Our Members

Legal Construction

From the beginning, PHILSSA has been particular about working with a legal personality. PHILSSA had itself registered as a non-stock, non-profit organization with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 14, 1990 and was given the number 173589. Pursuant to the Local Government Code of 1991, the network was accredited by the Quezon City Council on May 26, 1993 with CA number 145-S-93. Since 1993, PHILSSA sits as member of the Quezon City Development Council, having placed 7th in the elections on June 21, 1993.

By-Laws and Statutes

The Constitution and By-Laws of the network was drafted by an interim board in May 1988, accepted by 18 NGOs during the founding convention on May 30, 1988 and was subsequently approved and ratified

by the entire membership of 23 organizations during their First Congress on October 27, 1989. The Constitution contains nine (9) articles, among the important features of which are the statement of purpose, the mechanisms by which officers are elected and replaced, the functions, responsibilities and powers of officers, the manner by which members are accepted and separated, the rights of members as well as their

duties and obligations, the official conduct of business by the organization, and the manner by which funds are generated, managed and kept.

The PHILSSA General Assembly, the PHILSSA Board and occassionally the Executive Committee come out with formal resolutions and enactments that form part of the rules and regulations of the organization aside from the Constitution.

Decision-Making Bodies

Decision-making in PHILSSA is done collegially by appropriate bodies which have mandate and the competence to handle matters presented before them. Because PHILSSA prides itself in being a

“membership-driven” network, almost all of its major decision-makers are representatives of member-organizations. PHILSSA’s spokespersons and public relations officers also come from the ranks of members and not from the paid staff.

The PHILSSA General Assembly

The General Assembly, which convenes annually, is the highest decision-making body in PHILSSA. The Assembly consists of duly-authorized representatives of PHILSSA member-NGOs –either their executive director or his/her designated proxy. Quorum in the General Assembly consists of a simple majority which can decide on any question presented before it “except those matters where the PHILSSA By-Laws requires the affirmative vote of the a greater proportion.” The General Assembly sets the general direction of the network and elects the members of the PHILSSA Board. It also approves the actions of the Board and of the Secretariat.

The PHILSSA Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees serves as the network’s national council. The Board carries out the general mandate of the General Assembly and translates it into a workable program of action. Members of the Board are elected at large for alternating terms of office, such that at least three positions are open each year. Board members choose among themselves their officers for each year. When a member of the Board resigns, the NGO s/he represents is asked to appoint a new representative. If the NGO elected to the Board folds up, its runner-up NGO assumes the vacant seat in the Board until this seat is officially filled up in the next election.

The Board meets quarterly to act on major network concerns. Strategic plans, liaison with other groups, advocacy work, membership development, resource development, and policies internal to PHILSSA are among the matters discussed regularly by the Board. All major decisions of the network are submitted to the Board for deliberation and approval. During gaps between meetings of the Board, the Executive Committee composed of its four (4) officers acts on urgent matters requiring expeditious action.

Only the PHILSSA Board and its authorized representatives have the mandate to represent PHILSSA. No member can commit the involvement of PHILSSA without the approval of the Board.

Regional Representatives and Regional Desks

While Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are sufficiently represented in the PHILSSA Board, three more trustees join the board ex-officio to ensure maximum representation of major geographic interests. Each regional representative is elected for a term of one year and serves as convenor and contact person for his/her own geographic area.

Regional clustering is encouraged by PHILSSA. Regional gatherings are backstopped and subsidized by the PHILSSA Secretariat. Regional affiliates meet for various reasons: to come up with a strategic plan, to formulate common advocacy agenda, to undertake joint trainings, or simply to share and build fellowship. At the 4th PHILSSA Congress in 1992, the General Assembly approved the creation of regional desks that do not acquire secretariat structure. The regional desks are tasked to:

• initiate common programs at the regional level,
• facilitate sharing of resources and expertise,
• supervise the implementation of the Code of Ethics,
• follow-up network activities and requirements and,
• develop support system among regional affiliates.

The National Coordinator

The National Coordinator of PHILSSA is appointed by the Board as full-time director of its Secretariat. An ex-officio member of the Board, s/he cultivates PHILSSA’s linkages with donor agencies, NGO coalitions, cause-oriented groups, and other formations articulating the public interest. S/he often represents PHILSSA in fora and gatherings that the Board has decided to participate in. S/he sees to it that the decisions and resolutions of the Board are carried out accordingly and that network goals and objectives are programmatically attained.

