community support like the Brigada Eskwela, school donation drive, and beautification/cleanliness projects.

4. As Team Leader and Collaborator

   The concept of team building and collaboration was introduced through creative exercises which resulted in the affirmation of certain truths for the principals, including: a. People have similarities and differences in beliefs, ideas, perspectives and experiences; b. Diversity brings about a different level of quality in the way people think, behave and act which on balance, offers a more thoughtful and provocative alternative to generating community-centric wisdom and building consensus.

   The principals acknowledged that the team-building process, from Forming, to Storming, Norming and Performing, is difficult and challenging. But with courage, determination, open communication and alignment in strategy and objectives, the principals agreed that their role as team builders and collaborators can succeed in creating more productive and high impact initiatives in reading and education.

5. As Culture Builders of Reading, Learning and Achievement

   The principals recognized that as effective school leaders, they help build and shape the culture of their schools in reading, learning and achievement, influence educational outcomes, and impact the lives of students, teachers, staff and communities.

   Culture building is a huge mission that not only rests on the shoulders of principals but on the entire educational ecosystem which needs to work together and support each other.

   The principals discussed various forms of support from the LSB/LGU, DepEd, teachers, parents and community leaders and members, including:

   1. LSB
      • school building, classroom
      • teaching and learning materials
      • salaries or allowances of non-teaching personnel
   2. Teachers
      • home visitation; one to one student tutorials/remediation
      • community outreach – advocacy campaign, check students’ absenteeism
      • conduct of sessions with parents
      • create school FB page to showcase school programs and accomplishments and achievement scores
      • weekly meeting of teachers e.g. LAC sessions
      • encourage parental support and commitment; collaborate with parents
   3. Parents
      • parental support e.g. follow up of lessons at home; become para-teachers
      • peer to peer learning and parents mentoring
      • regular meeting with teachers; build rapport with teachers
   4. DepEd
      • a dedicated room in school to be used as audio visual room for creative learning
      • additional plantilla position for teachers in Batad who will focus on struggling readers
   5. Principals
      • presence and visibility in school daily
      • classroom monitoring and follow up
      • teacher motivation
      • participatory model in decision making
      • high intellectual and emotional quotient (IQ and EQ)
      • passion for mentoring and belief in teachers’ capacity and efforts
      • role models
6. As Role Models

   To become outstanding role models, the principals were equipped with knowledge about personality development and leadership to boost their self-image and confidence while they are performing their jobs.

   The principals agreed that combined with competency and professionalism, a remarkable personality imbued with belief and trust in one’s capability and power to make a difference in their schools will boost their potential for higher success in their mission.

Part III. Learning the Value of Data and Its Use

The principals were asked, which is better – too much data, lacking data or no data?

This question extends to many local chief executives who may not appreciate achievement scores or performance data.

The development of the principals’ capacity to use, understand, analyze and manage data to design reading and learning programmes is thus a major objective of this training programme.

The concepts of ratios and percentages were introduced to understanding performance data and thus provide a more rational basis for interpretation and analysis and ultimately, better judgment and decision-making.

Using data on reading performance and percentage and ratio analysis, the principals drew some interpretations, such as,

• Grade 4 female students perform better than male students.
• There still are Grade 6 students who are struggling readers.
• There are more male struggling readers than female.
• There are more female independent readers than male.

This showed that using the reading scores, the appropriate interventions and teaching strategies can be designed to address the reading problem. For instance, Grade 6 students need remediation because there still are struggling readers.

The principals agreed that the proper use, analysis and presentation of data is a strategic tool for deriving sound, timely and effective solutions to reading and learning gaps and issues. It will also facilitate community participation and engagement and elevate discussions to a more data-based insighting and ideation on the best options to address problems.

Part IV. Parting Words from the Local Leaders

What sets the Province of Iloilo apart in this noble experiment on the devolution of basic education to LGUs is how their local leaders talk and walk their talk in the continuing quest for improving the future of our children through reading and education.

Governor Toto Defensor relentlessly emphasized the urgency of turning around from this reading and education crisis which essentially is becoming a threat to our national security.

Mayor Jerry Trenas strongly framed education as a process of “forming” beyond “informing” to deepen our understanding of people, of human capital, who need to be developed and capacitated through education as the fundamental drivers of economic and social transformation of our nation.

With these voices inspiring communities to think and act with a deeper sense of commitment and resolve for better education, how can LGUs fail?

Part V. Delivering Through Commitment and Action

Motivated and driven by their local leaders’ call for commitment and action, the principals consolidated their individual school work plans aimed towards achieving the goal of making every Grade 3 student a reader by the end of SY 2024-2025.

