Given today’s political, economic, and social contexts, i.e. shrinking civic space, fake news, rising prices of commodities, worsening impact of disasters, populist policies, attacks on democratic institutions and processes, and others; the role of civil society organizations (CSOs), particularly of CODE-NGO is in question. Present situations and conditions in the society mirrors the conditions of the CSOs. Therefore, there is a need to come up with answers to address the events happening both locally and globally.

We ask ourselves, “How should we respond and live up to our mission of bringing transformative change? What solutions may we gather from other sectors in order to facilitate transformative change?”

In a plenary and open forum conducted on 07 December 2018 during the Social Development Celebration and 27^th General Assembly, CODE-NGO was joined by five (5) speakers who represent different sectors in the society; and shared their views on rising to the challenge of constricting civic space in the country.

Constricting Civic Space

Former Solicitor-General and UP College of Law faculty member Atty. Florin Hilbay shared his ideas from the perspective of the Rule of Law. “We are experiencing operational and foundational dilemma, but we cannot separate the rule of law”, he answered when pressed on his experiences on constricting civic spaces. According to him, the recent approval of the Martial Law extension in Mindanao, increasing cases of slain journalists and critics of the government, as well as the threat of Charter Change are clear manifestations of shrinking civic space in the country.

Further, Emmanuel Buendia, Team Leader of the Democratic Governance Unit of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-Philippines, pointed out that there are about 200 seats in the Congress which represent various marginalized sectors of the society. These legislative spaces are considered civic spaces which we have not been maximizing for a long time.

Prof. Rufa Cagoco-Guiam, Bangsamoro Woman Leader, on the other hand, expressed her frustrations on the supposed rehabilitation of Marawi City. “Task Force Bangon Marawi is headed by a former general. They are rehabilitating the place [Marawi] in a way that Maranaos do not approve of; they are doing it without listening to the voices of the Marawi victims themselves”, she said.

Rising to the Challenge

On the present proliferation of fake news, actor and FactYou host Karl Medina stated, “The presence of fake news on online platforms is becoming a norm. It sets a stage for false information, it’s like andyan na yung war, pero hindi natin alam.” One of the problems they face in their advocacy is that most Filipino social media users get immediately turned off with anything that has to do with education, academics, or school. Because of this, their team opted to take a different approach in combating fake news. Instead of just using infographics, FactYou makes use of a fun and catchy format while retaining substance. Medina suggested that activists must repackage their advocacy to appeal to the younger generation.

Moreover, Ian Jayson Hecita, Program Manager of the De la Salle University Jesse Robredo Institute of Governance, mentioned that with the continuous deterioration of civic spaces through fake news and historical revisionism, the role of the academe is slowly deteriorating. He added that universities must serve as safe haven for the youth. “An important role of universities is political education formation. Universities should document what NGOs are doing, popularize it, and integrate them in the curriculum.”

Wrapping up the forum, the speakers shared how we can re-engineer the Philippines in terms of maximizing civic space. For Buendia, starting at the local level is a must. Universities and CSOs should work together to facilitate resource sharing and information dissemination. Prof. Rufa Guiam believes that one way to re-engineer the country is through curriculum revision. She suggested scrapping out any part of the curriculum that is not relevant and creating  new approaches or methods to assess students. She also called for the academe to start teaching students with empathy and heart.

CODE-NGO Chairperson Albert Aquino, in his closing message, expressed that the current call for the organization is to rise above situations and challenges. There is a need for us to reconsolidate ourselves and open packets of hope for the people. “If we can’t find it, it is up to us to create it”, he ended.