Together with the Board, she conceptualizes and designs programs and projects that ensure the sustainability of the network. As overall in-charge of the PHILSSA Secretariat, s/he supervises all employees, oversees their day-today undertakings, and reports to the Board on their activities and accomplishments.

Consortia

Consortia are clear organizational expressions of the diversity of interests and charisms within PHILSSA. For greater effectiveness and efficiency, PHILSSA members are grouped in three ways:

• according to geographic location (regions);
• according to sectoral focus (labor, urban poor, women/children, youth/students, farmers, fisherfolk, etc.);
• according to developmental programs and interests (Local Government Code, environment, electoral reform, development research and advocacy, cooperativism, micro-enterprise development, relief and rehabilitation, publication/popular communication, etc.).

As earlier explained, regional clusters are coordinated by their respective regional representatives. However, of the many possible sectoral and development clusters within PHILSSA, only two are well formed, namely; the urban poor group as a result of the PHILSSA Urban Poor Consortium program and the labor caucus launched in mid-1994.

These consortia initiate their own activities and set up their own operational mechanisms.

The PHILSSA Secretariat

In early 1990, the then Board Secretary was tasked to set up an experimental PHILSSA Secretariat to backstop the efforts of the Board and to address concerns that the Board could no longer give full attention to. After months of preparations, the PHILSSA Secretariat became operational in June 1990, with Me-an Ignacio at the helm. Two program officers and one administrative assistant gave life to the first PHILSSA Secretariat.

The original mandate of the Secretariat, as contained in Board Resolution No. 2 (1990), is as follows:

“(1) [In pursuit of PCHRD projects], (i) provide consultancy to member NGOs, (ii) come out with four quarterly newsletter (iii) hold two training seminar-workshops on HRD every year (iv) document HRD seminar-workshops (v) conduct evaluation of tasks accomplished;

Guided by the principle of subsidiarity and upon consultation with the Board, undertake all such functions/activities that may be necessary to service needs of member-NGOs, e.g. write proposals;

As mandated by the Board, take on secretariat work such as documenting Board meetings, etc.;

Upon approval of the Board, assist member-NGOs as may be necessary/required/requested; Perform tasks taken on by official PHILSSA representatives in the Caucus/PNC, if their respective NGOs could not support that activity, [although it is preferred that] member-NGO takes on task if it is able to (do so).

From its original mandate, the services of the PHILSSA Secretariat have evolved into two major programs, namely: an “external program” with its focus on an integrated urban support system and an “internal program” that consists of intra-network services such as capability-building through training and consultancy, assistance in project development, monitoring and evaluation, publications, administrative support, and the like.

From it original complement of four, the PHILSSA Secretariat has expanded to nine (9) full-time staff, including one (1) executive director, five (5) project staff and three (3) administrative support personnel. The Secretariat at times takes on extra projects to augment its resources. Occasionally, the Secretariat also implements network projects which members are not willing to take on. This forces it to hire additional project-based personnel whose employment is co-terminus with their assignment. In this manner, PHILSSA is able to meet its human resource needs without being obligated to absorb more people than are actually necessary for its core operations.

The entire Secretariat is so structured that a team takes charge of a particular cluster of related functions. This system ensures that the progress of a program is backstopped by a group of competent people.

PHILSSA tries to keep its secretariat “lean and mean”. A resolution promulgated by the 1991 PHILSSA Congress stipulates that the size of the Secretariat has to be commensurate to the actual size of thenetwork’s membership.

The Management System

Management of PHILSSA is handled by duly elected leaders. The Executive Committee serves as a management team and meets every month to tackle all matters relevant to the network. The entire PHILSSA Board meets periodically (quarterly at present) to tackle longer-term concerns that are national in scope. The National Coordinator supervises the day-to-day undertakings of the Secretariat while the elected geographic representatives serve as point persons in their respective regions.

