Action plan – South Cotabato, Philippines, 2026 – 2028

At-a-Glance

Duration

Jun 2028

Date Submitted

25th June 2026

Foreword(s)

South Cotabato, recognized as one of the most progressive provinces in Southern Mindanao, continues to advance the frontier of innovation with the unveiling of its ambitious 3rd Action Plan. This plan has been thoughtfully crafted in response to the increasing demand for greater transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More and heightened public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... in governance, epitomizing the province’s dedication to the principles of open government.

This document stands as a testament to the continuous and unwavering commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... of South Cotabato to uphold the esteemed principles of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) Local:  transparency, accountability, and public participation, supported by technological innovation. These guiding principles have seamlessly complemented the very fabric of the province’s vision, mission, and goals, evidenced by the commitments articulated within this Action Plan being firmly rooted in the existing and ongoing programs and initiatives of the Provincial Government of South Cotabato.

Moreover, these commitments serve as a renewal and reinforcement of some pledges made in the 1st Action Plan back in 2018. This deliberate renewal ensures the ongoing fostering of a robust and collaborative partnership between the local government and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) within the province. By renewing these commitments, South Cotabato reaffirms its dedication to fostering a transparent, accountable, participatory, and technologically advanced governance model.

Through this 3rd Action Plan, South Cotabato aspires to set a benchmark in innovative governance, where transparency and citizen engagement are not just ideals but practiced realities. The plan embodies the province’s resolve to create an environment where every citizen feels empowered to participate in governance and where technology serves as a catalyst for not only an inclusive, but also a transparent and accountable governance.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

This subsection details the Open Government Strategic Vision in your local area that should guide the commitments for the action plan period.

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

South Cotabato’s development direction is aligned with the international agenda for sustainable development – 2030 Sustainable Development GoalsOGP countries are experimenting with open government innovations to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16+ which includes peaceful, just and inclusive societies... (SDGs). South Cotabato localizes the SDGs by working on the perspective that achieving Goals #2-16 by forging strong partnerships, which is Goal # 17, will ultimately result in achieving Goal # 1 of No Poverty, where no one is left behind. The vision is also anchored on the national government’s vision of a “Matatag, Maginhawa at Panatag na Buhay” (Strongly Rooted, Comfortable and Secure Life) as captured in AmBisyon Natin 2040 that envisions the Philippines as a prosperous middle-class society where no one is poor. In order to achieve the vision, it is the role and development mission of the provincial government to highlight good governance and promote transparency, accountability, and participation as a way of making people co-own their government. By providing the enabling environment for growth to thrive, this brand of governance – focused on creating spaces of integrity and open government – will increase the chances of producing tangible outcomes for our people and positive impacts on our communities. The Vision Statement describes both the outward-looking and inward-looking elements of the envisioned long-term role and development direction of the province. The desired role of the province in the wider region, or the best contribution it can make to the development of the nation, is captured.

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

In order for it to continue to grow and thrive, we have to nurture and sustain the already existing open government mechanisms and improve on areas that require more work. In the meantime, for this action plan, the issues that will be honed in on are the following:

• There is a mismatch between usage and trust of communication channels: trust is highest in official and traditional channels, and there are sectoral differences in preferences.
• The nationwide prevalence of ghost and substandard infrastructure projects calls for the involvement of the community in scrutinizing the implementation process, starting from procurement, to monitoring, and up to the evaluation stage.
• Protected Areas (PAs) are increasingly threatened by unsustainable activities driven by rapid economic development. Additionally, the complex nature of climate change and hazard data, as well as data gathered from the environment, makes it difficult to involve the public in disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation initiatives.
• Although the internet is more accessible than ever, even reaching GIDAs and far-flung areas, confusion on how to access legitimate information on government projects and services persists.
• There are still improvements to be made in terms of CSO involvement in planning, budgeting, legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r..., and other government processes that should be as participative as can be, particularly in the process of coming up with legislation.

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

The Provincial Development Investment Plan for 2026-2028 states that for the Institutional Sector, institutions will be strengthened by prioritizing improvements in financial management as a way to enhance transparency and accountability. At the same time, another focus under the same sector is the reinforcement of mechanisms for people’s participation to promote participatory governance.

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

One way that this 3rd Action Plan significantly contributes to the achievement of South Cotabato’s Open Government Strategic Vision is by going to the grassroots and encouraging them to participate in government processes, which is the case for all five (5) commitments. Transparency and accountability are also at the forefront of the commitments under this plan. For example, making government data, plans, and services easier to access via an integrated, online database (Digital GovernanceAs evolving technologies present new opportunities for governments and citizens to advance openness and accountability, OGP participating governments are working to create policies that deal with the ... More) exhibits a willingness to be transparent from the government’s side. Furthermore, strengthening trust in official communication channels (Access to Information) and involving them in important government processes (Anti-Corruption and Public Participation) will empower citizens to keep the government accountable.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

Good governance is at the core of South Cotabato’s Development Framework—among the 5 Development Priorities of the current administration is “Strengthening Good Governance.” The Provincial Development Investment Plan for 2026-2028 qualifies this as “advanc[ing] e grassroots-focused or bottom-up, open, participatory, and digital-driven governance to reduce poverty and build lasting peace,” which will partly be addressed by the institutional sector goals mentioned above.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• Office of the Provincial Information Officer
• Department of the Interior and Local Government – Region XII
• Office of the Provincial Governor – Bids and Awards Division
• Office of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer
• Office of the Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator
• Office of the Provincial Governor – Information Technology Division
• Office of the Provincial Cooperative Development Officer

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

South Cotabato has long had a strong relationship with its private/business sector, even before joining the OGP. The provincial government has always been keen on engaging both its civil society organizations and the private and business sectors through their inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More and participation in the different local special bodies. This particular relationship has enabled balance in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive....

