Five-Point Agenda: Education | Pasig City Government

Edukasyon Para sa Bawat Pasigueño

 

With hundreds of schools throughout Pasig City, the local government aims to establish a high standard of education in the city. This is done through numerous provisions, projects, and programs aimed to enhance learning experiences and opportunities to teach. 

 

Providing Access to Quality Education and Resources

​The Pasig City Scholarship Program has continued to empower and enable students to gain access to the education that allows them to reach their fullest potential. Scholars receive allowances and financial aid that addresses both their school fees and their daily needs as students. 

The digitalization and transformation of the program oversaw the move from having to physically collect their stipends to instead utilizing cashless payments such as Maya to gain access to their fees. This not only streamlines the process of receiving stipends but also ensures that there is proper documentation for the transactions.

 

 

Other supplementary aids have been provided by the city, including the continuous improvement and maintenance of existing public school buildings. This ensures that schools in Pasig City are well-kept and in good condition, making students and teachers comfortable as they go through the school day. Furthermore, it prevents health risks and gives students proper spaces that will motivate them to learn and enjoy schoolwork.

 

These buildings are not just institutions for learning. They are also multi-use spaces that act as voting precincts and evacuation locations for families during times of environmental calamity. Because of these reasons, the buildings are continually improved and maintained for the use of all, not just students and educators.

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Pasig City continues to add to the features of educational institutions, including providing audiovisual equipment, better learning programs, and services, as well as scholarship opportunities for students who need financial aid. 

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Most importantly, the city aims to provide continuing education to its student population regardless of the environmental and sociocultural issues that surround them.

 

COVID-19 Distance Learning Response to the City’s Educational Needs

One of the priority thrusts of the City Government of Pasig City is to develop a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes education and learning. This has been more evident than ever in the broad steps taken to ensure that students and educators get the support that they need during the COVID-19 pandemic response. 

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To enable students and educators to continue their learning and development, Pasig City has extended various programs and resource allowances to support their needs. The city provides learning technology and gadgets, software, and a connectivity allowance to students so they can learn from the safety of their homes during the pandemic.

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During the pandemic and during face-to-face school days, educators are given learning software and supplies for printing educational modules for their students. These include resources for printing tests, coursework, papers, and more. 

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Moreover, the City also provided students with food packs that help them maintain sufficient nutrition during the pandemic response. This enables them to stay healthy and receptive to learning.

Five-Point Agenda: Housing | Pasig City Government

Pabahay Para Sa Mapanlahok at Maunlad na Pamayanan

 

Housing is a basic need for every constituent of Pasig City. It continues to be one of the largest uses of land area within the locale, with a land area of 3,539.80 hectares of space, with 42.68% of it used for residential housing. 

 

There are approximately 30 barangays, 2 districts, and 1 lone congressional district within the city. 

 

With a population of roughly 828,000, finding housing for all of Pasig City’s citizens continues to be a challenge, even with the city’s expansive land area. Because of this urgent need for housing, Pasig City has enacted numerous programs and housing initiatives to ensure that each citizen has ample shelter for themselves and their families.

 

When citizens are provided with safe, appropriate shelter, they have less stress and worries about daily lives. They are able to put their focus on their daily employment and work without concerns about where to rest themselves and their families at night. 

 

With this focus on this social and economic need, the city has taken steps to ensure the quality of infrastructure as well as reliable access to essential utilities such as water and electricity. The goal is to provide every person and every family with humane and suitable living conditions conducive to their growth and health.

 

The Creation of Decent and Quality Housing for Informal Settlers

 

Regardless of their status as settlers, Pasig City believes in their right to safe and adequate shelter. To this end, the city has placed focus on creating and providing housing projects for informal settler families, especially if they live in high-danger or hazard areas.

 

 An example of these areas is the Manggahan Floodway, which is often at risk for flooding and high waters during times of typhoons and other meteorological events. It is of utmost importance that they be provided shelter in a safe space and away from these regions to prevent the risk to their health and safety, and that of others living in nearby areas.

 

It is the City Government’s priority to not demolish or push for relocation of the informal settler families if the housing projects are not ready for occupancy at present. In order to maintain this strategy, the City Government has continually maintained and updated an inventory of available land area within the city that can be tagged as an appropriate location for housing projects.

 

The City has also allocated funds for the acquisition of these lands so they may be purchased and repurposed as housing projects as soon as possible. Every step of the procedure is performed in accordance with the law and relevant regulations regarding the acquisition of land for housing projects.

 

Existing Housing Projects and Resettlement Statistics

 

Substantial progress has been made in allocating land, developing them into housing projects, and resettling informal settler families into their new residences. Not all of these resettlement projects are found within Pasig City’s boundaries but they are still residences that have been carefully built and inspected to ensure the health and safety of the families expected to live within them.

