Keynote Message of Rep. Teddy Baguilat of the Lone District of Ifugao

at CODE-NGO’s Social Development Celebration 2013 Learning Sessions on
“Making Participatory Governance Work and Sustaining it Beyond 2016”
November 28, 2013

Rep. Baguilat cites that because there is no shortage of injustice in our country, our country and our people need NGOs. He acknowledges that there are still enormous gaps in the Government’s service, and Congress tries to address those gaps through laws. But until responsive laws are passed, the fissures remain unfilled, and NGOs are capable of filling in those gaps.

A pleasant morning to all.

I commend the Caucus of Development NGO Networks for organizing this Learning Session on sustainable participatory governance.

“NGO” has been unjustly given a negative connotation by the country’s experience with Janet Napoles. But the truth of the matter is that whenever the Government fails to deliver a service, or falls short of the people’s expectations, it is almost always the non-government organizations or the peoples’ organizations that fill up the void caused by Government’s inaction.

Due to our country’s Napoles episode, whenever we say “NGO”, we must now make a distinction between a Napoles NGO and a legitimate NGO.

I still hear some radio commentators generalize the term NGO to mean a conduit for illegally used government funds. This is unfair to the true NGOs who struggle every day, despite insufficient funding, to ensure that their sectors receive justice in its many forms – be it in terms of access to basic services, or recompense for the violation of a right.

I am pleased to stand before true NGOs, and I am encouraged that despite the despair brought about by the Napoles episode, you all remain true to your cause.

As a public servant, I can only respond by doubling my efforts in Government so that your efforts will not go to waste. With this in mind, it is only fair that you be apprised of what the Government is doing in the field of good governance and poverty reduction, which, I understand, are among the foremost objectives of CODE NGO.

I will be frank with you and admit that my views on this are biased, as I am a member of the current administration which I very much believe is sincerely working to lift up our countrymen from poverty through good governance.

Back in May this year, the Movement for Good Governance or MGG recognized the accomplishments of the P-Noy administration in maintaining macro-stability, managing the budget deficit, and reducing the debt burden. MGG also praised the Performance Incentive System for local governments that was installed by the late Secretary Jesse M. Robredo, who is perhaps the epitome of good governance. Confidence from businessmen here and abroad further attested that this administration has consistently pursued good governance.

But we must view all this good news against the fact that poverty statistics have been unchanged since 2006. The war against poverty, it appears, has been a losing venture for Government. Obviously there is a gap in Government’s efforts to eradicate poverty.

We ask ourselves how this can be, when all the economic indicators appear to point to prosperity. Then we get a reality check in the form of the Napoles scandal. That episode only crystallizes the sad truth that a considerable amount of government funds do not go to their intended recipients, but rather go to the pockets of the unscrupulous and the corrupt.

I believe the shield against future Napoleses lies also in good governance, and it takes the form of Freedom of Information. Passing the FOI Bill will cement this administration’s legacy as a stalwart of good governance and the people’s defender against corruption.

I look forward to the passage of the FOI Bill, and I hope that everyone here today will help ensure that the Bill is finally turned into law.

With the FOI in place, I foresee that NGOs will play a more active and participatory role in our country’s governance. Mountains of information will be made available to the public. All of this will likely make little sense to the common tao, garbled, as they will probably be, in bureaucratic gibberish.

NGOs, given their experience in the grassroots and their interaction with the masses, will know what information to look for, they will be able to discern the important facts from the mere flourish. And better still, given their experience in organizing movements, NGOs will know how to convert the information that they will get into action that will make a difference for the people.

I had been acquainted with the power of NGOs while I was still a college student, and in my various stints in the private sector. But that power was made more real to me when I served as Mayor of Kiangan, then later as Governor of Ifugao.

My vital partnership with NGOs, both here and abroad, made it easier to formulate and implement programs that responded to the people’s needs. This partnership led to Ifugao being taken off the infamous Club 20, or 20 poorest provinces in the country, during my term as Governor.

NGOs also played a key role in preserving and protecting the Rice Terraces. The preservation of the Rice Terraces is a massive effort that requires ingenuity, resourcefulness and respect for tradition. The tasks that such preservation entailed were handled sensitively and responsibly by several NGOs who worked together like a single unit.

Learning from my experience with NGOs as a local chief executive, I replicated my partnership with NGOs as a Congressman. This was nowhere more real as in my constant consultation with an informal aggrupation of organizations that focused on indigenous peoples’ concerns. That consultative group provided me with vital inputs on various issues that I handled as Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on National Communities. With the help of the consultative group, I was made aware of burning issues among indigenous communities, I was enlightened as to the particular sensitivities of various indigenous peoples, and all of these factors came together to facilitate legislative inquiries, and even allowed the Committee on National Communities to broker peace among a few indigenous communities that were in conflict.