The plans included:

1. Conducting a pre-assessment of students to get a baseline and know their weaknesses and needs in reading;
2. Meeting with teachers, parents and other stakeholders including the Mayor and LSB mayors to develop a comprehensive reading plan;
3. Strategic planning for reading and learning interventions like remediation, provision of reading materials, etc;
4. Training of teachers on better strategies and approaches to improve reading, peer-to-peer mentoring, sharing of creative teaching strategies and principals’ mentoring of teachers;
5. Training of parents to support reading lessons at home;
6. Conducting home visitation of struggling readers and doing one-to-one tutorials;
7. Monitoring progress of students’ performance through regular classroom observation and monitoring by principals;
8. Sharing of teachers’ best practices which can be done during Learning Action Cell (LAC) sessions;
9. Conducting students’ post-assessment;
10. Organizing assessment, analyzing results and preparing evaluation reports;
11. Presenting the results to school stakeholders and the LGU/LSB and providing recognition and incentives to the highest performing class; and
12. Planning for the sustainability of the reading program with the support of LGU/LSB.

Source: Synergeia

Apr 24, 2024
By: James Patrick Cruz

Which city, municipality, and province has the most Galing Pook awards?

Local governments, despite their scale and resource limitations compared to their national counterparts, wield significant influence within their communities.

From fixing roads, ensuring clean streets, and maintaining peace and order, they are the frontline responders to the needs of their residents.

The impact of local governments, however, stretches far beyond these basic responsibilities, with many innovating to deliver better services to their constituents.

To recognize the best practices of local governments, the Galing Pook Awards was launched on October 21, 1993.

Since then, the Galing Pook Foundation has recognized 357 programs from 230 local government units.

Rappler looked at which cities, municipalities, and towns have the most number of Galing Pook awards, exemplifying best practices in local governance.

Provinces

Bulacan stands out with 11 Galing Pook awards, making it the most recognized province as of 2023.

One of the province’s programs awarded by Galing Pook is the Lakas ng Kabataan sa Bulacan through the Provincial Youth Development Council. This initiative fosters capacity-building for unemployed adults, out-of-school youth, and high school graduates, enhancing their competitiveness and employability.

Galing Pook Executive Director Georgina Ann Hernandez Yang linked the province’s multiple awards to the exceptional leadership of its local chief executives former Governor Obet Pagdanganan and Governor Josie Dela Cruz.

She said they empowered the bureaucracy, overseen by Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita, former provincial administrator of the Provincial Government of Bulacan, whose 17-year tenure ensured the sustainability of the programs.

Yang said that having a long-term “provincial administrator gives that continuity and stability and also that culture of excellence in local governance.”

“Local chief executives cycle in and out after each election year but it’s good to have that stability of a local government manager, like a COO,” Yang said.

“It gives us an insight into professionalizing the local government bureaucracy,” she added.

Based on the Local Government Code, the term of a provincial administrator is coterminous with that of his appointing authority, the governor.

Following Bulacan, Bohol claims seven awards, while Nueva Vizcaya holds six. Davao del Norte and Negros Occidental both boast of five awards, and Negros Oriental has four.

Several other provinces, including Albay, Bataan, Cotabato, Iloilo, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Zamboanga del Norte, have been recognized with three awards. Guimaras, Misamis Oriental, and Quezon Province have earned two.

Cities

Naga leads among Philippine cities with 11 Galing Pook awards.

Under then-mayor Jessie Robredo’s tenure, the city earned 10 awards, including recognition for the People Empowerment Program in 2002.

This initiative enables public participation in local governance across various areas such as procurement, budgeting, and policy deliberation through the Naga City People’s Council. This was institutionalized through a city ordinance.

Representatives of the council gained authority to propose legislation and participate in committee-level voting within the Sangguniang Panlungsod or city council.

Marikina City trails Naga with nine Galing Pook recognitions, mostly under the late Mayor Bayani Fernando. One of its outstanding initiatives is the “bicycle-friendly city” program.

Its bike-friendly initiatives date back to 1999, “building a network of dedicated bike lanes within its boundaries.” In 2005, Marikina’s biking program received recognition from Galing Pook.

Quezon City, another top awardee, holds eight recognitions. One of its latest programs to be recognized is the Intelligent, Resilient, and Integrated Systems for the Urban Population or iRISE UP.

This system provides real-time monitoring of weather, gives rain forecasts, updates on the level of flooding, heat index, and temperature per barangay, and detects earthquakes.

Among the most lauded cities, Yang noticed a pattern of the mayors of these cities mostly coming from the same family like the Gathchalian brothers of Valenzuela (Rex and Win) and the Fernando couple of Marikina (Bayani and Marides).

She also cited former Quezon City mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and his daughter and incumbent local chief executive Joy Belmonte as another example.

“Perhaps we could say that the continuity of that excellence (in the city) was in the sense because they came from the same family so somehow the program continues,” Yang said.

She noted, however, that beyond family ties, shared values concerning excellent service delivery, positive impact, and people empowerment are ultimately crucial in maintaining good local governance.

Municipalities

Among the 1,486 municipalities in the country, the Municipality of Malalag in Davao del Sur boasts of four Galing Pook awards.

