PUBLIC REVALIDA FOR BATAAN

Greatly honored to be invited to sit as one of the six panelists representing the academe, business and professional sectors in evaluating the Provincial Government of Bataan during the Public Governance Forum organized by the Institute for Solidarity in Asia. Yours truly represented the Association of Young Filipino-Chinese Entrepreneurs (Anvil Business Club) as part of the multi-stakeholder panels asked to assess their on-going results based on quality, sustainability and impact.

Held twice a year to give national government agencies and local government units an opportunity to report publicly on the progress they have made in creating sustainable transformation and development programs and setting up transparency and accountability mechanisms, the revalida session where I was asked to appraise examined the Provincial Government of Bataan, led by its young and energetic Governor, Hon. Albert "Abet" S. Garcia, as he made an impressive presentation of his administration's accomplishments towards a sustainable transformation program.
Guided by his vision that "By 2020, Bataan Province will be the preferred location for eco-industrial investments leading to the highest Human Development Index in the Philippines," the good Governor outlined his continuing plans of improving provincial access through the construction of alternative routes, reviving the use of the nautical highway; anticipating personnel requirements of locators in their Economic Zones; promoting Bataan as an investment location; optimizing information technology for key business processes; and building internal capability of the Provincial Government aimed to boost the quality of service to their constituency.
The revalida session has re-affirmed by strong belief in the promise of today's youth leaders, as they demonstrated that, with a far-reaching vision and the political will to achieve it, local governments can achieve good governance practices towards increasing the country's investment credibility and upgrade opportunities for economic growth.