FHI 360, an international nonprofit working to improve the well-being of people in the USA and the world, recently published on behalf of USAID its 2019 Civil Society Organization (CSO) Sustainability Index Report for the Philippines. CODE-NGO developed the report for the Philippines in this research, with the help of a panel of experts from the civil society sector.

The 2019 CSOSI Philippine’s rating remained at 3.5 or “Sustainability Evolving”, with notable negative developments in the dimensions of Legal Environment and Public Image. The increase of reports on state harassment, stricter scrutiny of CSOs, government’s continued vilification of the sector and combined with a drop in public trust led to such negative impacts for the civil society in the country. The Philippine CSO sector also maintained its score in organizational capacity, financial viability, service provision and sectoral infrastructure.

A significant impact can be traced back to 2018 where political developments, ongoing conflicts, and constricting civic space were key trends that influenced the sustainability of CSOs in the region, which demonstrated negative trends in the overall CSO Sustainability.

CODE-NGO held an Online Forum on the Results of the 2019 CSO Sustainability Index for Philippines last November 25, 2020, 2:00PM – 4:00PM via ZOOM.

The CSO Sustainability Index methodology was developed by USAID and reports on the strength and overall viability of CSO sectors in more than 70 countries.  While the sustainability of the civil society sector in the Philippines did not change notably in 2018, scores for the legal environment, advocacy, and public image dimensions all deteriorated.

Read the Asia Report here