For democratic processes to be enhanced and for public policies to become more responsive to the development needs of the citizenry, the practice of good governance must begin at the barangay (village) level.  Good barangay governance necessitates the establishment and strengthening of mechanisms and processes that allow for greater inclusiveness in decision-making that promotes responsive local public action.

Along this pursuit, the Panamao Development Initiatives (PDI), Inc. coordinates with government agencies and civil society organizations involved in good local governance efforts through the conduct of training, project implementation and monitoring activities.

The PDI shall engage in the following pursuits:

1. Barangay Administration and Organizational Development. This activity aims to promote active citizenship through strengthening of people’s organizations (POs), barangay development councils (BDCs) and municipal development councils (MDCs). This would involve trainings and workshops, supervision and on-the-job coaching.  This activity stresses the importance of transparency, accountability and wider people’s participation. The trainings will include:

·      Barangay Administration Training;

·      Active Citizenship Training;

·      Capacitating Barangay Development Councils (BDCs);

·      Participatory development planning using PRA-BDP and the Technology of Participation;

·      Project Development and Management;

·      Budgeting and Resource Mobilization;

·      Training on Land Tenure Development;

·      Project policy formulation and system formulation;

·      Internal control system; and,

·      Negotiation and claim-making

This program will involve the integration into the Barangay Development Plan (BDP) of a distinct capacity-building program focusing on a systematic, contextual and continuing barangay leadership formation and skills enhancement. Despite certain limitations imposed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on the use of the 20% Local Development Fund (LDF), innovative ways can be made to optimize limited resources to build up capacities of local leaders. Likewise, partnership arrangements between barangays and certain NGOs for a continuing popular education program can be negotiated and accessed.

2. (Re)organizing and Activating the Barangay Development Council (BDCs). While the Local Government Code (LGC) has mandated people’s participation, experience has shown a different picture.  Many BDCs are not functional; decision-making in the BDCs is monopolized by the Barangay Councils.  Most BDCs convene only once a year for budget preparation.  Most sectors and POs in the community are not represented.  Systems and structures for participatory project planning and implementation have not been installed.  Activities under this program include:

·      Promotion of active citizenship;

·      Using the BDC as venue for expressing common aspirations and needs developing strategies to deal with problems effectively; and,

·      Strengthening of POs to claim the 25% representation in the BDC.

3. Participatory Barangay Development Planning.  With the barangay profile and assessment as baseline data, the community proceeds to formulate the Barangay Development Plan (BDP).  The plan is based on prioritized problems/needs as identified by the barangay residents, ability of the barangay to raise resources, manage the intervention as determined by the barangay, and ensures viability of intervention in terms of financial, technical market and organizational aspects.  This plan is undertaken with the direct participation or appropriate representation of the various sectors (farmers, farm workers, women, youth, senior citizens) and geographical clusters (sitios, haciendas).  The BDP is formulated through a series of workshop activities, which proceed according to a design using the facilitation method known as Technology of Participation (ToP).  The workshop activities are undertaken with an expanded Barangay Development Council (BDC) as target. The program activities would include:

·        Assisting barangays in prioritizing 3-5 projects to address the needs identified;

·        Assisting in the design and viability assessment of proposed projects;

·        Facilitating formulation of community work and financial plan;

·        Conducting barangay workshops to determine viability and capability to raise local funds;

·        Conducting negotiations and claim–making workshops;

·        Securing household counterparts and commitment of the Barangay Internal Revenue Allocation (IRA) for people’s priority projects;

·        Facilitating in the packaging of BDP;

·        Mobilizing the barangay to generate internal resources; and,

·        Helping the barangay raise the shortfall in project resources through pledging sessions.

4. Establishing the Barangay Development Fund Mechanism. This program activity involves:

·        Generation and utilization of local resources (the barangay’s IRA – internal revenue allocation);

·        POs’ capital build-up, generation of community savings and household counterpart, and accessing external resources;

·        Training on negotiation and claim-making to build confidence of barangay residents in presenting their plans and mobilizing support;

·        Conduct of local pledging sessions involving LGUs, NGAs, NGOs, etc., where project funds are pledged; and,

·        Organizing the Project Management Committee (PMC).  The PMC is responsible for the generation of local funds and follow-up of municipal and provincial pledges.  PDI assistance shall be provided to the barangay through liaison and follow-up with municipal and provincial LGUs and mobilization of resources from NGOs and other agencies.

5. The establishment of barangay legal resource centers.  This program activity seeks to improve resource tenure arrangement, local barangay administration, address violence against women (VAW) issues, and enhance the litigious nature of administering barangay justice.  The legal resource centers can be managed by volunteer local paralegals coming from different barangay-level institutions of POs, NGOs and mandated barangay organizations like the barangay agrarian reform committees  (BARCs), Lupong Tagapamayapa (village justice committee), the fisheries and aquatic reform management councils (FARMCs), etc.

6. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation. This program activity will include setting-up of community-based monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in which the constituents themselves rate the performance of their leaders in particular and the barangay in general.  An M & E Bulletin Board showing the quarterly performance of the barangay will be installed outside the Barangay Hall for public scrutiny. The PM&E system will actually serve as community-based information system. It will:

·        Build local capacities to critically examine and reflect on people’s efforts to improve barangay governance in their respective communities;

·        Be a learning tool that will inform decision-making and development planning in the barangay;

·        Seek to improve barangay governance training services being provided; and,

·        Be used together with an external evaluation framework to crosscheck information and supplement key findings generated at the barangay level.

By generating citizen’s interest and building their capacities to continuously assess their own progress in improving barangay governance, there is greater ownership of local initiatives. This in turn helps increase citizen’s participation and ensure public accountability and transparency.

7.      Galing-Pook Award sa Barangay.  This will search, select, and recognize outstanding programs or “Best Practices” in the barangays.  The award system will come in different categories, e.g., Basic Social Services, Environmental and Resource Management, Fiscal Management/ Resource Mobilization, People’s Participation, Conflict Management, etc.  The annual selection will be based on the output of the quarterly participatory monitoring and evaluation.

8.      Advocacy.  This program activity seeks to persuade local officials to accept citizen’s participation and good governance as vital in ensuring sustained community development and national progress.  The bottom-line is the Strengthening of Barangay–Municipal Linkages.  Improving barangay governance entails establishing greater linkages with higher-level local government units (LGUs) and other institutions to influence public policy and make this more accountable and responsive to people’s priorities.  The barangay should relate with the wider processes of the municipal governments.  The 1991 Local Government Code has given municipal  (and provincial) governments much more powers and more importantly resources “which should be claimed” by the barangays and communities.  Higher-level LGUs like the province and municipalities under the leadership of dynamic Local Government Executives (LCEs) can provide “enabling environments” that support barangay-level participatory development and empowerment processes.

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