The Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) is a non-stock, non-profit and non-partisan organization founded in 2000 by former Finance and Economic Planning Minister Jesus Estanislao. It envisions a “Dream Philippines” where every government institution delivers and every citizen is an active participant in progress.

At the heart of this vision is the Performance Governance System (PGS), a framework that promises to turn public institutions into high-performing, accountable and citizen-centered entities.

Launched in 2004, the PGS adapts the Balanced Scorecard approach of the Harvard Business School but is tailored to the Philippine context. It focuses on strategic planning, disciplined execution, and measurable outcomes. The system lays out a four-stage journey for institutions:

Initiation. Here institutions define their vision and craft their strategy design and objectives.

Compliance. The real work begins, from executing strategies to ensuring that the entire organization, down to the smallest offices, follow suit in implementation.

Proficiency. At this point, institutions take a pause and look back to measure performance, evaluate results and refine targets to be more achievable but still audacious.

Institutionalization. This is the final goal and final leg of the PGS journey where breakthrough results are sustained and planted deeply in the organization’s culture and operations.

Institutions progress through these stages with the mark of certifications and public “revalida” presentations where they report on their milestones to panels of governance experts.

Notably, organizations reaching the final stage are recognized as “Islands of Good Governance,” signifying their commitment to sustained excellence.

The PGS framework rests on nine essential elements that guide institutions to make it to the finish line:

Basic Governance Documents; PGS Core Team; Cascading Framework; Office for Strategy Management (OSM); Strategic Performance Assessments; Multi-sector Governance Council (MSGC); Governance Culture; Governance Sharing; and Breakthrough Results.

To ensure success, ISA offers various interventions, including Strategy Formulation, OSM Capacity Building, MSGC Management, and Strategic Readiness Tests. Supplementary interventions in Risk Management, Organizational Development, and Operations Planning, are all to further enhance institutional capacity.

As of recent reports, 129 partners, including national government agencies, local government units and public hospitals, are engaged in the PGS pathway. Institutions like the Department of Health and the Bureau of Customs have successfully completed the program, earning the “Island of Good Governance” distinction.

Even smaller offices like the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) embraced the PGS challenge to demonstrate its commitment to good governance. IPOPHL reached the PGS finish line with a Gold under my term as its former Director General.

For advocating good governance and promoting PGS as a key part of our progress, yours truly was honored to be in the list of distinguished fellows of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) in 2023 — a distinction I credit to the competent men and women of IPOPHL who have proven that excellence in performance and commitment to responsible citizenship can go hand in hand.

One of the PGS’s strengths lies in its emphasis on sustainability. By involving stakeholders from the private sector and career civil servants, the system ensures continuity of reforms despite changes in leadership. This collaborative approach mitigates the risks associated with political transitions, promoting long-term institutional stability.

By instilling strategic discipline, fostering stakeholder engagement, and emphasizing measurable outcomes, the PGS of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia empowers public institutions to deliver better services and build trust with citizens.

As more organizations embark on this transformative journey, the vision of a “Dream Philippines” becomes increasingly within reach.