It first secured recognition from the foundation in 1995 for the town’s development program to transform Malalag into a “provincial agri-industrial center.”

Following Malalag, several towns, including Alimodian in Iloilo, Goa in Camarines Sur, Guagua in Pampanga, Irosin in Sorsogon, and Magsaysay in Davao del Sur have each earned three Galing Pook awards.

Most awarded programs based on category

Since its inception, most of the programs recognized by the Galing Pook Awards are environment-related, totaling 66.

This trend, according to Yang, stems from the different environmental concerns of different communities across the country.

How programs are assessed

The winners of the Galing Pook Awards are pulled from applicants across the country.

Each program undergoes “rigorous screening” by the foundation’s secretariat and the National Selection Committee. Those with high potential are chosen.

The final step involves the presentation of programs by local chief executives and/or program officers before the Final Board of Judges.

After the first screening, the program is validated and deliberated on by the Galing Pook panel.

To qualify for the Galing Pook Awards, a program must:

• Have involved or engaged processes within a local government unit (barangay, municipality, city, or province) even if the program might have been initiated (either independently or jointly) by an NGO, CSO and/or an LGU.
• Have been in operation for at least two (2) years before the deadline of submission.
• Have verifiable and significant results

Qualified programs are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Positive results and impact – 25%
• Promotion of people’s participation and empowerment – 20%
• Innovation and adaptation – 25%
• Resilience – 10%
• Sustainability – 10%
• Efficiency of Program service delivery and transferability – 10%

Why local government matters

Yang underscored the crucial role of local governments in addressing community issues and serving as models for national leadership.

“The local governments have the most direct impact on people in the communities, especially on addressing issues on poverty inequality, and promoting economic development, addressing issues on climate and disaster risk reduction,” the Galing Pook executive director said.

Aside from the leadership and governance of the local chief executives, Yang also highlighted the importance of empowering the local government workers and the citizens.

“We have so much to learn and so much to benefit from when we give more spotlight and when we learn more from our local chief executives and their teams and their communities,” Yang said. – Rappler.com

Source: Rappler.com

The provincial government of Bulacan honored exceptional Bulakenyas during the Gawad Medalyang Ginto 2024 at The Pavilion, Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center in Malolos Bulacan on Tuesday, March 12.

Dr. Eva Fajardo, chairperson of the Panlalawigang Komisyon para sa Kababaihan ng Bulacan ( PKKB); Governor Daniel Fernando and Vice Governor Alexis C. Castro led the awarding ceremony.

With the theme “Matatag na Pamilyang Bulakenyo, Katuwang sa Pagpapaunlad ng Lalawigan Ko”, the Bulakenyas were honored for their invaluable contributions to the development of the province and the nation.

The Outstanding Woman of the Year 2023, Ma. Gladys C. Sta Rita, turned over her title to Natatanging Babae 2024 Jonnah Garcia, owner of Punique Handicrafts in the City of Malolos, for her visionary entrepreneurial leadership which revitalized and preserved the art of Puni Weaving, through community collaboration, training, and employment.

Aside from Garcia, other awardees were Meysulao Lady Warriors (MEYDYWA) headed by its president Jenneelyn Grace Flores of Calumpit hailed as “Natatanging Samahang Pangkababaihan”; Matagumpay na Konsehong Pambayan para sa Kababaihan (KPK)-Malolos headed by President Maria Cristina S. Dionisio as “Matagumpay na KPK”; Maria Lourdes C. Marquez of Obando as “Matagumpay na Babaeng Mangangalakal”; Palmarina B. Tejuco of the City of Malolos as “Matagumpay na Babaeng Makakalikasan”; and Jasmin P. Lucas of Norzagaray as “Matagumpay na Babae sa Makabagong Pagnenegosyo”.

Awardees for Natatanging Babae and Natatanging Samahang Pangkababaihan received a statuette trophy, gold medal, sash, winners’ tarpaulin, and P30,000 and P40,000 cash prize, respectively.

Meanwhile, all sectoral category winners were given a bust trophy, sash, winners’ tarpaulin, and cash prizes of P30,000 for Matagumpay na Konsehong Pambayan/Panlunsod para sa Kababaihan (KPK), and P15,000 each for Matagumpay na Babaeng Mangangalakal, Matagumpay na Babaeng Makakalikasan, Huwarang Kabataang Babae sa Pamumuno, and Matagumpay na Babae sa Makabagong Pagnenegosyo.

Also present during the awarding ceremony were Bocaue Mayor Eduardo J. Villanueva and Vice Mayor Atty. Sherwin Tugna who received the award on behalf of his wife, former Mayor Joni; Matagumpay na Babaeng Mangangalakal 2020 Cristina C. Tuzon, the guest of honor; and one of PKKB commissioners.

The Women’s Month celebration and Gawad Medalyang Ginto in Bulacan started in 1996 through Executive Order No. 96-07.

Source: Manila Bulletin