 

The breakdown of the existing housing projects and the families living therein (as of 2021) are as follows:

 

 

Improvement of Local Housing Projects

 

For housing projects found within Pasig City itself, the City has also placed focus on improving the facilities, with better utilities and features.  62 million pesos were allotted for the improvement of these projects, with an additional 100 million for acquiring more land. 

 

To ensure that each project are up to the standards of both the city and the people to be living in them, the LGU has maintained consistent and continual communication through multiple feedback channels. This allows Pasig City to address residents’ concerns about facilities and repairs, payments, and other issues. 

 

An HOA or homeowners association has also been formed to set accountability and communication between the LGU, residents, and National Government.

 

The Local Housing Board

 

Beyond these additions, the Local Housing Board has also been reactivated and expanded, giving them more staff and resources to aid Pasiguenos develop residential and housing products in a sustainable way and makes use of available land space in the city in ways that serve families.

 

The Community Mortgage Plan

 

With the goal of empowering Pasig City’s communities, the Community Mortgage Plan gives local homeowners associations for the development of a strategy and guidelines to assist residents with their housing financial needs. Led by the Social Housing Finance Corporation, partnering with the LGU, low-income groups are given the opportunity to inspect, acquire, and develop available parcels of land.

 

From here, they have the opportunity to own their own homes and land, with titles and documentation, from which they can establish their families without fear of being relocated. The transfer of titles of houses along the Marikina River has begun, along with surveys of other areas that can be used for the project, such as the areas in Paseo de Animalis and Brgy. Santolan.

 

Five-Point Agenda: Proactive and Diligent Social Service | Pasig City Government

Proactive and Diligent Service

 

Establishment of the Local Social Welfare Assistance Center

To improve Pasig City Services and the standard of living for Pasigueños, the Local Social Welfare Assistance Center was created. This center provides multiple services to Pasigueños, which include daycare assistance for parents, reach out and rescue operations for street children and indigent populations, and support for citizens who have been victims of typhoons, floods, fires, and more. 

 

Comprehensive street children profiling is part of the social welfare and assistance center. The SWAC has consistently been aiding indigent children by giving them protection, providing programs that give them the resources and avenues to improve quality of life, and taking note of their origins. They ensure that the children are accounted for and are recognized by the city. In further emphasis towards the welfare of children, Early Childhood Care and Development is another thrust of the SWAC, with daycare services workshops that promote better childcare and updating workers on new techniques and methods.

 

Kanlungan sa Pasig is one of SWAC’s most prominent programs, and it protects children in conflict with the law, or at risk. It also provides shelter and a safe haven for teen moms, giving them the support they need to continue their growth while simultaneously caring for their pregnancies and infants. Kanlungan is also home for elderly individuals with no homes of their own, giving them a safe place to stay.

 

Pamaskong Handog

 

As one of the city’s most well-known social assistance program, these Christmas food packs are anticipated by majority of Pasigueño families and are considered a significant supplementary aid, especially to low-income families who use the packs for their celebratory meals on Christmas Eve.

 

One of the ways that Pamaskong Handog has steadily been improved through the years is an added variety to the goods produced, tracking the progress of distribution digitally, and through employing the PasigPass as a method of verification for claiming. The use of the PasigPass aimed to address growing concerns in past years regarding officials hoarding food packs, unfair distribution, or people from other LGUs receiving them while registered Pasigueños went without.

 

Approximately 400,000 families were provided gift bags in 2021, and distribution typically begins at least a month before Christmas day to ensure that all families are given the opportunity to claim their gift bags. The gifts are given to everyone: from lower-income families to families in exclusive subdivisions. This promotes inclusivity throughout the city.

 

Feeding a City

 

Food coupons and food packs are common support systems in place in Pasig City–this was most evident during the pandemic as these were distributed in addition to the cash aid. Food packs are also given out as emergency supplies to citizens affected by disasters such as floods, fires, and more.

 

Another food-based supplementary form of assistance comes from the Community Kitchen, which had provided nearly 10,000 meals a day during the height of the pandemic, and still remains functional as it feeds citizens and frontliners.

 

Financial Assistance and Cash Gifts

Pasig City has provided financial assistance to many informal sectors that have been directly affected by disasters and socioeconomic upheavals. During the pandemic, the LGU distributed financial assistance to Pasigueños. 196,955 beneficiaries who were unable to claim supplementary funds in the National distribution were provided by the LGU with SAP, amounting to 68.5 million pesos.

 

The City has also provided cash gifts to senior citizens and people with disabilities. These are separate from pensions and other discounts provided to them. 

