Citizen-Centered Governance and Public Service Values: Towards an Inclusive Urban Governance Framework in a Philippine City

Citizen-centered governance emphasizes understanding citizens' perceptions to improve local governance and public service delivery. This study examined residents' perceptions of public service values in the urban barangays of Tabuk City and explored the historical, political, linguistic, and contextual factors influencing these perceptions. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. The quantitative phase involved 400 residents selected through proportionate stratified random sampling, while the qualitative phase included 35 purposively selected participants in semi-structured interviews. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and interview data were examined through thematic analysis. Findings showed that residents generally held positive perceptions of public service values. Responsiveness and trust received the highest ratings, whereas accountability, transparency, inclusivity, and participation, although positively perceived, require further strengthening. Qualitative findings revealed that citizens' perceptions are shaped by historical experiences, community memory, political culture, traditional leadership values, socioeconomic conditions, service experiences, education, political exposure, cultural values, and access to information. Integrating the quantitative and qualitative findings showed that citizens evaluate governance through both institutional performance and lived experiences, with public service values functioning as interconnected dimensions of effective governance. These meta-inferences informed the proposed Citizen-Centered Inclusive Urban Governance Framework, which highlights the integration of responsive service delivery, ethical leadership, transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and meaningful citizen participation to strengthen public trust and promote inclusive urban governance.