In this interview, Leticia Madriaga discusses her experiences working with the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG), a group set up by citizens to monitor government and public works to deter corruption and ensure accountability. She explains the connection of CCAGG to the Catholic Church of the Philippines, as well as the extent to which students and professors of the Divine Word College of Bangued have been involved in the project. Madriaga recalls the history of the CCAGG as a voluntary organization initiated by concerned citizens and the ways in which it has transformed in Bangued as well as been replicated in other areas of the country. She concludes by commenting that CCAGG could be improved by integrating more influential actors into its programming. She also discusses the sustainability of the group into the future.
At the time of this interview, Leticia Madriaga was the resource director of the Divine Word College of Bangued in the Abra province of the Philippines. Previously, she served as the academic dean of the college, the graduate school dean, and the dean of student affairs. Madriaga was herself an undergraduate at the Divine Word College then received her master’s degree at the University of Southern Philippines and her doctorate at De La Salle University in Manila.
Jesse Robredo discusses his tenure as mayor of Naga City, during which he significantly improved service delivery and public housing. He is credited with largely eradicating patronage politics as part of civil service. Robredo explains the problems he saw in Naga City immediately after taking office, the strategies he implemented to address them, and how he dealt with opposition to these changes. He focuses on the city government’s relationship with the Catholic Church, the use of eminent domain in building public housing, and the steps he took to fund reforms. Robredo then touches on public education issues and his relationship with national government during these reforms.
At the time of this interview, Jesse Robredo was the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, a position he had held since July 2010. He served six terms as mayor of Naga City, beginning in 1988. He is credited with turning the city around, for which he received numerous awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000 and the 1998 Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence. When he was first elected in Naga City, Robredo was 29 years old and the youngest mayor in the Philippines. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from De La Salle University, a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of the Philippines. Secretary Robredo died in a plane crash in August 2012.
Juan Miguel Luz describes his involvement with the conception and execution of the Textbook Count Project as a senior official in the Philippine Department of Education. Beginning with a description of the problems with the department prior to his appointment, Luz outlines how corrupt department officials awarded textbook contracts to favored, often unqualified publishers, and further critiques the poor controls on textbook quality and delivery at the time. He describes the steps taken under Textbook Count One, Two, and Three to overhaul the bidding, production, and nationwide delivery of textbooks, emphasizing the importance of relying on non-governmental organizations such as Government Watch, the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections, and even the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in inspecting the quality and quantity of books delivered. Luz describes the success of the project, supported by the World Bank, in reducing the cost of textbooks, establishing stringent quality controls, and ensuring the timely delivery of needed textbooks to public schools all across the country. Providing numerous examples of corruption, Luz offers valuable insights into the challenges of monitoring services and holding both suppliers and civil servants accountable.
At the time of this interview, Juan Miguel Luz was serving as an associate dean of the Center for Development Management (CDM) at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). Earlier on, from 1997-2005, he was a member of the business and development management faculty at AIM, and also served as the managing director of the AIM Center for Corporate Responsibility from 1999-2002. In 2002, he entered public service as undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Education, where he was in charge of finance and administration. He held this position until 2006, and during his tenure, was part of significant reform within the department, including the numerous Textbook Count projects that helped improve the quality and availability of textbooks to local schools. From 2006-2008, Luz served as president of the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, an international NGO with programs in Southeast Asia and East Africa. He rejoined AIM in September 2009, and remains actively involved with a number of non-profit organizations, including the Knowledge Channel, the Philippine Center for Population Development, and Philippine Business for Education. He has also authored books on the strategic management of non-governmental organizations, corporate-community relations and education management.