Change has to start somewhere. This is especially true at a time when traditional systems are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. So when one city dares to innovate and challenge the norm, it creates a ripple effect that extends beyond its borders. What begins as a local reform can inspire
October 24, 2025
The budget keeps the ball rolling for any government, big or small. Under Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, local governments – barangays, municipalities, cities, and provinces alike – are empowered to govern independently. This authority, however, comes with responsibility. Local governments must carefully prepare
October 22, 2025
During disasters, the clock moves differently. Every minute lost to miscommunication, missing data, or manual coordination can mean lives upended – or worse – lost. That’s how it is in governance and that’s why it needs to be better. This is the sixth installment in my series on building Smart
September 26, 2025
In my years working with and around LGUs, one thing has always stood out: the same bottlenecks keep coming back. Long queues at city halls. Files passed from one desk to another like a baton in a never-ending relay. Delayed permits. Departments blaming each other for lost paperwork. It’s 2025,
September 20, 2025
I believe that the foundation of every government is its people and it is imperative that the public’s best interests be served. While this logically means putting the needs of the people first, that’s not always the case given the outmoded processes and bureaucratic web of steps that we civilians
September 16, 2025
By Lcid Crescent D. Fernandez The first step is always the hardest. That first step carries with it no momentum, and requires a spark to move forward. In governance, I call this “spark” the courage to change. It is the vision to see beyond what is currently before us – and taking decisive action to
September 11, 2025
In my time working with and in LGUs, it has always given me pause that manual processing is still the norm. Laptops and cellphones are now more accessible than ever, the internet is widely available, artificial intelligence is free to use with any decent gadget… and yet we still keep
September 6, 2025
The term “Smart City” gets thrown around a lot, mistakenly and particularly with any gadget or internet-related endeavor of an LGU. For example, free internet within the city or municipal hall – is that enough to claim the title of Smart City? Is an IT seminar a “Smart City endeavor”?
September 2, 2025
It has been 171 days since I took the lawyer’s oath and began my practice as a lawyer. While law school and the bar exam may have been mountains to climb and rivers to cross, I look past them now and fix my gaze toward what lies ahead. Like many
July 15, 2025
We have a well-worn spiel that our accounts executives at Prometheus use whenever they introduce our company: “the first and only award-winning full-service marketing agency and public relations firm in Western Visayas.” If it sounds rehearsed, that’s because it is: drilled into our teams, woven into the work we do
June 6, 2025
By Lcid Crescent D. Fernandez The day this column is published is the day I take my oath as a lawyer, sign the rolls, and earn the privilege of being called “Attorney”. But, please, don’t call me “Attorney”. Today marks the culmination of a decade-long journey, one that began with little more than big dreams
January 24, 2025
Backstage at the Asia CEO Awards 2024 in the Mariott Manila Grand Ballroom sat two young men: one from Iloilo, the other from Samar. In the sea of multinational companies and giants from varied industries networking and exchanging cards, these two young men talked about their provincial lives and the very different businesses they led.
November 4, 2024