The title is from the book recently launched by the project on Decentralized Governance and Multi-stakeholder Partnership for Regional Development. It is referred to as DG Project and it is one of initiatives being implemented by the Caucus of Development Non-Government Organization Network.

The book is a collection of 11 stories from project areas namely Bicol, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Southern Mindanao. The stories offers varying response to similar questions of what can be done at the local level as far attaining development goals is concerned.

The stories were carefully put together by the DG Project team which is led by Mariefe Del Mundo and Dan Ramos and supervised by Dodo Macasaet, the executive director of CODE-NGO Network. The collection of stories were written by the officers from civil society network who are partners in the project implementation.

In his foreword, Dodo Macasaet shared that the book offers a glimpse of the CSO efforts and accomplishment at the local level. The executive summary provide a good summation of the project initiative. I’m sure the book can be later accessed at the publications section of the network’s website.

In a highly-centralized society, all eyes usually point to the central authority in seeking a response to the nationwide pleas to solve the chronic problems of uneven growth and persistent poverty. Often overlooked are the provincial and regional avenues of engagement, as well as their massive potential for positive change through meaningful and active participation of the citizens.

The DG project, as a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of a federal government, seeks to prove that the local track of engagement with the government can lead to significant gains for any locality, and that development can indeed be gained even at the regional stage.

In Bicol, the stories featured Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs) engagement with their local government counterparts and fellow CSOs consisted in formulating and coordinating efforts geared towards poverty reduction. Local CSOs were also actively involved in the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) Process, which gave an unprecedented opportunity for civil society to take a direct part in proposing appropriate poverty-targeting programs and projects for the LGUs and NGAs to implement in their areas. In their engagement with the government, the use of score cards as performance indicators for implemented projects was also a major highlight, as this mechanism facilitated efficiency in conducting monitoring work and inculcated accountability. It effectively paved the way for open communication and feedback between concerned stakeholders concerning project implementation.

In Central Visayas, the good working relationship between the CSOs and the government bodies was further solidified and institutionalized through activities recognizing and commemorating the fruits of these partnerships. Knowing and respecting what each side can bring to the table reflects the advanced degree of collaboration between the CSOs and government, which in turn has made it easier for joint programs and projects to be launched, as either side trusts that the other is heading in the same direction: inclusive growth and genuine development for the communities they both serve.

In Northern Mindanao, a vast area plagued by problems of armed conflict, scarce development, and inadequate access to basic services became the target of a very broad joint program involving more than a dozen government entities, as well as numerous organizations from various sectors. Through this wide collaboration, not only have the target communities been given much needed aid, but trust and confidence between and among the CSOs and the government bodies have also been given an overdue refresher.

On the other hand, emphasis was also given to the importance and potential-to-snowball of engagements at the very grassroots level of government – the barangay level. Gradual and progressively growing participatory governance interventions at these levels have shifted the landscape for many barangay communities from one which was highly dependent of local chief executives to one with decentralized decision-making and actively participating citizenry.

In Southern Mindanao, emphasis was given to the importance of capacity building as a prerequisite in being able to effectively engage with the government. Through trainings, discussions, and collaborative efforts on various facets of participatory governance across numerous CSO networks and partners, communities on the ground were better prepared to maximize opportunities for collaboration and engagement with the LGUs and NGAs. Such preparation is essential, as the mechanisms involved in public processes can be daunting for the untrained mind to face, even more so master.

Yet as organizations arising from and representing the interests of civil society, CSOs have the vital responsibility to actualize the constitutionally-mandated concept of our democracy: inclusive governance whereby the people, as the source of the sovereign’s power, play an active role in deciding where our society is headed.

Overall, these local stories are imbued with a lot of experiences to be shared, lessons to be learned, and good practices to be sustained and replicated at the different local levels. These journeys prove that dynamic ranges and forms of constructive CSO-government engagements can be effective game-changing approaches towards achieving development. ###

Ted Aldwin Ong is the Board Treasurer of the Western Visayas Network of Social Development NGOs (WEVNet), to which Iloilo CODE-NGO is a member of. He is also the Vice-Chairperson of CODE-NGO’s Advocacy Commission.

Note: This article was first published at http://www.iloilometropolitantimes.com/stories-of-citizens-journey/.