20/09/2026
๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ก ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐๐
Beyond the interactive sessions and engaging discussions, the PLV College of Public Administration and Governance (PLV CPAG) through the Students Transforming Governance Philippines Caravan is about seeing what good governance can actually look like in practice, through our own policies and programs in Valenzuela City.
A thoughtful reflection from Zamboanga City (WMSUโs Official Student Publication) is a fitting reminder that good governance is not just an idea to discuss, but a standard we can continue to work towards an effective, efficient and responsive public service. ๐ต๐ญ
Read the full reflection below. โค๏ธ
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐จ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐
During our ride home through a maddening traffic congestion, somewhere between the honking cars and the minutes that seem to stretch forever, we know deep down that there is a better Zamboanga that can be realized.
In the middle of a long waiting line for a valid I.D., there is a version of this city we imagine, one where things move when they are supposed to, where government services do not demand an unreasonable amount of time, and where efficiency is not a pleasant surprise but an expectation.
During the caravan conducted in partnership with the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng ValenzuelaโCollege of Public Administration (PLV-CPA) at Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), students were introduced to the Valenzuela City experience in good governance. The long stretch of sessions discussed how the local government translated ideas of efficiency, responsiveness, and accountability into actual programs and systems.
At first, it sounded like what governance seminars usually promise: better services, more responsive institutions, and a government that works for its people. But as the discussion went on, the examples became increasingly difficult to dismiss as mere ideals.
One example was the Paspas Permit. The name alone sounds almost absurdly optimistic: paspasโfast. But it is not just a slogan. Through Valenzuela's 3S Plus Online Services, the city developed a system where a provisional business permit can be issued within 10 seconds after payment confirmation. What used to take around an hour at the City Hall could be accomplished through an integrated online system.
Ten seconds.
I had to sit with that for a moment. Because when you come from a city where government transactions can sometimes feel like an endurance test, hearing ten seconds attached to a government permit sounds almost fictional. But the presentation did not stop at making government transactions faster. The speakers also discussed Disiplina Village, Valenzuela's in-city resettlement program for informal settler families. Rather than treating relocation simply as moving people from one place to another, the program incorporated housing, community development, and access to essential services.
These were two very different programs addressing two very different problems. Yet they pointed toward the same idea: a type of governance that is not only about having policies but building systems that actually work. And that was when the comparison became difficult to ignore.
Valenzuela City is tiny compared to Zamboanga City. Zamboanga spans more than 1,400 square kilometers; Valenzuela covers less than 50. Yet there I was, listening to how a much smaller city had built systems designed to make government services faster, more accessible, and more responsive. Hearing about a smaller city turning governance principles into things its residents could actually experience left me with a pulsing question that was less of an admiration and more of longing: ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
Of course, it would be unfair to pretend that Zamboanga and Valenzuela are identical. What works in a densely populated Metro Manila city cannot simply be copied and pasted into Zamboanga. Our city is significantly larger and has geographic and administrative challenges that Valenzuela does not have. A city that spans more than a thousand square kilometers cannot simply be governed in exactly the same way as one that spans less than fifty. But complexity and size shouldn't be reason for stagnation.
The point is not to copy Valenzuela's processes and systems. The point is to learn from what it proves possible. If a city can look at a slow process and decide to make it faster, why can't we? If a city can look at informal settlements and develop an in-city housing program around dignity, community, and long-term planning, what could Zamboanga design for its own realities? If a city can make efficiency part of its governance culture, why should efficiency feel like a hard-earned achievement?
Why does it feel like we are still waiting for something? The SGT Caravan brought a mirror that asked participants to reflect on political ideals and realities. That the things we often talk about do not have to remain concepts in slideshows. Somewhere in the Philippines, they have already become part of how a city operates.
And suddenly, the question becomes less โWhy is Valenzuela City doing so well?โ and more: โWhy aren't we there yet?โ
The answer, of course, is not as simple as budget, land area, or population. Good governance is built through systems, institutions, leadership, implementation, and years of sustained work. One successful city cannot simply be used as a template and pasted onto another. But examples matter. They give us something to measure ourselves against. They make us realize that โganiyan na talaga โyanโ is not necessarily a permanent condition.
And perhaps that is what I want to take away from the caravan: not envy for Valenzuela, but impatience for Zamboanga. Because I don't want our city to remain the city we talk about in terms of what it could be. For now, there is still an ideal Zamboanga we won't share. But someday, hopefully, we will hear about our own cityโs efficient systems, and people-centric processes and policies. And when that day comes, maybe we won't have to whisper about it.
Words by Justine Gay Jacinto
Artwork by Stacy Alcantara
