Survey results are vital for the enhancement and the development ofSurvey results are vital for the enhancement and the development ofpolicies which will provide relevant improvement on the service delivery of the government. This gives authorities the basis for enhancing specific areas of the different services specifically delivered by the local government.
As the third party entity to conduct the implementation of the CSIS, the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, being the only SUC in the province of Mountain Province, was tapped by the Department of Interior and Local Government as a Local Resource Institute for the conduct of the Citizen Satisfaction Index Survey (CSIS) for Mountain Province.
The Local Resource Institute training was then cascaded to the selected SUCs for CSIS. This was held in Japi Travelers Hotel at Cauayan, Isabella last February 28 – March 1, 2018. This was attended by the Project Manager, Dr, Annie Grail F. Ekid, Field Supervisors, Mr. Elmer D. Pakipac and Mr. Joel C. Faroden and Data encoder/processor, Mr. Rolando M. Tawanna, Jr.
The Memorandum of Agreement was signed into motion last March 9, 2018 which was represented by Marlo L. Iringan, Regional Director of DILG-CAR and Dr. Rexton F. Chakas, President of Mountain Province State Polytechnic College.
The cascading of training for the Field Interviewers (FIs) was done last May 31 and June 1, 2018. The two-day training for the Field Interviewers was done together with the Field Supervisors, the Project Manager and the representatives of the offices of service providers from the Bontoc – Local Government Unit. Field Interviewers were again instructed of the procedures of the interview before they were dispatched.
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| Field Interviewers probe answers of some identified respondents at Alab Oriente during the conduct of the Citizens Satisfaction Index Survey (CSIS) |
Out of the 16 barangays of Bontoc, there were only 15 barangays which were selected. Barangay Bayyo did not qualify for a spot area since the number of the population for the barangay is very low to generate a single spot. For this reason, barangay Bayyo is not included as an area for the survey.
There were a total of 30 sample spots generated: six spots for barangay Bontoc Ili; four spots each for barangays Samoki and Poblacion; three spots each for barangay Calutit; 2 spots each for barangays Talubin and Guina-ang and a single spot for barangays Alab Proper, Alab Oriente, Balili, Caneo, Dalican, Gonogon, Mainit, Maligcong and Tocucan.
Challenges Encountered
The conduct of the CSIS in the municipality of Bontoc is a practical way to assess the quality of service given to the citizens by the government. However, in the conduct of the survey in the municipality of Bontoc, it poses challenges such as the following: The geographical location of the houses in the vicinity considering that the area is mountainous, with steep slopping elevations and located in remote barangays where the houses are far apart makes it more difficult for the FIs to identify a particular respondent and to move from one household to another.Administering lengthy questionnaires make the respondent harried, doubtful, and sometimes annoyed in giving out answers. This happens especially when the respondent is doing something or about to do something. This also adds to the time consumed in conducting the interview.When conducting a survey in an indigenous community, FIs must be sensitive to indigenous traditions and practices such as the observance of tengao or community rest day. There is an issue as to the replicability of the survey in remote areas since it will affect the overall survey results. Based from some of the cases cited by the FIs, it can be noted that some of the services provided by the LGU are not within reach of some of the most remote areas. The CSIS portal is of great help in preparing the results of the survey most especially in generating scores and frequency. However, the portal might have problems in internet connectivity most especially in areas where the internet connection is erratic. This is one of the factors that affected the generation of reports from the portal.
Recommendations
1. It is recommended that the questionnaire being used be made more concise to lessen the overall interview time and provide ease to the interviewee.
2. Since spot areas are most often times located in far flung barangays such as in the case of Cordillera region but also in the remote areas of the Philippines, it is recommended that the FI’s pay be increased or to include at least subsistence allowance for those travelling to remote areas.
3. For the conduct of the survey in indigenous communities, it is recommended that the barangay captain or possibly the elders be consulted first when practices and traditions meddle in the conduct of the survey. It is also recommended for the BLGS to provide specific instructions regarding this issue with the possible occurrence of such similar incidents/events.
4. For the CSIS portal, it is recommended that a function for the analysis of the qualitative data be included. This feature will aid the data processors/analyzers in processing the rich qualitative data based from the responses of the respondents most especially that the data are to be analyzed per service indicator.
5. Likewise, it is also recommended, to have a standalone system for the CSIS portal. This will enable users having erratic internet connectivity to input data without the connection of the internet. The file generated from this standalone system can then be uploaded to the internet after all the data have been entered.
//Rolando Tawanna Jr.
