Gaurino, R. E. (2017). i-BIDA: Balanced information on development achievements of the DILG Provincial Office of Sorsogon (Unpublished master's thesis). Public Management Development Program, Development Academy of the Philippines.

Public Management Development Program Middle Managers Class Batch 12 Thesis (MMC)--Development Academy of the Philippines.

This Re-Entry Project, Balanced Information on Development Achievements of the DILG-Sorsogon Provincial Office was inspired by the objective of empowering the citizenry by providing them with balanced information on every programs and projects implemented or being implemented in the province. The objective was anchored on the assumption that with an appropriate communications system and strategy in place, the DILG can provide quality information and respond to queries in real time which could eventually lead into high social acceptance from the general public thereby further elevating the integrity of the department as a government institution not just concerned with overseeing the affairs of the local government units but as partner of every communities in every frontiers of development. Indeed, this objective would be difficult to achieve without an appropriate communication strategy and a technology that would make such objective come into a reality. There are two main deliverables involved in this Re-Entry Project, the first is the development of an IT-web based communication portal called the i-bida.net, and the second is the formulation of the Strategic Communication Plan (Stratcom Plan) for the Provincial Office of Sorsogon. These outputs are deemed to complement each other to ensure the attainment of the objective come into a reality. In the process of complementation, the former addresses the need and the rights of the external stakeholders to be informed. They are the development partners of the department, the local government units, the civil society organizations, the business and the private sectors, the academe, and most importantly, the general public. They are the stakeholders who need to be empowered in order for the department to lay down the fundamentals of an accountable, transparent, participative and effective governance. The latter output of the REP concerns with capacitating the personnel of the department in the provincial office on strategically communicating with the external stakeholders. The object of the Stratcom Plan are the Cluster Heads, the Municipal Local Government Operations Officers nd the Focal Persons assigned with the responsibility of championing the implementation of flagships programs and projects of the DILG such as the Potable Water System Project, more popularly known as the SALINTUBIG Project, the Performance Challenge Fund or PCF, the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan, more popularly known as PAMANA Project, the Seal of Good Local Governance or the SGLG and the MASAMASID Program, an anti-corruption and anti-illegal drugs program of the department recently launched in the Bicol Region to stir the volunteerism spirit in every communities. The realization of the two major deliverables of this REP is not just the product of one man who labored to come out with an innovative way of communicating with the people. It was a product of collaboration from a highly supportive management of the DILG Region 5 complemented by a very cohesive team of the DILG Provincial Office of Sorsogon, and those stakeholders who have unselfishly shared their precious time in crafting the Strategic Communication Plan to make these outputs more relevant and responsive to the needs of the citizenry. And finally, the visibility of the i-diba.net as an added tool in providing a highly interactive communication channel whereby the department can generate direct feedback coming from the people in real time hopes to encourage greater transparency in government and more participation from its stakeholders. The REP encountered some challenges during the course of its implementation, Foremost of which was the absence of appropriations to fund the implementation of the REP. Secondly, the scholar's reassignment as Cluster Head upon assumption to office on September 26, 2016 and his designation as OIC-Provincial Director on Jauary 13, 2017, brought added workloads that eventually affected the work schedule of the REP implementation. And lastly, the power outage from December 24, 2016 to January 1, 2017 due to typhoon Nina has also affected the critical phases of the REP implementation especially the conduct of the Strategic Communication Planning Workshop. In response to these challenges, the scholar has not lost sight on his quest of completing the REP implementation, He prepared a REP implementation design detailing alternatives to implement the project. His hard work was paid off when Dir. Elouisa T. Pastor approves a total of Two Hundred Twenty Four Thousand (Php224,000.00) pesos to fund the development of the i-bida.net and the conduct of the strategic communication planning workshop. He welcome his new assignment as an opportunity to further improve and institutionalize the communication portal and capacitate his co-workers through the formulation of the Stratcom Plan implementation. To cope with the lost time due to Typhoon Nina, the scholar have devised a catch-up plan to ensure the implementation of the remaining deliverables within the 3-month allowable period of REP implementation. In all those challenges, the scholar was humbled to admit that he learned a lot during the course of REP implementation, both is his personal and professional life as a public servant. Among these notable learnings were the importance of information technology in building a highly competitive organization and bringing the government closer to the people, the importance of constantly communicating with the people especially giving them more avenues to express their feedback and sentiments with the end in view of encouraging the people towards participation in nation building, the need to localize the conduct of stratcom planning to consider the geographic characteristics, and even the cultural mindset of every localities. Also equally an important learning, was the inclusion of partner organization in crafting a stratcom plan. The inclusion of these partner organizations provided a broader perspective in communication thereby making it more doable. And finally, the scholar was able to imbibed openness as an ideal parameter in leading or managing our people. In ensuring the sustainability of the REP, few recommendations were made by the scholar, mainly on expanding the target users of the portal within the year, and on sustaining its operations by appropriating funds for various charges and fees of the i-bida.net. On the other hand, the recommendations of the scholar on crafting the stratcom plan were primarily anchored on the importance of localizing the conduct of the workshop activity, inclusion of CSOs and other private stakeholders in the workshop planning process to consider their insights and suggestions, and for the department to consider hiring a communication consultant to provide general direction in the formulation of strategic communication plan in various operating units of the DILG such as regional and provincial offices.