 

Another of the city’s financial aid programs is providing support for informal sectors such as market vendors, tricycle and jeepney drivers, and other demographics who become heavily affected by changes in the economy, such as with the pandemic. 

The GAD Compound

The GAD compound is a combination of social welfare departments throughout the city: The Social Welfare Assistance Center (SWAC), the Office of Senior Citizens’ Affairs (OSCA), Livelihood, the Pasig City Hospice, and Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO). All of these crucial social welfare functions operate in one area for coordination and cooperation with one another. Livelihood, in particular, is a very important aspect of promoting social welfare in the city, as they aid Pasigueños in developing the skills they need for potential job opportunities. And all these trainings have zero to minimal cost for the city and the citizens.

 

TAPAT: Tulong Pampuhunang Ayuda sa Taga-Pasig

Pasig City also provides aid by helping micro and small businesses to get on their feet. TAPAT provides burgeoning, homebased entrepreneurs with a small startup capital loan. Not only does this alleviate financial crisis issues, but it enables families to start their own little business in the city and the opportunity to develop it into something bigger. In turn, more small businesses appearing in Pasig City and growing will create jobs and generate incomes.

 

Five-Point Agenda: Good Governance | Pasig City Government

Good Governance: Tapat at Masinop na Pamamahala

One of the major thrusts of Pasig City’s new five-point agenda is to ensure that the Local Government Unit operates with the best possible standard of transparency and competency at all levels. 

 

In its most recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on providing transparency for the citizens, giving them multiple channels to reach out and learn about how their government is serving them, and whether or not it is done in a manner that is considered honest and professional.

 

This drive and emphasis on good governance have led to many projects and initiatives among the different departments within the LGU, providing the citizens with more services to communicate, and more ways by which the government can respond to their needs. This citizen-centric approach has been noted and lauded by national and international organizations alike as a new system of accountability and service to citizens.

 

Freedom of Information

A significant part of Pasig City’s transparency and accountability to its citizens is through making the most of Freedom of Information. The FOI program in Pasig City saw the passing of ordinance No. 2018-37 (Pasig Transparency Mechanism Ordinance), which is a transparency measure by way of campus caravan at Kapitolyo High School.

 

Furthermore, the LGU has added numerous materials (brochures, information posters, bulletins, briefers, and more), kiosks, and stations throughout the city’s information hubs such as schools, the public library, and city hall. This provides citizens with access to various information about the LGU’s operations. 

 

There are also designated FOI corners in the city Government, with FOI-ready computers that welcome citizens and employees alike to request various publicly available information. 

 

Development of Ugnayan Ng Pasig

Another major step in providing transparency and accountability is the development and launching of Pasig City’s “Ugnayan sa Pasig” help desk, which is the citizen’s assistance desk. The focus of this department is to create an informed and involved population within Pasig City.

 

Through this department, citizens all over the city and beyond can request any publicly available information as found in the LGU’s records. Furthermore, they can use this helpdesk for concerns, complaints, and issues that arrive within the city. This ensures that when a person, a group, or a community has an issue or a complaint, the LGU is held accountable for hearing it and that they can take the appropriate action necessary to resolve the issue.

 

Acting as a citizen’s tipline, Pasigueños, and even the City Hall employees can report instances of anomalies, inappropriate behavior, concerns, and grievances about the LGU’s procedures and work. As part of the push towards transparency, this is new means of communicating issues large and small that come from every corner of Pasig City, ensuring that all issues are received, sorted, and addressed in a timely fashion.

 

Furthermore, this helpdesk has been invaluable in aiding the push toward Good Governance. It gives citizens and other employees alike the opportunity to speak up on incidences of misbehavior, corruption, and malfeasance in the local government. This is the first time that such a broad level of access was provided to citizens and employees, and it has received a highly positive reaction from the people who have made use of it.

 

This is primarily owed to how people not only can report the anomalies but also see action being taken. They are updated as the case progresses and they can see definitive action taken upon them. Previously, there had been cases of people stepping forward, but they were unable to determine real resolutions to the complaints and issues they have highlighted.

 

Now, thanks to the Freedom of Information desk, the push towards good governance and transparency, they can see action taken quickly on local issues.

Inventory of City Assets and Supplies

The City has made a full inventory of all assets, supplies, and available equipment, alongside ensuring that they all have the right paperwork and documentation. This adds to the LGU’s accountability for the purchases, usage, and purposes of these tools and equipment, so all items are also accounted for. 

 

This accountability for the city's assets and supplies ensures that there is no question as to where the money went, and how that money is being used by the city. The paperwork and documentation are meticulously followed, from the moment they are proposed, submitted for bidding, the awarding of service providers, and more. The full inventory offers transparency to citizens who now know exactly where the money goes.

