Municipal CSO Networks take on grassroots budgeting and planning

Sandino Soliman

CODE-NGO’s Citizens’ Participation in Monitoring of LGU Performance and Development Planning for Poverty Reduction project, (CML Project), worked together with civil society organization networks (CSONs) in 24 municipalities to make their own development plan based on their understanding and analysis of the problems they face and solutions they propose. The planning and budgeting activities in each municipality were closely followed by the Area Coordinators (ACs) of the CML project team.  Ahead of this planning process were presentations of the result of the Civil Society Satisfaction Report Card, or CSRC.  It is the hope of the CML team to sustain the practice of participatory governance.   

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Even as our country was battered by a series of disasters in the recent months, the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) and the “CML” team took an active part in planning for development in 24 municipalities.  The Citizens’ Participation in Monitoring of LGU Performance and Development Planning for Poverty Reduction project, now stylized as the CML project, worked together with civil society organization networks (CSONs) in each municipality to make their own development plan based on their understanding and analysis of the problems they face and solutions they propose.  These municipalities are located in the provinces of Antique in Region 6, Leyte, Samar and Eastern Samar in Region 8, Davao Oriental in Region 11, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur in Region 13. The solutions, more often coming in the form of identified projects, are taken up in the government-led Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Program (GPBP), formerly known as the Bottom-up Budgeting (BUB) program.

To prepare the CSONs for this task, the CML project team conducted Participatory Local Anti-Poverty Planning (LAPP) Workshops in 5 cluster-areas where the participants enhanced their skills and knowledge on the poverty situation in the region, agenda building and advocacy, local government planning and budgeting processes and monitoring and evaluation.  Given the recent context of the aftermath of earthquakes, rain showers and typhoons, the workshop also oriented participants on the basics of disaster risk reduction and management.  Planning for development with DRRM as a factor was emphasized in the workshops, more so in the areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda.

The planning and budgeting activities in each municipality were closely followed by the Area Coordinators (ACs) of the CML project team.  To keep track of the CSONs and their engagements, mid-year project assessments were conducted; looking back at the past six months of the 2^nd year of the project implementation.  In April 2014, the CML project team had the mid-year project assessments in Iloilo for Region 6 and in Tacloban for Region 8.  A mid-year project assessment is also scheduled on May 2014 in Davao for Regions 11 and 13. Although faced with challenges such as non-compliance with the GPBP memorandum, or bridging gaps in understanding the guidelines and procedures of local planning and budgeting, 24 CSONs in each municipality gathered courage to prepare for and participate in planning for their municipality. 

Ahead of this planning process were presentations of the result of the Civil Society Satisfaction Report Card, or CSRC.  The CSRC, a performance monitoring tool developed by CODE-NGO to get a measure of the local government units’ (LGUs) performance in delivery of services and in governance, was administered to CSOs in each municipality in the later part of 2013.  The survey also took stock of the pressing issues and concerns in the municipality.  All of the results were presented to the mayor and the officials of each municipality, which the LGU officials welcomed as feedback of their performance. The results will also be a basis of monitoring the plans and programs implemented by the LGU.

It is the hope of the CML team to sustain the practice of participatory governance.  The team supports the efforts of lawmakers to institutionalize the practice of performance evaluation of LGUs in grassroots planning and budgeting.  As we continue to work with the senators and congresspersons on bills related to bottom-up budgeting and the CSRC, together with government agencies such as the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), CODE-NGO and the CML team are finding ways forward to reduce poverty through people’s participation.

* The CML Project is implemented by CODE-NGO and partner CSOs – Association of Foundations (AF), Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (EVNET), Mindanao Coalition of Development NGOs (MINCODE), Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PHILDHRRA) and Western Visayas Network of Social Development NGOs (WEVNET), with the support of the European Union (EU).

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Dino is the Advocacy Officer of the Citzens’ Participation in Monitoring of LGU Performance (CML) Project.