Naga promulgates rules on NGO, PO accreditation

By Jason B. Neola

To ensure that non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) registering with the City Government of Naga for accreditation adhere to the principles of good governance, the Sangguniang Panlungsod has recently enacted the Code of Good Governance upon which their qualification will be based.

Councilor Mila Raquid-Arroyo, who endorsed the enactment of Ordinance 2021-086, said the measure is based on the principle that governance is best effected if its responsibilities are shared by the people through a system of partnership between the governor and the governed.

She said that the successful implementation of Naga’s empowerment ordinance (Ordinance 95-092) would not have been possible were it not for the vibrant civil society organizations, which under the ordinance were given a structure called the Naga City People’s Council, in order to facilitate systematic and sustained participation.

The councilor said Ordinance 2021-086 sets out the principle that will serve as basis and guide all policies, programs, projects, activities and all other decisions of NGOs and POs in the city.

Section 4 of the ordinance provides that good governance indicators contained in the Constitution and By-Laws of the organization shall constitute as basis, in addition to other requirements provided under existing ordinances, in determining whether an NGO or PO applying for accreditation may be granted such accreditation.

The ordinance said the vision-mission-goal and statement of purpose of the organization provides for the improvement of the situation not only of its members but of the community as well;

The organization’s highest decision-making body or policy-making body is its General Membership/Assembly; the governing board determines the strategic direction of the organization based on the organization’s vision-mission-goal;

Among the long list of requirements and indicators, include:

The organization has an established expeditious mechanism by which erring officers or members may immediately be held accountable for his/her/their actions; has an established mechanism for members to raise their comments or recommendations for the good of the organization without fear of reprisal;

No money of the organization is disbursed except when based on an annual appropriation approved by the general assembly; all policies/decisions approved by the officers/board are submitted for ratification/disapproval of the members in a general membership meeting;

The organization has an established system of financial management and internal control; the organization has a system of annually evaluating the performance of its officers/board members through a confidential process; the organization has a system of assessing the performance of the organization vis-à-vis the achievement of its targets/goals; and

It has a continuing leadership program for its members to prepare them for future leadership positions within the organization; the organization has a system of ensuring that the exercise of leadership positions in the organization are responsibility of both men and women; and it has a system of forming civic mindedness among young persons.

Organizations applying for accreditation shall present themselves for interview and assessment of compliance with the indicators of good organizational governance. The Naga City People’s Council (NCPC) shall be invited to submit its comments/recommendation to the Sangguniang Panlungsod before any application may be acted upon with 30 days from notice.

The organization’s compliance/adherence to the standards as set forth under Section 4 of the ordinance shall be reviewed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod every three years.