 

Furthermore, the inventory allows the local government unit to determine which equipment is still functional and operational and whether they need replacement or repair. Regular updates are provided on the status of available equipment and machinery, and their repair status. Their workability becomes part of the primary concerns of the city–if the item can still be repaired and used, or whether a new one needs to be procured.

 

Reforms In Procurement

 

Inclusivity is a major part of the procurement process. It has also been made more transparent as part of the thrust of Good Governance. Live, competitive bidding allows people to see what is being bid upon and what service providers are offering.

 

Furthermore, the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) is also made transparent, approved by the local Sangguinian, and set so there is little to no chance of “padding” the costs. It creates conditions wherein the best possible cost is determined by the LGU and the service provider, benefiting both, and benefiting the citizens who will ultimately make use of what is being procured.

 

Reforms in the process include live feeds of the bidding, so citizens can view the bids in real-time. A fully functional board for the Bids and Awards Committee details and lists the posted PRs, the awarding, and more. This information is also made available to citizens who request these details.

 

The Push Towards Ease of Doing Business

 

One of the most noteworthy developments in the Good Governance thrust is the cutting out of “red tape” issues and concerns, especially when it comes to doing business. To make Pasig’s business market more competitive, and to urge local business owners to thrive, Business One-Stop Shops (BOSS) have been opened in Pasig City Hall, Barangay Manggahan, and on Ayala the 30th. 

 

These One-Stop Shops enable business owners to gather and submit all the necessary forms that they’ll need to open their own business, large or small, within the city of Pasig. They will no longer have to visit multiple departments, wait in multiple queues, and endure a long period of processing to get their business papers handled and validated. Everything from their business license applications to sanitary permits and the like can be handled more easily. 

 

According to Mayor Vico Sotto, the establishment of these shops is considered a significant step toward making it easier for existing businesses to continue their work and thrive, but also for startups and small businesses to take root in the city. 

 

Another purpose of the One-Stop Shops is to decongest the long lines and processing within Pasig City Hall. Where there had previously been crowds of business owners and representatives waiting in line to get processed, there is more room for other issues and concerns within City Hall. Business owners now have the option to visit the One Stop Shop nearest to their location and handle their concerns there.

 

The push towards making business easier doesn’t just revolve around private businesses in Pasig City. The administration has also ensured that there is a Citizen’s Charter developed for every entity within the LGU. The different departments were tasked to create a table of their processes and the steps about them, especially for needs that are commonly requested or queried by Pasiguenos. 

 

The charters are then made public and posted in digital and physical forms, which ensures that every Pasigueno visiting the respective departments can see which procedures and documentation are available in the department, the steps needed to procure this documentation, and how long it should potentially take them to get it processed. 

 

Not only does this make the procedure simpler and more transparent to individuals, but it also creates accountability within departments. They are held to the standard written in the Citizen’s Charter, to meet the timelines and steps outlined therein, prompting them to maintain a high standard of performance. 

 

Continuous Regularization and Just Compensation For Employees

A sign of good and responsible governance is ensuring that employees are rewarded for their hard work and good performance. This is why under the most recent administration, Pasig City has extended multiple efforts to regularize their job order, casual, and contractual workers.

 

J.O.s, casual, and contractual employees do not typically have the benefits of regular and permanent employees in the LGU. As noted by the Mayor himself, many of this personnel have nevertheless spent years of diligent work for the city. Thus, they are now being regularized and provided the benefits that they deserve. This means having retirement benefits, better pay, PTO, and more. 

 

Rewarding hardworking employees, providing better compensation, and giving them the job security that they deserve prompts local government employees to work better, and harder, and ultimately also dissuade them from the temptation of giving in to bribery or under-the-table deals. It helps nip concerns about corruption right in the bud, as employees are no longer in a situation where they are tempted to give in to illegal maneuvers for extra pay.

 

 

Pasig City GEMS

Pasig City GEMS is a unique system that has become a cornerstone in developing better employees, leading to better governance in the LGU. This centralized employee management system handles over 10,000 Pasig City’s LGU employees, creating a comprehensive and organized system that tracks multiple processes. 

 

GEMS, which stands for the Government Employees Management System, is a complete HR management system and systemic data collection operation. It enables the Human Resources and Development Office of Pasig City to make accurate employee decisions based on real time data. It was developed in full compliance with the Civil Service Commission and other government organizations that handle employee management.

 

It also is a systemic archive of an employee’s logins, logouts, daily time sheets, information notices, personal data sheets, and training and workshops. HRDO has used GEMS to create centralized training programs to keep track of every employee’s progress, helping them develop their skills that will aid them in career advancement. It helps them hire, train, and manage employees in a system that creates highly talented and skilled staff that are placed in positions throughout the city government that benefits the most from their abilities.