UNIQUE POLITICAL BOUNDARIES

Cotabato City is a chartered City geographically surrounded by the Province of Maguindanao that belongs to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Yet the City is considered part of Region XII, not of ARMM. Based on the 2001 Plebiscite, ARMM would also include the provinces of Lanao del Sur (located north of Maguindanao), Tawi Tawi, Sulu and Basilan, with Marawi as the lone City of the Region. On the other hand, Region XII, as provided under Executive Order No. 36 issued on September 2001, includes the provinces of North Cotabato, South Cotabato Saranggani, Sultan Kudarat and the cities of Cotabato, General Santos, Kidapawan, Koronadal, and Tacurong.

This unusual situation makes local governance a bit tricky and complicated because of the influences of these two inherent administrative and political bodies on the social, economic, and political aspects of Cotabato City. The City has physical and economic linkages with the surrounding towns of the Maguindanao Province. These connections are further enhanced by the transport links primarily through the port and the airport, which are both located outside the City. In terms of planning procedures mandated by the Local Government Code, the City’s development plans would have to be integrated with that of Region XII, not of ARMM. Already, there have been issues, like waste disposal and water resource development, whose resolutions have been constrained by territorial and jurisdictional difficulties.

Other issues impact on the conduct of commerce. Businessmen could not expect direct action by City officials on the alleged high fees and double charges at the port, simply because it is beyond the jurisdiction of the City. The same goes to securing LTO permits and franchises on public transportation, which the traders have to do twice – one with the City and one with the Maguindanao province – in order to bring their goods to and from Cotabato City.

The local government’s efforts on peace and order are also affected. Although many would say that there has been a decrease in the frequency of crime and violence in the City, these are not appreciated by outsiders who still equate the City with the untoward incidents in the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and South Cotabato, or even in other parts of Mindanao. Thus, investors and travelers alike shy away from the City because of this image problem. Efforts should be exerted by all sectors in Cotabato City to mitigate this negative image. This will be a key and a part of the development proposals for this sector.

EXISTING GOVERNMENT MACHINERY

Cotabato City is an independent component city of Maguindanao Province of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) but the city is administratively linked to Region XII. The City Government of Cotabato is composed of twelve (12) functional offices with a total of 1,014 workforces. It is composed of the following offices under the direct supervision and administration of the City Mayor.

  1. City Treasury Office (CTO)
  2. City Assessor’s Office (CAO)
  3. City Planning and Development Office (CPDO)
  4. City Civil Registry Office (CCRO)
  5. Office on General Services (OGS)
  6. City Budget Office (CBO)
  7. City Accounting and Internal Audit Services (CAIAS)
  8. Office for Legal Services (OLS)
  9. Office on Health Services (OHS)
  10. Office on Social Welfare and Development Services (OSWDS)
  11. Office for Veterinary Services (OVS)
  12. City Engineering Office (CEO)

The City Administrator and the Secretary to the Mayor provides direct staff functions to the City Mayor.

In terms of manpower, the Office of the City Mayor has the biggest number of government workers making-up 18.93 % of the total work force. Next is the Office General Services with a total of 169 employees. The office with the least number of personnel is the office on Legal Services with only 14 personnel.

As of December 31, 1999, the City Government of Cotabato has a total working force of 1,014. By status of appointment, eligibility and highest educational attainment.

Out of the 1,014 city government workers, officers and officials, 64.30 (%) enjoy permanent status of employment, 30.86 (%) are casuals and 4.84% are elected. Government employees who posses the desired eligibilities total to 621 or 61.24% while 393 or 38.75% do not posses the necessary / required eligibility. Personnel who have completed college education make - up 79.68%.
 

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Basically, local government functions deal with community basic social services extension, public works and engineering, administrative and legal services. Almost all offices dealing with such functions are housed in the city hall. Three (3) offices and three (3) divisions of the Office of the City Mayor however are presently holding office at the old provincial capitol building at P.C. Hill. Since the approval and implementation of the Local Government Code of 1991 otherwise known as Republic Act 7160, important administrative reforms and innovations are instituted to provide better public services which aims towards a more cohesive, integrated, specialized and responsive administrative machinery, systems and processes. A proposed City Organizational Structure (Annex A) is planned to be implemented in the next ten years to specifically provide for services not yet present or functional in the existing city government set-up is viewed as a responsive effort on the part of the city government for the promotion of a more productive and self-reliant community. Also, the provision of the required manpower in the city government structures provide for a more substantive participation of the different units of the city government in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of development plans, policies, strategies and projects.

