Wilson Ng started helping the family business since 9 years old. Since then, he had dreamt to be a successful entrepreneur, one who starts great businesses  ( he has started 7) from scratch with insight, guts and initiative. He keeps his focus on growing the business by creating value-- not on politics, or wasteful distractions. He brings the same focus to community service, teaching, life and family.

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	Saturday, October 09, 2004

A BIG Mayor of a Small City  ( on business) The Philippine Business Conference featured many big businessmen, and high government officials, including the Philippine President and Vice President.  Amongst the speaker, I would have decided not to attend was a mayor of a relatively small city called Naga, which is about a few hours by bus from Metro Manila. My participant advised me that this was a great mayor and I would be impressed.  And I was.  Amongst the dozen speakers, other than Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, I will feature him.  His principles of governing a city is also applicable to the principles of managing a business and living life. Jesse Robredo became a mayor of Naga City in 1988, and was mayor of 10 years.  In 2001, he came back as mayor and was reelected in 2004. Under his term, the city has won 112 awards,  while he himself was the only Philippine civil servant to have won the 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service.  ( Click here to see his complete profile).  Among others, Naga has won two awards from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the most business friendly city in 2002 and 2003.                                                  Fig. 1. Photo of the Naga Mayor The following is a paraphrase of his excellent speech: " What Makes Naga a business friendly city.   We the people do. The first thing I recognized was that the process of how to get things done is as important as the outcome.  If we have a process of improving transparency, then the people will be more willing to participate. One of the most successful things I did was to establish the Naga City web site.  In here, the people will know exactly what services they expect from the government, what is the procedure to do it, and who they will make responsible if this is not done.  By increasing accountability, we keep government servants on their toes, and remind them that their job is to serve the people. We have also put in the whole budget, the whole expenditure of the government into the web site. The people knows exactly how the taxes were spent, and whether it is increasing or decreasing.  We have also publicize all our planned procurements.  As a result of this transparency, our cost per kilometer of road is 40 percent lesser than average, and on many items, is 19 to 70 percent cheaper than the national average. Not only were we able to buy cheaper, but by being transparent, we also make the process faster, more efficient, with far less red tape than in a normal government agency.  We alos have used  information to harness the entrepeneural drive of the people and their spirit by keeping them involved and by maximizing their participation. Thus, with their involvemnet, and knowing exactly the results, we were able to arrive at the necessity of increasing taxes five times, which was approved by the people themselves.  But most of all, their involvement not only means we an harness more their energy, but also it contributes to the people's confidence and hope that they have a voice in their own future.   5:59:56 PM     comment []   trackback []

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