Do you need to scale up your organization’s operations and advocacies? It might be a good time to start building a civil society organization (CSO) network.
The image of a spider’s web comes to mind – radials at the center, then spirals of spaced threads around. A CSO network is like a web of organizations that share common purposes, interests, and/or advocacies, yet retains the autonomy of their individual organization. It usually functions as a hub that may constantly evolve in changing socio-political climate. Through the changes, a CSO network is to be managed democratically, dynamically, and representationally. In these ways, a network adds distinct value to its members.
Forming CSO networks is strategic for poverty reduction efforts and people’s participation in local governance. Why? Because there is strength in numbers, particularly of organized groups rallied to a cause. Because CSOs can better support each other towards sustainability. Because more learning and growth happens within a network – CSOs can share information and good practices; CSOs can look beyond their individual organizational concerns and reflect on the larger environment.
Since 2012 till the present, 24 municipal CSO networks have been organized in Visayas and Mindanao through CODE-NGO’s “Citizens’ Participation in Monitoring LGU (Local Government Unit) Performance and Development Planning for Poverty Reduction” (CML) project with funding support from the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines.
“Organized and capable CSO networks is one of the pillars of effective and constructive engagement with government,” emphasizes Paul Richard A. Paraguya, CML Project Manager. “We encourage the networks to establish a quality of CSO-LGU relationship that would benefit and contribute to both.” This good practice smooths the road for CSO network participation in various public processes: in proposing projects for poverty reduction, in local development planning and budgeting, in the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) program of national government, in monitoring and evaluating public projects and LGU performance.
Indeed, the three years have been replete with gains of bringing the people to the table. The CSO leaders offer us seven (7) lessons learned on scaling themselves up to municipal networks:
1. Conducting the CSO Satisfaction Report Card (CSRC) together is a commendable starting point for the potential network.
The CSRC is a citizens monitoring tool developed by CODE-NGO in 2012. It is administered to CSO leaders where they assess their LGU’s performance in terms of delivery of basic services and governance. The CSOs then present and discuss the CSRC results with their LGU officials in a dialogue-forum. In most of the 24 municipalities, the CSRC outputs and recommendations became the bases of the CSO networks’ development agenda and has influenced the content of their engagement in the local development planning and BUB processes. Thus, the CSRC has become a unifying mechanism among the local CSOs. It is also an eye-opener for LGUs regarding the interest and capacity of CSOs to collectively monitor, even while the network is still at its core group stage.
2. Credible CSOs provide leverage for the network.
“Credible CSOs that make up the CSO network’s core group proves to be a balancing force in local governance. They have the ears of the local chief executive and Sangguniang Panlungsod (Legislative Body of the city) though they may admittedly be perceived as threat by tenured civil servants in the LGU”, notes Roy Consolacion, CML project area coordinator in Davao Oriental.
Credibility can certainly be a leverage of the CSOs. Applying for and obtaining accreditation from the Sangguniang Bayan (Legislative Body of the mnicipality) or formally registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other government agencies like DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), CDA (Cooperative Development Authority), are some ways to establish an organization’s credibility.
3. Respect diversity and establish basis of unity.
Networks may be made up of CSOs with dissimilar membership and size, differing minds and advocacies. But CSOs converge into a network because of a common need to achieve something. The bases of unity can be borne of their commonalities: pressing concerns they urge LGUs to address; level of their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with LGU performance; their analyses of the local poverty situation; their proposed pro-poor projects.
Trust in one another is therefore important no matter how varied their perspectives and experiences may be. Marginalized groups especially have room to be heard. Positions are presented clearly. Negotiations are punctuated with patience, tolerance, open mind, and sense of humor. Because “different roads sometimes lead to the same castle,” personal relationships are nurtured for the journey.
4. There was first a CSO core group.
Before the establishment of a network, there was first a CSO core group – the small, base group ideally composed of a handful of leaders from different sectors. Core groups that meet regularly would have more chances of solidifying themselves into networks, whether as loose coalitions or formally organized alliances. In that process, they would clarify their basis of unity (defined VMGs—Vision Mission Goals and development agenda as minimums); elect officers and recruit members; and agree on how to make decisions, coordinate, and communicate among themselves. These first moves are important. How to generate resources and how to build public image trust can follow.
5. Helping CSO network members improve their own organizations is necessary.
For decades, the lack of sustainability of CSOs in Sebaste and Pandan, Antique made them a less effective force in the communities. Similarly in La Paz and San Luis in Agusan Del Sur, CSOs have difficulty in accessing resources to sustain their own organizations. This slackens their participation in municipal-level activities. Improvement began as CSOs started to realize that, by networking, they receive more feedback on how to obtain resources. Don dela Victoria, CML project area coordinator, advises that “networking with other NGOs is also important so these NGOs can include the CSO network members in project sourcing opportunities.”
6. Tap local, more mature CSOs or provincial/regional CSO networks that can act as mentor or guide.
“Through an assembly of CSOs in 2013 for the BUB, a poverty reduction program of national government, I understood the decisive role of CSOs in LGU planning and budgeting process. Without good representation from civil society and other sectors, it’s difficult to expect that we would receive a decent development project. The Eastern Samar Social Development Organization (ESSDOG) has been our mentor and guide, helping us form and reactivate organizations of farmers, fisher folks, women, youth and senior citizens in every barangay. It paved the way for us to unite and for our CSO network to gain recognition from LGU,” shares Rebecca Nofies, core group member of the municipal CSO network of Oras, Eastern Samar.
7. Work inside and outside the boxes.
Structures, rules, or practices may be limiting or nonfunctional, but some CSO networks are working with, around, and beyond these. Ricardo Concan, president of the Malobago Farmers Association of Dolores, Eastern Samar, proudly passes on, “We realized the value of forming and strengthening our organizations, majority of which are now headed by active leaders. We also have our collectively-drafted development agenda reflecting the interests of the sectors we have organized in this town: we are pushing this at all levels and all sorts of engagements we have with the LGU.”
The cohesive and skilled CSO networks in Prosperidad and Tago (Region 13) have raised funds for their federations’ SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registration expenses. Although their proposed mini feed mill has not been included in the BUB budgets, the Tago Livestock Raisers Association continues to lobby to the DA (Department of Agriculture) and the LGU, and to seek funding from external organizations.
With these seven lessons, we hope that more CSO networks that help reduce poverty and participate in local governance are formed and strengthened. The image of communal spider webs – where webs are built together in one area, spreading out from one another – now comes to mind.
(This article is based on CODE-NGO’s “Citizens’ Participation in Monitoring LGU Performance and Development Planning for Poverty Reduction” (CML) project with funding support from the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines. It is implemented in 24 municipalities in Antique, Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, Davao Oriental, Agusan Del Sur, and Surigao Del Sur.)
Deanie Lyn Ocampo is the Capacity Building Officer of CODE-NGO’s CML Project.
Katrina Chloie Quilala is a senior Political Science Major from the University of Santo Tomas. She did her internship at CODE-NGO mid-year of 2015 under the CML Project.