The local policy and law-making bodies at the local levels are the Sangguniang Panlungsod for the city and the Sangguniang Barangay for the 37 Barangays. Both bodies enact ordinances and pass resolutions for their respective constituents. The president of the Liga ng mga Barangays sits as member at the Sangguniang Panlungsod to present proposals, recommendations and seek early resolution of problems / issues affecting barangays. As observed, there is a very close coordinative mechanisms formed by these two local launching bodies.

Office spaces at the existing city hall are not adequate. Presently, some divisions and units lack vital personnel required in the performance of some functions. Specifically, the CPDO lacks the needed manpower to effectively discharge its functions and responsibilities while some offices have employees with overlapping functions and sometimes overloading of functions of some personnel.
EFFECTIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

Problems/Issues

  • Lack of responsive / forward organizational structure pursuant to the LGC of 1991 (RA 7160);
  • in-appropriate organizational set-up to adequately meet the administrative demands in the height of current trends and development efforts;
  • the need for an immediate augmentation of government workers as required under RA 7160;
  • the need to provide an effective and external coordination and linkage between offices and central, regional, and provincial levels of government for an effective delivery of services;
  • the preparedness of the city government to cope with the immediate demands of decentralization;
  • the need to provide adequate office spaces for each city division / units there is an immediate need to accommodate the city government workers in a more conducive and functionally effective working environment;
  • the need to improve the administrative and managerial capability of officials, officers and employees;
  • to further strengthen the city government’s capability in planning and program / project implementation;
  • problem on local finances are usually in the form of inadequate financial resources causes of which could be traced to implementation of rules and regulations on taxation, inadequate methods of collecting taxes, budgetary maldistribution of finances and the inability to obtain sources of funds for long-term budgetary commitments such as capital investments.
  • To augment the present work force of the city treasurer’s office to adequately perform its functions.
     

PLANNING ANG MONITORING BODIES

City Development Council (CDC) / Barangay Development Council (BDC)/ Project Monitoring Committee

The City Development Council of Cotabato City was created to serve as the policy and planning body for the development of the area. Executive Order No. 319 emphasizes the need to strengthen the mechanism for coordinating the effort of the national and local officials and non-governmental organizations to accelerate economic and social growth and development at the regional and local levels and the need for greater participation from the private sector and non-governmental organization in the development process. This same mandate called for the reorganization and strengthening of the local development councils (barangays & city) which shall assist local legislative bodies in setting the direction of economic and social developments and for coordinating efforts in both levels of governance within their respective territorial jurisdictions. The 37 barangays have their Barangay Development Councils.

CITY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

  • Formulate long-term, medium-term, and annual socio-economic development plans and policies
  • Formulate the medium-term and annual public investment programs
  • Appraise and prioritize the socio-economic development programs and projects
  • Formulate local investment incentives to promote the inflow and direction of private investment capital
  • Coordinate, monitor and evaluate programs and projects, and
  • Perform such other functions as may be provided for law or competent authority.
     

BARANGAY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

  • Mobilize citizen’s participation in the local development efforts
  • Identify programs and projects based on local requirements
  • Monitor and evaluate program/project implementation
  • Perform such other functions as may be provided for by law or competent authority
  • These two levels of quasi legislative bodies perform functions which require close coordination.


PROJECT MONITORING COMMITTEE

The City Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) was created by the Honorable City Mayor through Executive Order No. 23 dated October 19, 1998 following the provisions of Executive Order No. 93 which established the Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System (RPMES).
Membership to the PMC include the DILG official assigned in the city, three (3) NGO representatives and four (4) members appointed by the City Mayor from among the five (5) nominees of the City Development Council. Secretariat support is provided by the City Planning and Development Office.

The scope of monitoring includes all foreign and nationally – funded projects including development projects funded from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of LGUs or supported by funds released directly to the city and projects from locally – generated resources, which are implemented within the city.

