Towns Review Integrity 

Mechanism through LoGIC 

CORTES, Bohol, Aug 15 (PIA) – Amidst the pandemic that has almost equalized the ease-of-doing-business playing field, the race to get up and about and spring back in competitiveness now becomes a make or break for local government units who can devise integrity mechanisms that would attract businesses and investors in their localities. 

Last Friday, August 14, Local Government Integrity Circles (LoGIC), a European Union funded project that assists towns to create the brands of service delivery characterized by culture of integrity, gathered its LGU partners for a coaching writeshop on integrity mechanisms, one which was also co facilitated by LGU mentors. 

It may be recalled that LoGIC had project orientations with LGUS who have dreamt of streamlined business processes as a way to attain sustainable integrated development by putting in integrity in their business processes. 

By November of last year, 8 LGUs in Bohol have been visited and oriented by the Logic Team comprised of the Project Team which include the Bohol Investment Promotion Center and the Go Negosyo Centers. 

The towns of San Miguel, Sagbayan, Tubigon, Trinidad, Alicia, Anda, Dimiao and Baclayon became pilots for the project that works more on the development of internal processes in local governance rather than the usual fare of vertical; and horizontal infrastructure for foreign funded projects. 

Since then, the town key leaders and sector representatives sat with government functionaries to draft their integrity mechanisms, these documents then became the focus of Friday’s activity held at the Metrocenter. 

Helping LoGIC team were mentors and coaches from LGU Tubigon and Trinidad, two of Bohol’s acclaimed towns rating high in the National Competitiveness Council’s ratings for LGU economic dynamism, government efficiency and infrastructure. 

Tubigon’s planning officer Engr. Noel Mendaña and Trinidad’s Dr. Qurino Nugal Jr shared about Focused Areas and Mechanism based on their experience with their LGUs. 

Earlier, LoGIC sent in an Integrity Mechanism testing tool called Integrity Self Assessment Tool which allowed all department heads in the locality to respond to a series of questions to pick on areas where the project integrity mechanisms can work on. 

"We visit LGUS and orient the mayors, urge them to bring their department heads participation and enlarge the movement to promote the culture of integrity among LGUs," Project Consultant Robert dela Serna said. 

The move was to make them a part of the mechanism to put in place an environment conducive for business, through good governance and integrity in processes. 

LoGIC sees that many LGUs may have come up with innovations in streamlined business processes, but when a new leader comes out, the innovative practice either dies out or stagnates. 

With the LGU integrity brand making the necessary changes to facilitate ease-of-doing-business, the next challenge would be to sustain the good business environment for investors to locate. 

With an integrity brand, the town’s chances at getting more investors and outside funding becomes easier as LGU's that aim to make it to the Department of Interior and Local Government's Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) will find the integrity processes doing the job for them. 

And with the towns already having their own integrity mechanisms, LoGIC’s multi-sectors approach assures that the new system is tested, fixed and enhances to a more workable efficient and transparent process. 

"We operate on the same framework that once we provide a favorable investment environment, we will have jobs that will generate more income for the LGUS and then elevate the economic status of people," dela Serna said. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

THE LoGIC OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUDIT. Internal audit expert May Limbaga of the Provincial Government is among the pool of LoGICs experts who shared to LGUs how a good and streamlined fiscal management can attract more for the LGUS. (PIABohol.Logic) 

PILOT TOWNS IN INTEGRITY CIRCLE. LoGIC gathered key officials from 8 pilot towns in Bohol to review their integrity mechanism and retest them according to the desired effect in the town’s ease of doing business and attracting investors. (PIABohol/LoGIC)