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Contact Person: Janet Carandang
Mobile phone number: +63908-8845693
SOCIALWATCH PHILS·SEPTEMBER, 2021

The 200 civil organizations-strong Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI), which pioneered citizens' engagement in the formulation of the national budget, met with legislators in the House of Representatives to lobby for alternative budget proposals for the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

In a series of discussions titled "Budget Serye sa Kongreso," held daily from September 20-24, 2021, some members of the House of Representatives welcomed the Social Watch Philippines - Alternative Budget Initiative's (SWP-ABI) proposed budgets for health, education, social protection, agriculture, child protection and sectoral concerns of persons with disabilities, senior citizens and children.

Among those who welcomed and expressed their support to the alternative budget proposals are Congressman Edcel Lagman - Superman of the First District of Albay, Congressman Alfred Vargas of the Fifth District of Quezon City and Chairperson of the House Committee on Social Services, Congresswoman Josy Sy Limkaichong of the First District of Negros Oriental and Congressman Roman Romulo of the Lone District of Pasig City and chairperson of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture.

DepEd receives two thumbs up for establishing Child Protection Unit during pandemic
SOCIALWATCH PHILS·JULY 18, 2021

The Department of Education DepEd Philippines got two thumbs up from the hundred-strong network of civil society groups, Social Watch Philippines, for establishing an agency Child Protection Unit as the country faces the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic.

“The DepEd’s move is absolutely necessary especially at this time of pandemic where violence against children is getting worse and also gives more spaces for violence that may be committed online,” said Social Watch Coordinator Janet Carandang.

“Even before the pandemic, the Philippines’ statistics were already showing the dismal situation of violence against children, and it got worse during lockdowns. The DepEd’s action shows the World that the Philippines is sincerely committed to ending violence against children through multisectoral actions in the midst of a pandemic,” Carandang added.

Social Watch calls government to prioritize program in addressing child labor in 2022 Budget
SOCIALWATCH PHILS·JUNE 23, 2021

Local budget watchdog Social Watch Philippines (SWP) urges the government to provide higher budget for the reduction, if not elimination, of child labor in the country for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 national budget, the group said in a statement.

The civil society group has been closely coordinating with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in improving budget allocation to stump out child labor. The four years of coordination of SWP with DOLE has resulted in the agency’s improved budget for the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP) amounting to PhP100 million in 2019, and additional PhP15 million and PhP30 million in 2020 and 2021 respectively, and Ph68.7 million budget for Livelihood of Parents of Child Laborers to 2,289 beneficiaries this year. Each beneficiary receives PhP30,000 worth of subsidy from the DOLE.

Social Watch urges Bicam to approve ₱9.2 billion proposed budget for child protection
SOCIALWATCH PHILS·DECEMBER 3, 2020

To ensure Filipino children are protected from a wide array of abuse and exploitation, local budget watchdog Social Watch Philippines (SWP) is proposing a total of ₱9.2 billion for child protection in key government agencies’ proposed allocations.

“We are calling the Bicam to be proactive in pushing for more responsive budgeting for child protection in the 2021 national budget, by considering our alternative budget proposals in key departments and agencies working for the rights and welfare of children.” the SWP said.

This is the call of SWP amid the on-going bicameral conference committee or the Bicam proceedings of the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

SWP calls for a universal support allowance for persons with disabilities
SOCIALWATCH PHILS·NOVEMBER 25, 2020

To cope with their already challenging circumstance prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, persons with disabilities need disability support allowance to be rolled out progressively, local budget watchdog Social Watch Philippines (SWP) said in a statement.

“In complementation of existing measures and schemes, adopting and progressively rolling out a universal disability support allowance of 2,000 pesos a month will effectively address some of the most critical needs of this particularly vulnerable sector,” the SWP said.

According to the SWP, the proposal will provide basic income support to families of children with disabilities, and persons with disabilities who are unable to work.

SWP nudges Congress to pass bill raising the age for statutory rape
SOCIALWATCH PHILS·OCTOBER 19, 2020

In observance of the International Day of the Girl Child, the Social Watch Philippines (SWP) is urging Congress to hasten the passage of the bill raising the age for statutory rape to 16, which was initially approved in August 27 by the House Committees on Revision of Laws and Welfare of Children.

“While it will not completely address the challenges in protecting the children from a myriad of abuses such as online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), amending the anti-rape law is a good start, as those belonging to age 13-15 are still vulnerable and need protection,” the SWP said.