 City Land Use Committee

The City Government of Cotabato has created and organized a City Land Use Committee made up of an executive and technical working group. The Executive Group is chaired by the Honorable City Mayors and the members are the Regional Directors of NEDA XII, DA XII, DAR, DOST, DTI, DOT, City Superintendent of Schools, DENR, DPWH, HLURB and the Regional Administrators of NSO XII. The Technical Working Group is chaired by the city Planning & Development Coordinator with members coming from the various departments, technical representatives of line agencies and NGOs. The City Land Use Committee, under the over-all technical assistance of NEDA XII, performs the following:

A. Executive Group

  1. Review the plan prepared by the TWG for consideration and indorsement of the CDC
  2. Ensure that the Land Use Plan prepared by the TWG is consistent with the national policies, standards and guideline
  3. Ensure that plans are supportive of the objectives set forth in the Urban Development and Housing act of 1992.

B. Technical Working Group

  1. Prepare/update the City Land Use Plan for the review of the City Land Use Committee (Executive Level) and for the approval and indorsement by the City Development Council;
  2. Serve as technical clearing house and present alternative options for consideration of executive level;
  3. Conduct studies and researches related to land use and physical planning;
  4. Conduct monitoring and evaluation activities on the implementation of the City’s land use plan;
  5. Act as Liaison of the committee in assessing information from his agency for physical planning.

Monitoring

The efficiency and effectiveness of government programs and projects should be evaluated based on the availability of the delivery machinery and to what extent these same programs and projects alter existing conditions for the greater benefit of the city’s population. An effective monitoring scheme essentially considers the following concerns :

  • whether the implemented programs and projects are reflective of the population’s aspiration
  • whether development policies have been closely followed viz - a viz development programs / projects location within the city;
  • institute a reporting system relative to the planned and actual project;
  • collection of feedback data during implementation

Local Development Councils

The Local Development Councils (Barangay / City Development Councils) are effective instruments for evaluating the performance of development projects through its established Local Monitoring System
City Chief Executive

A monitoring or feedback system is only one of the mechanisms to improve plan implementation. However, leadership is still the key factor for its effective implementation. What makes the leadership variable so crucial is its ability to act and react on important critical inputs. Thus, it is the manipulative and transforming quality of leadership that could determine the administrative capability of implementing mechanisms. Aside from the political will of the leadership through the City Chief Executive to vigorously implement plans, programs, and projects, vigilance of the citizenry in monitoring is very important.

 Plans / Programs Monitoring

Crucial to the planning and implementation process is the conduct of monitoring to determine the effectiveness of the project. Every implementing entity of the city government shall install its own monitoring system to keep track on the status and efficacy of the just completed project.
In order to pursue and carry on the implementation, a working group should be recognized. This group shall be ad-hoc in nature and only will be enforced for as long as they are needed in the implementation. They are immediately dissolved as soon as the projects are completed.
For each project and program identified, a working committee shall take charge the prosecution of said project and program.
 

PLANS and IMPLEMENTATION

The crucial stage vital to the development of the city is the implementation of the formulated of programs and identified projects. To carry the implementation of programs / projects, specific work groups, task force, CLUC, etc. are organized. They can be ad hoc elements of governmental agencies of different levels and may be dissolved after the completion of the programs / projects they are engaged in. The members of these different levels of implementation groups shall come from agencies that will implement or is implementing the project. The implementation groups in the different areas of sectoral concerns shall undertake the implementation of specific projects peculiar to their mandate. These implementation groups (Task Force, CLUC, IBRA, etc.) aside from their operational functions shall perform the following :

  1. prepare program / project proposals within its functional area for consideration in the formulation of the five-year development plan and annual investment plan
  2. submit regular reports to the City Mayor through the CPDO concerning the progress or status of implementation of projec
  3. provide statistical data to the local planning staff as may be necessary if the revision or updating of the Comprehensive Development Plans
  4. advise the CPDO of operational or organizational problems which arise in the course of project / program implementation
    Updating / Amending the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and Zoning Ordinance (ZO)

Updating of the CLUP is usually done after five (5) years from the date of its approval. However, there are no legal limitations imposed on the City Government to update its CLUP when there is an immediate need for updating. Amendments introduced in the CLUP within the plan period shall only be done upon the proper recommendation of the CPDO after a series of public hearings called for the purpose.
The amended part of the CLUP shall be incorporated only upon approval of the S.P. after review and approval by the Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC)
 
COTABATO CITY SOCIO ECONOMIC PROFILE