(From left): DAP President and CEO Engelbert Caronan, Jr., Deputy Minister of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing in Nova Scotia, Canada Nancy MacLellan, Executive Director of the Institute for Citizen Centered Service in Ottawa, Canada Dan Batista, and Department of Budget and Management Assistant Secretary Clarito Alejandro Magsino during the Executive Session on Citizen-Centered Service Delivery for the members of the GQMC last November 8 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.

“Improvement in ranking and higher satisfaction rating should translate to the actual experience of our transacting public. The question, ‘Are they happy with the way we serve them?’ is not enough.  The question we should start asking next should be, first, ‘Do we create a positive impact in the lives of our transacting public?,’ second, ‘Are the intended outcomes being materialized?’’’ underscored Development  Academy of the Philippines (DAP) Vice President for Corporate Concerns Alan Cajes in his welcome speech at the Executive Session on Citizen-Centered Service Delivery for the members of the Government Quality Management Committee (GQMC) last November 8 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City. He said this in reference to the Philippine government’s increase in ranking by 29 notches in the ease of doing business.  He reminded the GQMC members of their task of setting the directions as well as in creating and sustaining a well-crafted enabling environment.

The session featured Nancy MacLellan, deputy minister of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Dan Batista, executive director of the Institute for Citizen Centered Service (ICCS) in Ottawa, Canada whose services were acquired through the Asian Productivity Organization’s (APO) technical experts services program. MacLellan and Batista gave presentations on Canadian service improvement/excellence. The ICCS leads Canada’s efforts on “citizen-centered” approach to service delivery experience.

MacLellan underscored the need for commitment to service excellence leadership and culture and the “coalition of the willing” as key forces in the pursuit of citizen-centric public service delivery.

Meanwhile, Batista emphasized that the government needs put citizens first at the heart of everything it does and if employees are engaged and empowered, it would result in citizen service satisfaction, which would then result in higher trust and confidence in government. “Citizens expect honesty and transparency. Even if they do not get results, if you treat them fairly, they will still walk away satisfied,” he added.

The executive session aimed to examine global initiatives on improving public service delivery, encourage GQMC members to strengthen commitment towards a more citizen-centered public service delivery, and identify next steps towards this direction.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Assistant Secretary Clarito Alejandro D. Magsino, alternate GQMC member, delivered the closing remarks on behalf of DBM Secretary Wendel E. Avisado. Magsino enjoined the attendees, composed of representatives from the DBM,  Anti-Red Tape Authority, National Economic and Development Authority, Civil Service Commission, and the DAP  to “continue seeking knowledge and expertise in public service delivery from other sources and share these learnings to fellow public servants.”

The event was organized by the DAP in partnership with the APO under the Government Quality Management Program particularly the project on “Institutionalizing Service Quality Standards for Frontline Government Services” that seeks to develop a common yardstick for measuring satisfaction of citizens and business entities transacting with frontline government agencies and recommend measures for continual improvement of service quality. This is in line with the government’s goal to achieve seamless service delivery and make doing business in the Philippines easier.

The GQMC was formed per Executive Order 605. The committee is composed of the heads of the following agencies: DBM, as chairman; Department of Trade and Industry as co-chairman; with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Office of the President-Internal Audit Office, and the DAP as members. – Ellinor Santos