Under the 1997 Anti-Rape Law, a sexual intercourse is considered statutory rape if the victim is under 12 years old which is lowest in Southeast Asia. It criminalizes sex with minors under age 18 but only if there is no consent or if the act involves force or intimidation.

FEATURES

Financing for Development in the Philippines

https://philippines.oxfam.org/latest/policy-paper/financing-development-philippines

A Better Normal
Blog post by Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza
This blog post was originally posted by Oxfam Philippines on August 11, 2021

https://philippines.oxfam.org/latest/blogs/better-normal

The pandemic caught us all by surprise. And since then, we have had to learn and cope and survive for ourselves, our families, and our communities. But, as often observed, a crisis also presents opportunities for us to not just learn, but also to soul search and find out more about ourselves and our society.

It seems like a lifetime ago when we were celebrated as one of the fastest and one of the most vibrant emerging economies in Asia and the world. During the last two decades, our growth rates, while fluctuating, steadily increased and reached relatively high levels within the last decade. And yet, while our GDP (gross development product) growth rates were high before the pandemic, the country witnessed that the gains of economic growth were not equitably distributed.

Citizens’ Monitoring of Financing for COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Focus on the AIIB Loan

The Citizens’ Monitoring of Financing for COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Focus on the AIIB Loan is a project under Social Watch Philippines.

Combining research, advocacy, and communications work, the project seeks to generate meaningful citizens’ participation in monitoring the program outcomes and policy impacts of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) COVID-19 Loan.

Worth US$750 million, the loan was signed in June 2020 and forms part of the financing generated by the government of the Philippines to fund the COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support (CARES) Program.

To know more about the project and the progress of the monitoring of the AIIB loan, you may visit http://covidloantracker.wordpress.com,

SOCIAL WATCH PHILIPPINES POSITION PAPER

A Proposal to Simplify and Fast-Track the Social Amelioration Program and Other Social Protection Measures
SOCIALWATCH PHILS·MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020

We are a network of civil society and community-based organizations that has consistently advocated for people-centered sustainable development.

We acknowledge and appreciate the hard work of the government, civic groups and other stakeholders, especially the front-liners, who are doing their best to serve our people in spite of the physical and mental dangers posed by the #COVID19PH crisis, and the constraints on various fronts.

We note the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on grassroots communities. There is a pressing need to equalize life’s opportunities and conditions for all, not as an act of charity but as matter of rights and entitlement. We are concerned about the growing lack of food and other essential needs among the most vulnerable – especially the informally employed who comprise over 80 percent of Filipino workers - who now have lost their sources of incomes due to the pandemic and enhanced quarantine. The delayed delivery of public assistance is raising the level of frustration among the impoverished communities.

SPOTLIGHT REPORT

Social Watch has made its statement on how the Philippines could end poverty and achieve sustainable development through its Spotlight Report three years ago. The report wanted to change everything—from a proposed vision of prosperity without growth, to changing the strategy and indicators.

Towards Coherent Policies for Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) in
the Philippines:
A Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Inputs to the Voluntary National Review (VNR) 2019

The upcoming 2019 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in July in New York with the theme, “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality,” spurred Social Watch Philippines (SWP) and other organizations on to facilitate a process for civil society organizations from different sectors towards engaging the Philippine government on the Voluntary National Review (VNR). With around 70 CSO participants, a consultation workshop Towards Coherent Policies for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Philippines: Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Inputs to the Voluntary National Review (VNR) was held on February 7 to 8, 2019 in Quezon City, Philippines.

PROGRAMS

Alternative Budget Initiative

Reclaiming the People’s Purse

Public funds came from the people and should therefore be utilized primarily to ensure better quality of life for the people. But dowe hear actual voices of slum dwellers, indigenous people, farmers, fishers and persons with disabilities when the local and national budgets are being formulated and planned? Peoples’ money should improve people’s lives. Government invested billions of public funds to end poverty; but global and national economic growth left 1.9 billion people poorer and hungrier and with less opportunity for shelter, healthcare and education.

People's Public Finance Institute (PPFI)

SWP spearheads the ceation of People's Public Finance Institute, a learning center for both state and non-state actors towards making public fiance a major concern of every citizen; not just of a very small group of experts. The institute set-ups local learning hubs based in unversities and operated by pool of cadres from the academe committed to share expertise and engage the public finance processes.

Social Watch Philippines (SWP) turn over 200,000 signatures to Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito in support of the passage of the Universal Health Care bill and Tobacco Tax Increase bill on Thursday, September 20 during a Manila Youth Leader’s Assembly held at Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sta Mesa.