By: Glenna Paraan

Deanie Lyn Ocampo, Executive Director of CODE-NGO, presented the current landscape of civil society in the Philippines during the Virtual Brown Bag Session organized by the World Bank Group Philippines last June 15, 2022.

Since 1945, the World Bank Group (WBG) has been a partner for development supporting poverty reduction strategies in the Philippines. From 2003 to 2008, the WBG initiated the “Philippine Development Innovation Marketplace” or “Panibagong Paraan” to encourage and support innovative interventions of civil society organizations (CSOs) and local governments on the promotion of identified development themes. The WBG launched the bi-annual project grant competition program together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and many development institutions, including CODE-NGO.

At present, the WBG’s Country Partnership Framework for the Republic of the Philippines (2020-2023) outlines five focus areas for engagement:

• Investing in Filipinos (health, education, social protection)
• Competitiveness and economic opportunity for job creation
• Addressing core vulnerabilities by building peace and resilience
• Governance
• Promoting digital transformation

The presentation highlighted the work of select Philippine CSO networks/coalitions in line with the WBG Partnerships Framework. Under the Bank’s area of engagement for Investing in Filipinos, the Zero Extreme Poverty 2030 Movement (ZEP2030) and Education Nation’s 10-point Education Reform Agenda were notably discussed. Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc.’s support to the abaca enterprise in Sarangani, and Peace & Equity Foundation’s (PEF) Social Enterprise Institute were featured under the pillar Competitiveness and Economic Opportunity for Job Creation. The Farmer Entrepreneurship Program of the Jollibee Group Foundation, a member-organization of the Association of Foundations, was highlighted in the pillar as well.

Several projects and programs of CODE-NGO in line with the WBG’s areas of engagement on Addressing Core Vulnerabilities and Building Peace and Resilience, Governance, and Digital Transformation were also included in the presentation. In particular, CODE-NGO’s 10 Regional DRRM Coordination Hubs, Shared Aid Fund for Emergency Response (SAFER), COVID-19 Recovery Agenda for the Philippine CSO Sector Project, Strengthening Decentralized Governance Project, Blended Learning Approach to Strengthen DRRM, and DRRM Fund Watch Project were showcased.

Also featured in the presentation were the programs and services of several CODE-NGO member-networks such as NATCCO’s eKoopBanker and KAYA platform services, NCSD’s Unlad Bata Online Platform, PHILSSA’s Financial Enablers Project, and CORDNET’s interventions for organic agricultural farmers.

Following the presentation, the participants from the World Bank Group posed several questions in relation to the legal environment, advocacies and influencing work of the CSO sector. In one of her responses, Deanie shared that “According to the results of the CSO Sustainability Index, during the past 5 years, the advocacy and legal environment dimensions of CSOs have been declining. While our civic spaces have been shrinking, there are spaces where CSOs continue to actively engage in, especially at the local level.”

As we navigate through the new normal, CODE-NGO’s outlook for the next five years is hopeful that more opportunities for partnerships and collaborations will open for CSOs.