The main idea in this priority, under the strategic theme of Sense of Community, is for the government to forge substantive and meaningful partnership with the private sector, and in the process for it to become lean, effective, and efficient.

The concept of partnership with the private sector is widely known. Moreover, those government units that take it seriously – and act accordingly – find that they can more easily achieve breakthrough results through partnership, than if they remained aloof and acted largely on their own, without seeking active cooperation from citizens’ groups. But let us be clear what at bottom such partnership yields: It delivers a lean government, which is also effective and efficient.

It is not enough for a government to be lean, i.e., to have the minimum number of people to deliver public services in a cost-effective manner. This would already help conserve public resources, and spend the increased savings on higher investments in public infrastructure (rather than on salaries and outright subsidies given to unnecessary government personnel). It is also necessary that a lean government meets high standards of effectiveness and efficiency. Processing times are cut to the minimum; bureaucracy is kept to what is strictly essential; procedures in the delivery of public services should be as short and simple (as well as hassle-free) as the demands of transparency and of a system of proper checks and balances would allow.

The measure for this priority is the institutionalization of a multi-sector coalition that actively, positively, and regularly works with public governance units. This coalition is an umbrella of various citizens’ groups, formally recognized and invited to working sessions with officials of the public governance unit, with the idea that they help oversee progress towards the targets set in the governance scorecard of the government unit concerned.

In addition, such citizens’ groups within the multi-sector coalition should be prepared to make formal commitments of the initiatives they volunteer to undertake themselves, submitting themselves to achieving certain targets, which help advance the priorities laid out in the Road Map of the government unit of which they are a recognized partner.

The targets set for the measure is the formal establishment of a multi-sector coalition in various government units and the mutually rated effectiveness for the coalition’s partnership with the government unit concerned. In 2010, the target is for 10 cities and 6 national government departments or agencies, with a rated effectiveness of 70 percent. For 2020, the corresponding numbers are: Thirty cities and 20 national government departments or agencies, with an effectiveness rating of 80 percent. For 2030, the numbers rise to the following levels: 50 cities and 33 national government departments or agencies, with an effectiveness rating of 90 percent.

The initiative is for those government units – either cities or national government departments or agencies – that adopt and use the performance governance system, to move up the governance improvement pathway so they reach the compliance stage, where they formally and institutionally set up a multi-sectoral coalition for good governance. What is said of cities can apply to provinces, municipalities, and eventually also barangays.

It should be noted that this priority tries to provide flesh and substance to a good governance principle: that every government unit must expand the sphere for operationalizing participatory governance by ensuring through a multi-sector coalition the involvement of many relevant citizens’ groups, at least in the oversight and monitoring of progress made under its governance Road Map.