For the implementation of this action plan, the multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... (MSF) of the OGP, the South Cotabato Integrity Council (SCIC) will continue to serve as the OGP Local Secretariat. Communication to CSOs and People’s Councils can be handled by one of the lead implementers, PCDO. Lastly, the existing Provincial Development Council (PDC), which has a composition of almost 50% CSOs (in contrast to the recommended minimum of 1/3 or 33%), also serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with provincial and regional development activities.

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

As mentioned, with the SCIC acting as the main stage for immediate collaboration between the provincial government, civil society, and its lead partners in implementing this action plan, different online and offline media will be used for constant engagement.

As the primary body that serves as the MSF of the South Cotabato – OGP, the South Cotabato Integrity Circle is also the ideal space for government and civil society collaboration. Since the body meets on a quarterly basis, it opens up opportunities for in-depth discussions on how to improve good governance mechanisms and systems. Also, as the MSF, the SCIC as a whole has played a major role in the co-creation of the Action Plan.

Online groups of the SCIC will also be utilized in addition to the Facebook page of OGP South Cotabato.

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

Section 34 of the Local Government Code of 1991 underscores the importance of promoting the establishment and operation of people and non-governmental organizations to become active partners in the pursuit of local autonomy. To become legitimate partners in local governance, CSOs such as NGOs, people’s organizations, cooperatives, and professional groups must be accredited by the provincial legislative body, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Further, the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued a Memorandum Circular, MC No. 2013-70, which provides the clarificatory guidelines relative to the accreditation of CSOs and in the selection of their representatives to the local special bodies (LSBs). Only accredited CSOs are qualified to become members of LSBs such as the PDC and SCIC. This was also reinforced by DILG MC No. 2025-060, which reiterates the representation of CSOs in local special bodies.

The SCIC and PDC have since been promoting inclusivity and diversity through the representation of vulnerable and marginalized groups, particularly from indigenous peoples, women, and senior citizens. Both these local special bodies empower CSOs to take part in the decision-making and development processes of the provincial government. By allowing them a space to converse, they can directly express their concerns as well as opinions on certain issues and thus create a holistic system of decision-making.

Who participated in these spaces?

The five (5) types of groups that attended the co-creation workshops are from the government and the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More.

• National Agencies
• Provincial Offices
• Municipal and Barangay representatives
• Civil Society Organization representatives
• Business Sectors

How many groups participated in these spaces?

37

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation process?

5

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

After the co-creation, coordination meetings will also be held to ensure the timely and successful implementation of the Action Plan. During the implementation, government and non-government stakeholders will be present on both sides: as implementers and as participants.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

To monitor the Action Plan from inception through implementation to the end of each commitment, the academe, as a sector not involved in co-creation and not involved in implementation, was contacted to serve as the independent monitoring body for this Action Plan.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Krystianne Paul A. De Pedro, MBA, Assistant Professor, Notre Dame of Marbel University, [email protected]

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

Regular collaboration meetings will be conducted or if needed, a special meeting to discuss developments of the implementation of commitments, as well as to identify problems and recommend solutions to ensure that all problems are aided with preferential actions and to resolve them effectively.

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

Aside from the collaboration meetings with the monitoring team that will discuss updates, progress status, and work changes, it will also be presented during the conduct of Quarterly meetings of South Cotabato Integrity Circle (SCIC) with our partner Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to ensure the progress of the initiative, to maintain its momentum, and to further capacitate the people involved. Updates will also be posted on relevant social media pages.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

Good communication is needed. This strategy is the best approach to share information with the public. On-time information dissemination can be an effective medium of communication. With the assistance of the Office of the Provincial Information Officer, updates and information can be properly disseminated through social media pages managed by the PGSC and its partners. With this initiative, a huge number of citizens can easily access all the posted information. We can also reach out to more people through the following:

• Posting Banners
• Holding Radio Broadcasts (especially as part of the Access to Information milestones)
• Broadcasting on Social Media (Facebook)
• Word-of-mouth, spreading the information to as many people as we can

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Mr. Carlito Y. Uy, President, South Cotabato Business Association
• Atty. RJ Sustiguer Jr., President, South Cotabato Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc
• Mr. Junbard N. Mahinay, General Manager, Tibud Sa Katibawasan Multi-Purpose Cooperative
• Mr. Adolfo D. Tanco Jr., Chairperson, South Cotabato Credit Surety Fund Cooperative
• s. Angelina Q. Geronimo, Chairperson, Rizal 3 SN Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative
• Mr. Henry B. Pajate, Chairperson, Unified Engineering Workers Multi-Purpose Cooperative
• Ms. Ninfa B. Mabenta, Chairperson, Polomolok Multipurpose Cooperative
• Ms. Alicia L. Manondog, BOT / Provincial Coordinator, Coalition of Social Development Organizations in South Cotabato
• Sr. Erleen L. Carcillar, OND, Executive Director, Hesed Foundation
• Ms. Liza D. Hora, Executive Director, Mahintana Foundation Inc.
• Mr. Eugenio G. Pamplona, Vice President, AVETSCO Inc.
• Mr. Dausay S. Daulog, President, Maguindanaon Development Foundation Inc
• Fr. Jerome M. Millan, Executive Director, Social Action Center-Diocese of Marbel
• Ms. Belen S. Fecundo, Executive Director, South Cotabato Foundation Inc.

Message from the Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr