Inspirational Breakthroughs from the Task Forces
on Democratic Budgeting (ABI-Lokal)
WOMEN LIVING in POVERTY LEAD MAINSTREAMING of GENDER & DEVELOPMENT IN LOCAL BUDGETS
Women Indigenous People (IP): July 3 was historic for new SB members, especially for 2 women councilors, Yunting and Talotalo who attended their first SB session. There are now 3 women legislators in Magpet. The new women councilors are also additional members of the PRO-Magpet Core Group (a task force on democratic budgeting0
As an individual note, BAI CONCHITA SICAO’s triumph is worth duplicating. She is among the few women IP leaders to become a Mandatory Representative (ManRep). In 2013, she was appointed as ManRep of Barangay Poblacion. For 2014, she will be working like a full-pledged barangay councilor. She has been active in participating participatory budget advocacies. She is also a PRO-Magpet member. As ManRep, she said that she will give attention to women IP in the Poblacion area..
The municipality is planning to conduct its own celebration of Women’s Month, which it has not celebrated for the past three years.
Women Slimdwellers: Gender and Development (GAD) circles in all urban poor communities in Tondo (Aroma, Damayan, Happyland, Ulingan) were formed in which women in the community regularly gathered to help the barangay LGU monitor and address budgets for women’s concerns and issues such as solo parents, teen-age marriages, violence against women and children, and female literacy.
Women in Fishing Communities: In Negros, there used to be no budget for GAD. But through the Task Force on Democratic Budgeting, GAD programs were identified and included in the budget. In 2013, the project partners initiated the formation of a CSO-LGU Task Force on Gender Responsive Democratic Budgeting (GRDB). Among its members include officials of the local government unit (LGU), civil society leaders from the small fishery sector, and PRRM-Negros, which serves as the local project coordinating unit.
The CSO-LGU Task Force on Gender-Responsive Democratic Budgeting (GRDB) facilitated the restoration of the 5% GAD budget in its entirety in the general municipal budget and substantially increased it from “zero” in 2012 to P200 Thousand in 2013; and to P6 Million in 2014. During the presentation of Monitoring Report, LidaDueno, Assistant Budget Officer II, reported to the Task Force that for 2014, the GAD Budget was fully restored according to its allocation of 5% of the total budget, which amounted to P 6,086,017.80
LGU OFFICIALS ENSURED IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS
FROM THE PEOPLE’S ALTERNATIVE BUDGET PROPOSALS
In Tondo, the budgets, programs and projects proposed for 2013 by the slum dwellers could not be immediately implemented due to budget constraints and delay in the release of the budget for social development. Nevertheless, by July 2013, the CSO members of the Task Force, barangay council members in the Task Force, and champions in the LGU worked together and contributed their time and resources for start-up interventions for the said PPAs. This included (1) assembly of area leaders in Aroma, SityoDamayan and Happyland for the cleaning of drainage (canal declogging) in flood prone areas in August; (2) Building Gender and Development(GAD) circles in all urban poor communities (Aroma, Damayan, Happyland, Ulingan) for soon-to-be implemented programs on solo parents, teen-age marriages, violence against women, and female literacy; and (3) General meeting of key leaders to introduce the urban farming and recycling for livelihood program.
FROM FOES TO FRIENDS: “MILITANT” MARGINALIZED GROUPS
AND “SNOBBISH” LOCAL OFFICIALS, NOW PARTNERS FOR DEVELOPMENT
After the storm Habagat hit and affected 514 urban poor families in Tondo (Barangay 105) in August 2013, the project on the canal declogging (part of the 2013 alternative budget proposal: P94,84.00) in Happyland and Sitio Aroma Brgy. 105 was implemented led by the General Assembly of volunteers composed of the Task Force members and the Barangay Council. This is the first barangay LGU project that involved citizens’ participation and volunteerism since urban poor organizations in Manila were viewed as ‘anti-government’ groups due to their rebellious predisposition during the Martial Law years and EDSA Revolutions.
In Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, most of the CSO Task Force on Local Democratic Budgeting/GRDB members who used to be viewed as militant leaders were elected as members into the 2013-2016 Municipal Development Council (MDC) and into the 2015 LPRAT so they form a critical mass in the planning, use and monitoring of local public budgets and projects especially under the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) and the Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB).
From the words of Mr. Alburo (one of the active and credible members of the PRO-Magpet Core Group): “The project has served as warning and constant reminder” for the administration to solicit or draw broader people’s participation of marginalized communities in budgeting, implementation and monitoring processes. He said this when, in March 14, 2013, a Municipal Development Council Resolution was unanimously approved adopting PRO-MAGPET as an alliance of “SOCIALLY WATCHFUL MAGPETEÑOS”.
In Quezon City, for so long a time, the marginalized sectors have been accustomed to seeking the help of the Barangay Office ranging from medical, housing, financial, domestic violence, children’s care, calamities, economic and educational support. In Barangay Central, majority of the marginalized sectors are organized in various CSOs and people’s organizations which is why most of their leaders are involved in barangay activities and have direct and easy access to the Barangay officials. Nonetheless, it has never come to their minds that participatory budgeting is one means to fight poverty and to assert their rights. With the entry of Social Watch Philippines, this strategy was highlighted.
For the first time, the leaders of ABI Central who also worked as the Money Watch Team (MWT) had to show themselves in public as the leading force in pursuing transparency and accountability in the barangay budget process. It was hard for the first timers considering that they are all associated with the Barangay whom they do not wish to offend. The idea of a citizen-government partnership is not new to them. But their interpretation lies only in partnership in launching activities and giving priorities to their members as beneficiaries which has been the tradition in the barangay.
It was therefore a novelty to see their sectors submitting the alternative budget proposals and holding dialogue with the Council; doing the budget monitoring and tracking; and to the end, seeking feedbacks from the beneficiaries and members to see if they have done something truly worthwhile. They have finally “graduated” after the budget tracking activity.
MARGINALIZED SECTORS LEAD LOCAL SOCIAL AUDIT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION
For the Moro (Muslims) in Tulunan, this was the first time that the citizens learned and experienced monitoring budgets in the Annual Investment Plan. The Task Force contingent that focused on budget tracking and monitoring was named “Moro Leaders Monitoring Group”.
Mr. Rolando Nim, Tulunan Community Development Office (TCDC) Coordinator, during presentation of Citizens’ Budget Monitoring Report to the LGU on December 5, 2013 said: “These activities give us a positive engagement between the LGU and the Civil Society Organizations specially the Moro Leaders where the community leaders and the LGU had a venue for the discussion of programs/projects and other concerns”.
One of the Task Force’s proposed projects as the Day Care Center in Purok 5, Brgy. Dungos, Tulunan. They proposed this because there is no Day Care Center building for the children aged 3-4 years old.
In the monitoring report of the Moro groups, it was found out that the construction of the Day Care Center was delayed due to the election ban and failure of bidding because the budget allocation for construction was allegedly not enough. Its budget of P100,000 was enough according to the perspective plan; but, in actual, the budget can only provide the building skeleton.
The LGU acknowledged the report for raising signals on inefficient budgeting. The Day Care Center was not fully constructed. The Municipal Budget Officer acknowledged that the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office should have planned better and should follow a Standard Common Design for Day Care Centers.
From the reporting, the LGU also realized that the Day Care Center buildings should also be able to serve as centers for Alternative Learning System programs which is gravely needed in Muslim and IP areas in Mindanao.
The presentation of the monitoring report also provided the opportunity for Moro groups to report that Moro organizations are not being provided copies of LGU approved programs and projects; and to call for the LGU to be more rigorous in implementing projects and programs for the Moro community.
In Quezon City, the Money Watch Team’s (MWT) presentation was the first to be held in the barangays. It was noted that although a barangay monitoring unit present in every barangay as per DILG memo circular, our MWT stood out as a people’s initiative in coordination with barangay officials. The group shared their experience and learnings:
In the barangay level, one would probably think that participatory budgeting, budget monitoring and tracking are easier to tackle than those in the City or Municipal levels. But one should also consider that the barangay level is the grassroots territory where the local authority and the constituency are very much familiar with each other and one could easily recognized the good, the bad and the ugly. It is an advantage but at the same time a disadvantage because this participatory budgeting may put you into trouble like creating jealousy, anger and despair between the budget trackers and those in the barangay unit, and between the budget trackers and the barangay supporters. This is the first learning that the Money Watch Central came to realize.
Leaders of marginalized sectors doing a budget monitoring generated distinction to the personality of the urban poor. One does not have to be a professional or doing white collar jobs to carry out this process. The training on participatory budgeting boosted the knowledge and skills of the team to get things done. This is the second learning that was achieved.
Thirdly, after the monitoring and tracking, the complexities of public finance were appreciated through the practical application.
Fourth, MWT members must at least be integrated with barangay officials and must represent accredited and recognized organizations to gain easy access to the barangay financial documents. It was quite tough to understand the financial documents but once the terms and processes were memorized, MWT began to fully grasp the data. In this aspect, the barangay staff/officials were warm enough to explain the processes. MWT also learn from them.
What we have initiated in participatory budgeting must have a continuity to achieve the goal of institutionalizing the marginalized sectors’ participation in the barangay budget process. We would not wish to start all over again every time there is a new set of LGU officials/staff. A barangay resolution encouraging citizens’ participation does not warrant continuity. It is recommended that:
NATIONAL STRUGGLES FOR BUDGET REFORMS CASCADE TO MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES
The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) also called “Pork Barrel” has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because billions of Pesos are being released even if the purpose of the funds are not yet determined and has not passed the scrutiny of Congress . Hence, for 2014, PDAF was deleted in the General Appropriations Act. But, for Social Watch Philippines, this is not the end of the battle. There are many forms of “pork barrel” at the local level such as the pork barrel given to councilors and even to 15-year old officers of SangguniangKabataan (SK).
In Tondo, the Money Watch Teams decided to monitor SK funds having noticed that it always had a big slice in the budget (10% of the general budget). Also, the team is suggesting the SK funds as alternative source of financing for citizens’ alternative budget proposals for livelihood, health, environment and women.
Women Indigenous People (IP): July 3 was historic for new SB members, especially for 2 women councilors, Yunting and Talotalo who attended their first SB session. There are now 3 women legislators in Magpet. The new women councilors are also additional members of the PRO-Magpet Core Group (a task force on democratic budgeting0
As an individual note, BAI CONCHITA SICAO’s triumph is worth duplicating. She is among the few women IP leaders to become a Mandatory Representative (ManRep). In 2013, she was appointed as ManRep of Barangay Poblacion. For 2014, she will be working like a full-pledged barangay councilor. She has been active in participating participatory budget advocacies. She is also a PRO-Magpet member. As ManRep, she said that she will give attention to women IP in the Poblacion area..
The municipality is planning to conduct its own celebration of Women’s Month, which it has not celebrated for the past three years.
Women Slimdwellers: Gender and Development (GAD) circles in all urban poor communities in Tondo (Aroma, Damayan, Happyland, Ulingan) were formed in which women in the community regularly gathered to help the barangay LGU monitor and address budgets for women’s concerns and issues such as solo parents, teen-age marriages, violence against women and children, and female literacy.
Women in Fishing Communities: In Negros, there used to be no budget for GAD. But through the Task Force on Democratic Budgeting, GAD programs were identified and included in the budget. In 2013, the project partners initiated the formation of a CSO-LGU Task Force on Gender Responsive Democratic Budgeting (GRDB). Among its members include officials of the local government unit (LGU), civil society leaders from the small fishery sector, and PRRM-Negros, which serves as the local project coordinating unit.
The CSO-LGU Task Force on Gender-Responsive Democratic Budgeting (GRDB) facilitated the restoration of the 5% GAD budget in its entirety in the general municipal budget and substantially increased it from “zero” in 2012 to P200 Thousand in 2013; and to P6 Million in 2014. During the presentation of Monitoring Report, LidaDueno, Assistant Budget Officer II, reported to the Task Force that for 2014, the GAD Budget was fully restored according to its allocation of 5% of the total budget, which amounted to P 6,086,017.80
LGU OFFICIALS ENSURED IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS
FROM THE PEOPLE’S ALTERNATIVE BUDGET PROPOSALS
In Tondo, the budgets, programs and projects proposed for 2013 by the slum dwellers could not be immediately implemented due to budget constraints and delay in the release of the budget for social development. Nevertheless, by July 2013, the CSO members of the Task Force, barangay council members in the Task Force, and champions in the LGU worked together and contributed their time and resources for start-up interventions for the said PPAs. This included (1) assembly of area leaders in Aroma, SityoDamayan and Happyland for the cleaning of drainage (canal declogging) in flood prone areas in August; (2) Building Gender and Development(GAD) circles in all urban poor communities (Aroma, Damayan, Happyland, Ulingan) for soon-to-be implemented programs on solo parents, teen-age marriages, violence against women, and female literacy; and (3) General meeting of key leaders to introduce the urban farming and recycling for livelihood program.
FROM FOES TO FRIENDS: “MILITANT” MARGINALIZED GROUPS
AND “SNOBBISH” LOCAL OFFICIALS, NOW PARTNERS FOR DEVELOPMENT
After the storm Habagat hit and affected 514 urban poor families in Tondo (Barangay 105) in August 2013, the project on the canal declogging (part of the 2013 alternative budget proposal: P94,84.00) in Happyland and Sitio Aroma Brgy. 105 was implemented led by the General Assembly of volunteers composed of the Task Force members and the Barangay Council. This is the first barangay LGU project that involved citizens’ participation and volunteerism since urban poor organizations in Manila were viewed as ‘anti-government’ groups due to their rebellious predisposition during the Martial Law years and EDSA Revolutions.
In Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, most of the CSO Task Force on Local Democratic Budgeting/GRDB members who used to be viewed as militant leaders were elected as members into the 2013-2016 Municipal Development Council (MDC) and into the 2015 LPRAT so they form a critical mass in the planning, use and monitoring of local public budgets and projects especially under the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) and the Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB).
From the words of Mr. Alburo (one of the active and credible members of the PRO-Magpet Core Group): “The project has served as warning and constant reminder” for the administration to solicit or draw broader people’s participation of marginalized communities in budgeting, implementation and monitoring processes. He said this when, in March 14, 2013, a Municipal Development Council Resolution was unanimously approved adopting PRO-MAGPET as an alliance of “SOCIALLY WATCHFUL MAGPETEÑOS”.
In Quezon City, for so long a time, the marginalized sectors have been accustomed to seeking the help of the Barangay Office ranging from medical, housing, financial, domestic violence, children’s care, calamities, economic and educational support. In Barangay Central, majority of the marginalized sectors are organized in various CSOs and people’s organizations which is why most of their leaders are involved in barangay activities and have direct and easy access to the Barangay officials. Nonetheless, it has never come to their minds that participatory budgeting is one means to fight poverty and to assert their rights. With the entry of Social Watch Philippines, this strategy was highlighted.
For the first time, the leaders of ABI Central who also worked as the Money Watch Team (MWT) had to show themselves in public as the leading force in pursuing transparency and accountability in the barangay budget process. It was hard for the first timers considering that they are all associated with the Barangay whom they do not wish to offend. The idea of a citizen-government partnership is not new to them. But their interpretation lies only in partnership in launching activities and giving priorities to their members as beneficiaries which has been the tradition in the barangay.
It was therefore a novelty to see their sectors submitting the alternative budget proposals and holding dialogue with the Council; doing the budget monitoring and tracking; and to the end, seeking feedbacks from the beneficiaries and members to see if they have done something truly worthwhile. They have finally “graduated” after the budget tracking activity.
MARGINALIZED SECTORS LEAD LOCAL SOCIAL AUDIT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION
For the Moro (Muslims) in Tulunan, this was the first time that the citizens learned and experienced monitoring budgets in the Annual Investment Plan. The Task Force contingent that focused on budget tracking and monitoring was named “Moro Leaders Monitoring Group”.
Mr. Rolando Nim, Tulunan Community Development Office (TCDC) Coordinator, during presentation of Citizens’ Budget Monitoring Report to the LGU on December 5, 2013 said: “These activities give us a positive engagement between the LGU and the Civil Society Organizations specially the Moro Leaders where the community leaders and the LGU had a venue for the discussion of programs/projects and other concerns”.
One of the Task Force’s proposed projects as the Day Care Center in Purok 5, Brgy. Dungos, Tulunan. They proposed this because there is no Day Care Center building for the children aged 3-4 years old.
In the monitoring report of the Moro groups, it was found out that the construction of the Day Care Center was delayed due to the election ban and failure of bidding because the budget allocation for construction was allegedly not enough. Its budget of P100,000 was enough according to the perspective plan; but, in actual, the budget can only provide the building skeleton.
The LGU acknowledged the report for raising signals on inefficient budgeting. The Day Care Center was not fully constructed. The Municipal Budget Officer acknowledged that the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office should have planned better and should follow a Standard Common Design for Day Care Centers.
From the reporting, the LGU also realized that the Day Care Center buildings should also be able to serve as centers for Alternative Learning System programs which is gravely needed in Muslim and IP areas in Mindanao.
The presentation of the monitoring report also provided the opportunity for Moro groups to report that Moro organizations are not being provided copies of LGU approved programs and projects; and to call for the LGU to be more rigorous in implementing projects and programs for the Moro community.
In Quezon City, the Money Watch Team’s (MWT) presentation was the first to be held in the barangays. It was noted that although a barangay monitoring unit present in every barangay as per DILG memo circular, our MWT stood out as a people’s initiative in coordination with barangay officials. The group shared their experience and learnings:
In the barangay level, one would probably think that participatory budgeting, budget monitoring and tracking are easier to tackle than those in the City or Municipal levels. But one should also consider that the barangay level is the grassroots territory where the local authority and the constituency are very much familiar with each other and one could easily recognized the good, the bad and the ugly. It is an advantage but at the same time a disadvantage because this participatory budgeting may put you into trouble like creating jealousy, anger and despair between the budget trackers and those in the barangay unit, and between the budget trackers and the barangay supporters. This is the first learning that the Money Watch Central came to realize.
Leaders of marginalized sectors doing a budget monitoring generated distinction to the personality of the urban poor. One does not have to be a professional or doing white collar jobs to carry out this process. The training on participatory budgeting boosted the knowledge and skills of the team to get things done. This is the second learning that was achieved.
Thirdly, after the monitoring and tracking, the complexities of public finance were appreciated through the practical application.
Fourth, MWT members must at least be integrated with barangay officials and must represent accredited and recognized organizations to gain easy access to the barangay financial documents. It was quite tough to understand the financial documents but once the terms and processes were memorized, MWT began to fully grasp the data. In this aspect, the barangay staff/officials were warm enough to explain the processes. MWT also learn from them.
What we have initiated in participatory budgeting must have a continuity to achieve the goal of institutionalizing the marginalized sectors’ participation in the barangay budget process. We would not wish to start all over again every time there is a new set of LGU officials/staff. A barangay resolution encouraging citizens’ participation does not warrant continuity. It is recommended that:
- A people’s committee for budget monitoring/tracking be established as a special body in the Barangay Development Council
- Since it is provided for by law that the barangay officials concerned do the financial monitoring, it is recommended that NGOs/POs work as a team with the barangay officials concerned in the monitoring.
- A quarterly barangay newsletter providing information on the delivery of public service, expenditure and accomplishments.
- A barangay people’s council to ensure citizens’ participation.
- MWT report to be presented during Barangay assemblies.
NATIONAL STRUGGLES FOR BUDGET REFORMS CASCADE TO MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES
The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) also called “Pork Barrel” has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because billions of Pesos are being released even if the purpose of the funds are not yet determined and has not passed the scrutiny of Congress . Hence, for 2014, PDAF was deleted in the General Appropriations Act. But, for Social Watch Philippines, this is not the end of the battle. There are many forms of “pork barrel” at the local level such as the pork barrel given to councilors and even to 15-year old officers of SangguniangKabataan (SK).
In Tondo, the Money Watch Teams decided to monitor SK funds having noticed that it always had a big slice in the budget (10% of the general budget). Also, the team is suggesting the SK funds as alternative source of financing for citizens’ alternative budget proposals for livelihood, health, environment and women.
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