By Chito Chavez
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will conduct anew the Citizen Satisfaction Index System (CSIS) to allow the public to provide feedback on how to improve the performance of local government units (LGU).
DILG officer-in-charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Año
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez / MANILA BULLETIN)
DILG officer-in-charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Año has cited the CSIS as an effective tool in addressing the 'gaps' in LGU performance to improve local governance.
"We hope to give a little nudge to LGUs as to how their constituents see their programs. Do these programs have a great impact on the lives of their constituents? What areas should they improve on? These are some of the questions the data collected from the CSIS initiative can answer," Año said.
The CSIS is a set of data tools and mechanisms designed to generate relevant citizens' feedback on the local governments' service delivery performance.
Año explained the CSIS is undertaken to help LGUs perform their mandate of ensuring the welfare of the citizens and to guide them on areas of improvement in the delivery of basic public services as provided by the Local Government Code of 1991.
"The CSIS is the voice of the people, and given what history tells us, the voice of the people remains to be the strongest opinion and sometimes the only opinion that matters inasmuch as it conveys their perspective on issues that concern them," said Año.
The CSIS targets 15 pre-determined LGUs belonging to the fourth tranche of chosen municipalities since 2016 using criteria such as their eligibility as beneficiary of the Assistance to Municipalities (AM) program for 2018; availability of Local Resource Institute/s (LRI/s) that shall provide research services; and a recipient of the Seal of Good Local Governance.
"With CSIS, we hope to provide selected LGUs which are also AM beneficiaries a more systematic and inclusive procedure of considering the current needs and persistent concerns of citizens," he added.
Among the 15 LGUs selected are the municipalities of Banaue, Ifugao; Bauang, La Union; Villaverde, Nueva Vizcaya; Macabebe, Pampanga; Pagsanjan, Laguna; Ogiongan, Romblon; Juban, Sorsogon; and Culasi, Antique.
Included also are the municipalities of Alicia, Bohol; Guiuan, Eastern Samar; Dumalinao, Zamboanga Del Sur; Alubijid, Misamis Oriental; Kapalong, Davao Del Norte; Surallah, South Cotabato; and Carmen, Agusan Del Norte.
The DILG Secretary also said that results of CSIS will then be presented to the decision makers of the chosen LGUs through Utilization Conferences which shall involve initial identification of key development issues and possible interventions deemed to address these challenges as suggested by the result.
Implementation of CSIS began in March and will end in September 2018 in various utilization conferences.