8ID achieves milestone in pursuit of the army transformation roadmap

By DPAO, 8ID PA
January 30, 2015

CAMP LUKBAN, Catbalogan City, Samar – The 8th Infantry (Stormtroopers) Division, Philippine Army marked another milestone in its pursuit of attaining the Army Transformation Roadmap (ATR) by 2028 having been conferred the Compliant Status (2nd Stage) of the Army Governance Pathway (AGP).

Maj. Gen. Jet B. Velarmino, the Commander of the 8th Infantry Division, Philippine Army received a Plaque of Recognition in behalf of the 8th Infantry Division during the Army Governance Forum 01-2015 at Ricarte Hall, Philippine Army Officer’s Clubhouse, Headquarters, Philippine Army on January 30, 2015.

A Compliant Status is granted after an organization has formally organized internal and external stakeholders (also known as Multi-Sector Advisory Board or MSAB) to be part of the governance process, and consequently passed an audit review. This stage is centered on alignment of resources and people to the strategy.

It can be gleaned that last November 11, 2014, 8ID convened its Multi-Sector Advisory Board (MSAB) which became its strong partner in attaining the Army Transformation Roadmap (ATR) by 2028.

Composed of civilian stakeholders from the public, academe, business, private, health and religious sector, among its important tasks is to promote continuity, sustainability, and shared responsibility in pursuit of the 8ID ATR; ensure adoption and institutionalization of PGS as embodied in the ATR; provide assessment of ATR-related programs, projects, and activities, and recommend relevant policies critical in achieving breakthrough results; enhance partnerships with key stakeholders and generate public support for the 8ID ATR; evaluate the Command’s performance relative to its scorecard and the implementation of ATR-related programs, projects, and activities; and assist in the generation of additional resources to support the unit’s programs, projects, and activities.

The PGS is hinged on the Balanced Scorecard technology (BSC), a performance management tool developed at the Harvard University Business School. PGS translates vision to actionable strategies and commitments that lead to breakthrough results. Working under the tenet of true and genuine governance, these breakthrough results make the agency more sustainable and responsive to its purpose. Inherent in the design of the system are the strategic private-public partnership of the organization and the sectors it closely interacts with, as well as transparent executive leadership. This revolutionary system institutionalizes a new culture of governance that can produce tangible results within two to three years.

The Army Governance Forum is a semi-annual event that forms part of the Performance Governance System (PGS), the good governance program of the National Competitiveness Council and the Institute for Solidarity in Asia. The forum features progress reports from Philippine Army Major Units (PAMUs) and their compliance to the Army’s good governance pathway, which is divided into four (4) stages, namely: Initiation, Compliance, Proficiency, and Institutionalization.

This year’s preliminary forum was graced by the presence of Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr., the Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, who at the same time conferred the recognition award to 8ID; Lt. Gen. Hernando DCA Iriberri, the Commanding General of the Philippine Army; and Dr. Jesus Estanislao, Chairman, Institute of Solidarity in Asia.

Aside from 8ID, three (3) other Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Army achieved the compliant status, and these are: the 3rd Infantry Division, the 6th Infantry Division Infantry Division, and the 9th Infantry Division. Other major commands of the Philippine Army that received the same award were: the Mechanized Infantry Division and the Training and Doctrine Command. The awards were received by the respective commanders of the said Army Commands.