Institute for Solidarity in Asia

What Institute for Solidarity in Asia does

The Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) is a Philippine non-profit organization founded in 2000 by former Finance Secretary Dr. Jesus P. Estanislao to reform public-sector governance through a codified methodology called the Performance Governance System (PGS). Headquartered in Manila, ISA works with national government agencies, local government units, public hospitals, GOCCs, and educational institutions to design, deploy, monitor, and sustain long-term reforms along a four-stage pathway — Initiation, Compliance, Proficiency, and Institutionalization — supported by tools including Strategy Maps, Governance Scorecards, an Office for Strategy Management (OSM), and a Multi-Sector Governance Council (MSGC). The product portfolio spans the core PGS framework, the PGS Online digital learning platform, intensive Governance Boot Camps (now in their 32nd edition), Public Governance Forums with Public Revalida validation exercises, and a comprehensive governance glossary. ISA recognizes partner progress through Gold and Silver Trailblazer Awards and co-runs the Islands of Good Governance program with the National Competitiveness Council.

The organization operates through direct engagement with partner institutions, in-person training events, and online interventions, with 200+ partner institutions and 5,000+ trained leaders to date. Revenue is generated through donations and a 1,000 PHP pledge program that includes publications by Dr. Estanislao; core governance reform programs are delivered to public institutions largely without direct fees. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees chaired by Francisco F. Del Rosario, Jr., with Rex C. Drilon II as Vice Chairman, and operational leadership under CEO Evaristo Francisco and PGS Practice Leader Chris P. Zaens. The organization maintains 11–50 employees, has no disclosed funding rounds, and operates exclusively in the Philippines with no international commercial footprint beyond APEC-level recognition.

Name

Institute for Solidarity in Asia

Legal name

Institute for Solidarity in Asia

Website

https://isacenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for Solidarity in Asia is a Philippine non-profit that delivers the Performance Governance System (PGS) framework and training programs to national government agencies, local government units, public hospitals, and educational institutions to drive measurable governance reform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Governance Consulting

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Central Government Policy, Strategy & Performance (incl. OMB-style functions) (BPAIAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

Keywords

• Public sector governance
• Governance reform training
• Performance management system
• Public administration consulting
• Government capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Makati

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: ISA operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through donations. They offer a pledge program where supporters can contribute 1,000 PHP to receive publications by Dr. Jesus P. Estanislao.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ISA delivers the Performance Governance System (PGS), a strategy management framework that enables Philippine national government agencies, local government units, public hospitals, and schools to design, deploy, monitor, and sustain long-term governance reforms. Core offerings include PGS pathway implementation, training and capacity-building programs, the Governance Boot Camp, Public Governance Forum recognition events, and the PGS Online digital learning platform. The PGS pathway spans four stages (Initiation, Compliance, Proficiency, Institutionalization) with Public Revalida exercises used for external validation.

Product overview

Institute for Solidarity in Asia offers a unified governance reform platform centered on the Performance Governance System (PGS), a strategy management system developed specifically for Philippine public institutions. The core PGS framework enables government agencies and local governments to design, deploy, monitor, and sustain long-term reforms. The product portfolio includes PGS Online for digital learning and capacity building, Training & Capacity-Building programs, the Governance Boot Camp for intensive training, the Public Governance Forum (PGF) for recognition and Public Revalida exercises, and a PGS Glossary for terminology reference. The four-stage PGS Pathway includes Initiation (strategy creation), Compliance (strategy execution), Proficiency (strategy monitoring), and Institutionalization (strategy sustainability), with organizations receiving Trailblazer Awards upon progression.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Performance Governance System (PGS): A strategy management system developed specifically for public institutions in the Philippines, enabling government agencies to design, deploy, monitor, and sustain long-term reforms.
• Public Governance Forum (PGF)
• Governance Boot Camp

