Forum on Constructive Engagement for Good Governance and Poverty Reduction

Stories

December 13, 2011

CODE-NGO

Forum on Constructive Engagement for Good Governance and Poverty Reduction

CODE-NGO provided a venue for CSOs to dialogue with government on its anti-poverty programs in this forum. Budget and Management Secretary Butch Abad and Undersecretary Richard Moya presented the country’s participation in the global Open Government Initiative. Various cases on how constructive engagement of CSOs with government works in actual practice were presented by CSO leaders. Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman and National Anti-Poverty Commission Convenor Joel Rocamora discussed the principles of constructive engagement and responded to the recommendations of CSOs on making NGO-GO relations more open and effective.

     CODE-NGO provided a venue for CSOs to dialogue with government on its anti-poverty programs in this forum. Budget and Management Secretary Butch Abad and Undersecretary Richard Moya presented the initiatives made by the Department of Budget and Management and other government agencies in involving CSOs for a transparent budget process, as well as the participation of the Philippines in the global Open Government Initiative.
     

Various cases on how constructive engagement of CSOs with government works in actual practice were presented by CSO leaders.  Nick de Rosas of PHILSSA presented on their network’s participatory budget engagement for social housing with the National Housing Authority. Francisco Mabaso of Change Politics Movement and People Power Volunteers for Reform – Bukidnon discussed their experience in validating DSWD’s CCT program in their province.  Rosemarie Herrera of HealthDev and PHILSSA presented on CODE-NGO’s Participatory Governance for Health experience with the Department of Health, local health offices and PBSP’s TB LINC project. Emalyn Legal of PAKISAMA-Mindanao shared about how farmers’ groups got to be involved in monitoring the use of the agriculture budget in their area.

Forum participants then discussed in small groups the gains and challenges in constructive engagement, based on earlier presentations and on their organizations’ experiences in engaging with government. To make constructive engagement with government more participatory and effective, the CSOs recommended that government reform efforts should be localized from the national level, and that CSOs’ capacities for understanding government processes, as well as organizing and coalition-building among citizens’ groups be strengthened. 

     
    After the workshop groups, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman discussed the principles of constructive engagement and responded to the recommendations of the groups. She encouraged CSOs to take advantage of two areas of engagement which are opening up for the sector, i.e. in “invited spaces” – where government initiates dialogue and decision-making process.
  

Examples of these are consultation committees created by specific agencies for specified programs  or where CSO seats for decision-making have been institutionalized, such as in local special bodies and other mandated participatory mechanisms. NGOs need to engage as well in “claimed spaces” – where CSOs, even if “uninvited”, assert their right to be involved and to be heard. She stressed, however, that CSOs must claim their decision-making and not only their consultative roles in these processes. On the other hand, National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Convenor Secretary Joel Rocamora, cited the NAPC Empowerment Fund program, and invited CSOs to actively engage their LGUs in a participatory process for developing municipal anti-poverty plans. These avenues imply a potentially massive engagement with government for CSOs. 
 

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