I also found the support of NGOs vital in passing proposed legislation. NGOs provided a strong support network for the passage of the Reproductive Health law.

By support I do not mean merely providing warm bodies to march or applaud for legislative proposals. Various NGOs provided me with data, research, perspectives and different points of view which ultimately enriched the bills I championed by way of being able to address almost every conceivable challenge. Once the bill was formulated, these NGOs then arduously campaigned to win hearts and minds. With such an undeniable force behind a proposed legislation, it is only a matter of time when a bill finally becomes a law.

Now on my second term as Congressman, I aim to repeat and amplify my partnership with NGOs. No man is an island, it is said, and certainly no Congressman, standing alone, can win a battle with the forces of injustice.

I had some unfinished business during my first term in the form of the FOI Bill, the Anti-Discrimination bill, the Magna Carta for Social Enterprise, the Alternative Minerals Management bill, and the National Land Use bill. To these legislative proposals I must add proposed laws on agrarian reform, as I now chair the Congressional Committee on Agrarian Reform.

I do not deny that I am intimidated by the daunting task ahead of me. But, hopefully, if again I earn the support of NGOs in pushing for these laws, I know that the task will not be so taxing.

What does the future hold for NGOs?

The ’80s and the ’90s saw the heyday of civil society. NGOs and POs gained the people’s respect as these organizations were recognized as a legitimate force for achieving a just change. Everywhere there was at least one organization that fought tirelessly for a cause, sometimes at the risk of the lives of its members. This was dedication and commitment in its purest form. This was the love that Jesus preached, that is, the laying down of one’s life for the love of a friend. NGO workers risked their lives for their cause, and this was evident to everyone who knew and understood what they were doing.

Because there was no shortage of injustice in our country, there was a clear need for NGOs to multiply to ably meet the challenge. The new millennium saw an explosion of NGOs and similar organizations like foundations. But in this growth, some people saw an opportunity, not to stop injustice but to multiply injustice. A force for good was corrupted for evil ends.

Thus, we are now at a sort of crossroads. The negative reputation that NGOs have undeservedly gained has certainly put pressure on funding streams. I am sure that some ongoing projects have been jeopardized and future activities may need to be reassessed.

Yet against this backdrop we also must recognize the truth that our country and our people need NGOs. There are still enormous gaps in the Government’s service. In Congress, we try to address those gaps through laws, but until responsive laws are passed, the fissures remain unfilled. NGOs are capable of filling in those gaps.

We have seen this in our country’s response to Yolanda. Against the force of a super typhoon, we saw the wheels of Government grind to a halt. Even the US, despite its ultra-modern technology and superior preparation, failed to sufficiently react to Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. What chance did we have of faring better?

As it happened, Yolanda brought Government to its knees. And while Government struggled to keep up with the challenge, there were some cracks in its response. NGOs and volunteers provided the glue that filled up the cracks and kept the Government’s response cohesive.

As climate change promises to bring more typhoons of the magnitude of Yolanda, the Philippines will certainly face more environmental challenges.

Disaster response is just one of the areas where we know NGOs will play a crucial role. Issues and concerns of a global scale will continue to come up and test our Government. I know that NGOs will again be at the forefront of creating solutions to whatever challenge our country will meet.

The bottom line is that NGOs continue to be relevant, important and necessary. What we must do is ferret out those who are soiling the reputation of NGOs and ensure that they will be unable to do harm to the Filipino people.

It is not the instrument itself, after all, which makes it evil, but the hand that wields it. When used for malevolent purposes, NGOs can be as debilitating as a natural disaster. But we know now how the spirit of NGOs was corrupted. And knowing that, we also know how to prevent a repeat of such corruption.

I know that CODE NGO is coming up with a code of conduct for organizations. This will be an important step in regaining the people’s trust.

For my part, I am pushing for the passage of a law regulating the use of Government funds by NGOs. My goal is not only to prevent scams and the squandering of precious government resources, but also to strengthen the partnership between Government and Non-government entities. With these two forces working together, one acting as the conscience of the other, the other providing the means to accomplish a goal, it is inevitable that we will achieve good governance and eradicate poverty.

Towards that end then, let us work together. Just as Yolanda rekindled the flame of bayanihan in Filipinos everywhere, let the recent tragedies of NGOs bring us together and work even harder for a better future for our country, one where good governance is the rule, and poverty is dead.

Haggiyo CODE NGO!

Godspeed to all our efforts.