Products and services

• Performance Governance System (PGS) A strategy management system developed specifically for Philippine public institutions that enables government agencies, local government units, hospitals, and schools to design, deploy, monitor, and sustain long-term reforms targeting measurable breakthroughs in service delivery and institutional performance. The framework includes Strategy Maps, Governance Scorecards, an Office for Strategy Management (OSM), a Multi-Sector Governance Council (MSGC), and a four-stage pathway (Initiation, Compliance, Proficiency, Institutionalization) validated through Public Revalida exercises.
• PGS Online Digital learning and capacity building platform providing online PGS interventions for partner institutions, including Strategy Formulation, Clean-up Sessions, Cascading, OSM Capacity Building, Pre-Revalidas, Public Revalida, Organizational Assessment, Spot Audit, Strategic Readiness Test, and Third Party Audit.
• Training & Capacity-Building Training and capacity-building events designed to strengthen competencies of public sector individuals in PGS implementation, enabling participants to gain knowledge, build practical skills, share best practices, and celebrate wins in public sector reform.
• Governance Boot Camp Intensive training program where participants learn core components of PGS design, strategic positioning, disciplined execution, and cascading processes, with governance best-practice sharing. Delivered in-person and in virtual formats.
• Public Governance Forum (PGF) Recognition program and event series where public institutions showcase their transformation journey and progress milestones along the PGS pathway, including Public Revalida exercises with multi-sector panels of governance and field experts for external validation.
• Islands of Good Governance (IGG) Recognition program run jointly with the National Competitiveness Council that identifies and recognizes public institutions demonstrating real reforms through dedicated undertaking of transformative and sustainable good governance programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital achieved 0-1.8% Neonatal Mortality Rate and 90%+ preterm survival rates through governance transformation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Armed Forces of the PhilippinesmajorOthers · 1 October 2013Committed to IGG initiative with breakthrough goals for 2015 including army non-commissioned officers crafting personal governance scorecards and increasing operational readiness.
• Civil Service CommissionmajorOthers · 1 October 2013Committed to IGG initiative with breakthrough goals for improving anti-red tape compliance and case resolution times.
• Department of HealthmajorOthers · 1 October 2013Committed to IGG initiative with goals for reducing infant mortality, increasing facility-based births, and expanding PhilHealth coverage.
• Department of Public Works and HighwaysmajorOthers · 1 October 2013Committed to IGG initiative with goals for paving national roads and professionalizing the organization.
• Philippine National PolicemajorOthers · 1 October 2013Committed to IGG initiative with breakthrough goals for crime resolution and firearm confiscation.
• Philippine Heart CentermajorOthers · 1 October 2013Achieved PGS Institutionalized Status with Gold Trailblazer Award, established 6 regional heart centers and clinical pathways for PhilHealth Z-benefit package.
• National Competitiveness Council (NCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for the Islands of Good Governance (IGG) initiative, working together since 2013 to raise standards of government practice and improve Philippines competitiveness rankings.
• Various Local Government UnitsmajorOthersPartnership with cities including Balanga, Bataan, Mandaue City, San Fernando Pampanga, and provinces including Bohol, Bataan for governance reform.
• Various Public HospitalsmajorOthersPartnership with over 70 hospitals across the Philippines including Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital, Baguio General Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, and others implementing PGS governance reforms.
• Department of EducationmajorOthersCommitted partner for education sector governance reforms including Schools Division Office of Tarlac Province.
• Department of Science and Technology - TAPImajorOthersAchieved PGS Initiated status with Silver Trailblazer Award; strategic roadmaps for advancing Filipino tech innovations globally.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Transparency International: Global non-profit focused on anti-corruption and governance accountability. Adjacent to ISA's corruption-and-accountability value proposition, but advocacy and index-driven rather than direct public-sector reform delivery.

Direct peers

• National Competitiveness Council (Philippines): ISA's active partner on the Islands of Good Governance initiative since 2013. Comparable mission — improving Philippine public-sector competitiveness — but with a public-sector governance mandate rather than training and consulting delivery.
• Institute on Governance (Canada): Independent non-profit dedicated to public-sector governance research and advisory work. Similar in being a non-profit thought-and-practice leader focused on government performance, though serving Canadian and international clients rather than a single country.
• Balanced Scorecard Institute (Palladium): Originator of the Balanced Scorecard methodology that underpins ISA's Governance Scorecard and Strategy Map components. Closest methodological peer, providing strategy management frameworks applied across public and private sectors globally.
• Development Academy of the Philippines: Government-owned training and capacity-building institution serving Philippine public agencies. Closest in-country functional peer to ISA: both deliver structured public-sector reform programs and leadership training, though DAP is government-run and broader in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Government & Public Services: Big Four advisory firm serving government clients on strategy, operations, and performance management. Comparable function (government performance consulting) but commercial, global, and not non-profit funded.
• McKinsey Public Sector Practice: Global management consultancy with a substantial public-sector practice advising governments on strategy, performance, and reform. Overlaps ISA on government performance advisory work, but commercial and much larger in scale.
• The Asia Foundation: Large international development non-profit with deep governance reform programming across Asia. Comparable in mission (public governance capacity building) and non-profit structure, but with a regional rather than single-country footprint.

Regional players

• Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS): Regional academic institution producing governance and public-sector reform research and executive education across Asia. Comparable as a training-and-thought-leadership node, but academic rather than consulting-oriented.

Emerging players

• Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab: Academic initiative focused on evidence-based government performance improvement. Comparable in applying structured frameworks to public-sector outcomes, though research-driven rather than practitioner-delivered.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isacenterph
• Facebookfacebook.com/isacenterph
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isacenterph

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Solidarity in Asia