Linking Transparency and Accountability to Local Legislative Performance in the Province of Nueva Ecija in the Philippines

Abstract

Transparency and accountability are essentials to the operation of governments. They are tools to prevent corruption. The study assessed the observance of the shared principles of transparency and accountability in the local legislative departments of five cities in the province of Nueva Ecija, in the Philippines. It discussed the importance of transparency and accountability in local governance; described the shared commitment to governance principles of accountability and transparency of local legislators, and correlated local legislators commitment to governance principles to legislative performance measured in terms of the number of ordinances and resolutions made. Using the mixed methods of research and Pearson Product Moment Correlation, the study found that: (a) the twin principles of transparency and accountability are necessary for local legislative operations; (b) local legislators observed governance principles of transparency and accountability and; (c) actual observance of transparency and accountability are associated to higher level of legislative performance. The study recommended that observance of transparency and accountability may be strengthened through the use of Information Communications Technology not only to monitor legislative duties but also to better respond to public demands and produce the quality of services commensurate to the value of public money.