MEASURING CITIZEN’S PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNANCE CRUCIAL FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH

MANILA—The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is calling for more improved  measurement of  citizen’s  participation in governance and capital inputs to  help assess the inclusiveness of economic growth in the Philippines.

Rosemarie G. Edillon,  Director of NEDA’s National Planning and Policy Staff, said that determining accurate data on participation in governance is important as it involves the promotion of transparency and accountability in government, which is  the  platform of the Aquino administration. 

“Inclusive growth, as implemented in the Philippines, is both a process and an outcome.  The process is about participation in governance and in the growth process itself.  Inclusiveness in outcomes is about the benefits of growth being shared by all.” said Edillon during the First User-Producer Dialogue for Inclusive Growth in the Philippines recently held at Intramuros, Manila.

The NEDA official said that currently there is lack of data from regular surveys that inform the government of the extent of citizen’s participation in governance.   She  explained that effective policy making and planning for inclusive growth  needs  disaggregated  data on inputs, outputs, and outcomes,  which help improve the relevance of public policies, programs, and budgets.

“Participation in the growth process means that  citizens,  especially those from the marginalized sectors, are mobilized in output production either as sources of labor, capital, raw materials or as final consumers of goods or services,” Edillon said.

Since inclusive growth is also about ensuring that  all households enjoy certain basic goods and services, and that  the delivery of most public goods and services has already been devolved to local  government  units,  Edillon added  that  data on  access to these services should be gathered at least in the provincial level.

While she noted that regional-level data may have issues of significance because there are no regional governments that could be held accountable (except the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), Edillon stressed that available regional data still have more relevance than national-level data in terms of measuring inclusive growth.

“Ascertaining inclusive growth requires disaggregated data, not averages nor totals. This means that the gross  regional domestic  product and  expenditures are the more useful statistics.  However, these data are produced with very considerable time lag, which therefore greatly reduces  their relevance.  The government is doing  its best to improve  local-level statistics in terms of their regularity, timeliness, and sampling design,” said Edillon.

In terms of citizen’s  participation in  governance, Edillon cited as an example  the collaboration among national agencies, such as the Departments of Budget and Management, Interior and Local Governance, Social Welfare and Development, and the National Anti-Poverty Commission, as well as the  local and national  civil society organizations, in exercising bottom-up budgeting in the early part of 2012.

“We have already adopted a paradigm shift with respect to our development strategies.  This being the case, the statistical system should respond by providing timely and relevant statistics. It is good to see that there are already efforts that intend to do just that,” Edillon said.

M.R. No. 2012-085

09 December 2012