Exploring public service improvement initiative : a case study of citizens charter implementation in Naga City, Philippines

The past decades saw important changes at the sub-national levels not just in the realm of technological advancements but also in arena of administrative and managerial developments. Shifts in perspective as well as in approaches have begun to occupy the discourses and debates in urban development and public administration. One such approach intended to bring about reform in public service delivery is the citizen's charter initiative which have been given birth in United Kingdom and gained popularity not just in adjacent countries in Europe, the Americas but also found its way in the shores of South Asia and the Pacific. Citizen's Charter is a document that spells out the entitlements of citizens when it transacts with governments. It outlines the steps of availing the services the organization offers including the standards by which the services would be delivered. This research aims to explore the factors associated in formulating, implementing and institutionalizing citizen's charter and determine the extent of its influence on transparency, accountability and quality of public services. A case study was undertaken in the City of Naga in the Philippines using office survey and client's survey, with respondents coming from the Local Civil Registry (LCR) and the Business Permit and Licensing Division (BPLD) as well as key informant interview and focus group discussion with selected key implementers and stakeholders. Desk review and field work findings reveal the following main points that answer the research objective and appurtenant research questions. There was no single most important and comprehensive strategy or approach that is useful in all stages of the citizen's charter program. Analysis however reveals that certain factors appear more dominant in distinct phases of the citizen's charter. In the conception of the charter, the institutional structure formed was found pivotal in facilitating the crucial activities of the charter formulation. In the implementation phase of the charter, the dominant factor that surfaced is the accessibility of information about the charter to the greater public which was found not perfectly matching with the means by which the target clients can be reached. While indeed it was commendable to have begun utilizing electronic means to get in touch with the segments of the clients, it was revealed that face to face transaction with frontliners in the service window was still the most frequent source of information to clients. The capacity building on the other hand, was found effective to those who have attended the trainings but there is still the concern about the rest and for all in general who have not and desires a more programmatic skills enhancement or attitude/behavioral modification program perceived helpful in the performance of duties and functions. In the institutionalization phase of the charter, it was found the local and national legislations were more than enough to guarantee the charter's sustainability. However, the findings disclose the absence of a systematic evaluation of the citizen's charter than already runs for almost a decade now. There was a conscious effort on the part of the city government to be open and transparent in the way they do things in their offices by producing the book form (Naga City Citizen's Charter) and electronic form (NetServe) of the charter but these efforts as far as awareness of the citizens is concerned is not sufficient. Clients surveyed in the study perceive that the requirements are clear and understandable. But the visible display of procedures and process flows as well as applicable fees and charges would have to be worked out for findings disclose not many of the clients notice them right away. The aim of spreading/propagating the information about what can be expected of the services in the city government service standards has not been fully achieved. The accountability mechanisms established in support of the I-Governance Program where the citizen's charter is an integral part are innovative and pioneering but not all are fully functional. There are a number of avenues by which citizens can express complaints and feedback to the city government. The IT-based facilities include open phone line/Text to the Mayor; TEXT Naga; the Community Forum in the city's official website; and the conventional feedback form or letter to the city government. What seems to work very conveniently at this time is the Text to Mayor mode which is received directly by the local chief executive. The least functional of these modes is the feedback form attached at the end pages of the Naga City Citizen's Charter which has not yielded a striking register. There was no display of procedures how to complain within the city hall premises but are found in the published form of the charter. The received complaints or feedback from all these sources are acted upon independently by concerned offices. Complaints are validated, remised employees are meted with appropriate sanction, correction is done and an apology is relayed to aggrieved customers either by frontliners themselves or the head of office. However, there is none as of yet a compensation provided to appease a complaining client. Both the clients and employees positively perceive the quality of services being rendered by the city government. Services information are generally accessible because of its availability in the internet however, the issue is no longer the content but the distribution of the Naga City Citizen's Charter to all households in the city. Services are predominantly accurate and the openness of the city to be corrected is a welcome attitude. A great majority of the clients perceived the courtesy, friendliness and accommodation extended by frontliners. Clients perceive waiting areas are comfortable although department heads think this is an opportunity for improvement whenever viably possible. Clients perceive a fair treatment that does not distinguish nor discriminate. Least but still positively perceived is the timeliness of services rendered. The research highlights the transformative influence of citizen's charter on the city's service delivery transparency, accountability, and quality. The results of desk review and field assessment clearly point to a need to explore innovative applications to sustain the gains of the institutionalization of the citizen's charter especially that it is embarking on its ninth year of implementation. Towards the end, practical recommendations and considerations have been drawn along the following themes: City Government Process Transparency; City Government Output Accountability; and City Government Service Quality. Keywords: Citizen's Charter, Public Sector Reform Program, New Public Management, Good Urban Governance