By: Maria Cecilia Genzola

The norm of today’s world is Uncertainty. We are witnessing and experiencing how our country and the world’s current political, social, and economic life are rapidly changing and becoming increasingly challenging. In the Philippines, our constricting civic space is evident of threats to our Democracy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, civil society organizations (CSOs) are struggling to survive or sustain its operations and activities. Our national vaccination program’s three-year rollout makes scenarios fluid and reinforces a wait-and-see attitude toward what may or may not happen in the mid-term. 

What can CSOs do? Here are lessons from the transformative work and perspectives of an international alliance, the academe, and the youth: 

• Daniella Hiche, Network Adviser of the international alliance CIVICUS-AGNA, underscored how the shared vision and shared needs of local and national CSOs can contribute to the international agenda. Across the world among CSOs, there are universal needs, commons regardless of race and nationality, and opportunities for international solidarity. There is no room for working in isolation, especially because we play the role of agents of transformation in societies. 

• Dr. Ador R. Torneo, Director of the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance, De La Salle University, acknowledged the individual strengths of the academe and CSOs – the academe on methodology and theoretical content, and CSOs on local knowledge and means to take action. Collaboration between the two is especially needed at these times when we are all in ‘uncharted territory’ – values, science, knowledge, technology are under siege from the state and society. Together, we can leverage our strengths and discover underlying sociological, political, economic phenomena to guide praxis. 

• When using data to empower citizens, infomediaries like community organizers and journalists are instrumental in helping citizens access, collect, use, and analyze data so they can participate and engage governance structures. If citizens participate, then government decisions and actions can be grounded on evidence. 

• Kenneth Abante, Head of Practice of WeSolve, presented five lessons from organizing data empowerment alliances: 
  1. Citizens are demanding more data as they assert the right to know (case: the FOI, OpenSTAT). 
  2. Purposefully gather key CSOs to agree on key performance indicators and participate in governance processes like budget and service delivery (case: Move as One Data Bank). 
  3. Systematically harmonize datasets by organizing teams of researchers to support government statistics teams and improve regular data releases (case: Bureau of Customs).
  4. Invest in skilling and data literacy to widen space for civic engagement and participation in governance (case: COVID Budget Tracker).   
  5. Enhance data systems and policies to incentivize regular reporting of key report owners and sustainably, securely, and ethically collect data (case: Fiscal Sustainability Scorecard). 

The following identified action points or directions can strengthen or expand how we engage with our stakeholders to achieve effective social change:

• CIVICUS-AGNA’s Rebuilding for Good Initiative offers a long-term advocacy framework with six (6) action points on how national governments can support CSO sectors during and because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• This initiative installs local to global processes, but we can begin with these first three steps: (1) Organize consultations with stakeholders and other CSOs to study the six action points and explore how these can be put into practice in our country. Consequently, create a CSOs advocacy agenda. (2)  Dialogue with the government regarding the aligned agenda that government can quickly understand.  (3) Document the processes for accountability. Create positive narratives for the public to know; these can, in turn, help protect civic spaces. 

• CSOs and the academe can partner to rebuild democracy; the synergy and complementarity can result in a complete Praxis, where theory, action, and reflection are in motion constantly. For example, Behavioral Science studies found out that fact-checking does not work for all sectors. From those studies, CSOs can learn how to present information to overcome fact-resistant attitude. We can also provide local knowledge to the academe, which can inform its teaching, research, and community extension work.  

• Continue our advocacy on the Freedom of Information and Open Government Partnership. 

• To persuade another person/party into a common agreement or consensus: 
  1. Create safe spaces where people can change their minds. Evidence is not the only important factor; oftentimes, hearts are involved too, and empathetic conversations facilitate. 
  2. Present information in a non-threatening way so that it doesn’t trigger the other person’s cognitive dissonance. 
  3. Know our limits. We only have very limited influence on how others think, no matter how much information we have. But framing, choice of words, and tone of our voice matter. 
  4. Present facts but acknowledge that this works only for certain groups of people. Narratives are better than hard data.

• To fast-track collaborative engagement so that the bureaucracy can be more responsive to the needs of vulnerable sectors – 
  1. Affirm that government bureaucrats are potential allies. Your internal civil servant-champion can renegotiate the reforms better. Create spaces for understanding and for negotiation. Publicly acknowledge/thank/celebrate career civil servants who are doing their best given their own limitations. 
  2. The bureaucratic government (even the civil society sector) is not a monolith structure; it’s composed of people. Engage with the institution where we look for common ground and maintain professional relationships; and cultivate personal relationships. Build and maintain the bridges. 

• In the spirit of civic space (within the civil society sector, or between two sectors), we don’t always have to agree, but we will always maintain respect. But if there is a threat to rights or to life, then we have to stand up for those. No public servant or citizen deserves to receive death threats.