Planning

Planning in PHILSSA is done in multiple layers, each flowing into the other. Individual members plan for themselves in relation to the national goals of the network. Every two years, a Strategic Assessment and Planning (SAP) is undertaken both by geographic clusters and by the national board to update or authenticate the strategic direction of the network given the state of flux of today’s society. Consortia such as the urban poor and labor clusters undertake meso-scale and adaptive planning in relation to their fast-shifting environments. The Secretariat undertakes more continuous, shorter-term operational planning that enflesh network thrusts and priorities. All these planning activities feed into the national congress that also does some measure of macr0-scale and long term planning.

Organizing

As can be gleaned from earlier parts of this section, functions within PHILSSA are exercised by rationally created structures. These are usually collegial bodies incarnating direct democracy in the performance of both general and specialized functions. Power and authority are lodged in duly mandated offices with adequate checks and balances.

Accountability is exacted commensurate to the responsibility vested in an office or body. Lines of authority and responsibility are clear and untrammeled. Division of labor is clear-cut and equitable. Various organs of the network are not compartmentalized but instead work together to achieve collectively defined goals and aspirations.

Because PHILSSA observes the principle of subsidiarity, the various units of the network are respected in their spheres of distinctive competence. Decision or action undertaken by any unit at its appropriate level is generally considered supreme and reliable and may not be controvert without due reasons by higher organs or levels. Only when matters are not adequately settled or resolved at lower levels do national bodies intervene.

Staffing

Member-organizations of PHILSSA are chosen based on a specific criterion congruent to the network’s vision, mission and goals. As earlier mentioned, active members choose among themselves the leaders of the network who become the key decision-makers and spokespersons of the organization.

With respect to the Secretariat or paid staff, majority is recruited from the ranks of college-educated development practitioners with considerable work experience in social development. Some come from or are endorsed by member-organizations of PHILSSA while others are fresh university recruits. While PHILSSA seeks to provide its employees some security of tenure, the non-permanent nature of NGOs as well as the short-term status of project grants prevents it from doing so. Hence, all of PHILSSA’s paid staff is hired on contractual and temporary basis.

The PHILSSA Secretariat undergoes relevant staff development sessions that upgrade their knowledge and skills and enhance their performance on the job. Their areas of learning include organizational development, strategic management, conflict management, office management, stress management, computer software applications, and the like. They also participate in training programs tailored for all PHILSSA members.

Remuneration to PHILSSA Secretariat is comparable to those in other organizations of the same size, nature and type of work. Aside from their base pay, PHILSSA staff receive additional compensation for overload, longevity/length of service, official out-of-town business, travel hazards, and the like. They also receive partial tax assistance as well as free SSS, Medicare and Pag-ibig housing coverage.

A personnel committee composed of the PHILSSA vice-chair, the national coordinator and another board member oversees the paid PHILSSA Secretariat. Personnel concerns and policies are codified in a staff manual presently in its draft edition.

Directing

Leadership in PHILSSA is more collective than individual-based. Its greater emphasis on collegial bodies than on distinct ranks and status has enhanced the network’s strengths in terms of managing differences and forging amidst diversity. Collegial bodies are better venues for coordinating, resolving conflicts, and synergizing activities.

Being a network of social change organization, PHILSSA is also strong in managing internal change. Having leaders of two kinds – the most seasoned practitioners and the most dynamic visionaries – has enabled it to adjust to changing objective realities, evolving demands of development work and shifting generations of development workers.

Looking forward to the sustainability of service organizations, PHILSSA is in fact the first of Philippine NGO networks to be seriously interested in a study of the so-called “successor generation” who will carry on the work for development. PHILSSA is not wanting in the areas of stimulating creativity and adopting innovations for greater effectiveness and efficiency.

PHILSSA’s own people are not to motivate. Majority is self-propelled and self-directed professionals needing only minimum supervision. Guidance takes the form of informal coaching and mentoring as well as the trafficking of unexpected demands and tasks beyond the natural capacity of individuals. Delegation follows functional lines. Tasks are passed on first to teams or collegial bodies before these are farmed out among their individual members.

Controlling

Leadership in PHILSSA is more collective than individual-based. Its greater emphasis on collegial bodies than on distinct ranks and status has enhanced the network’s strengths in terms of managing differences and forging amidst diversity. Collegial bodies are better venues for coordinating, resolving conflicts, and synergizing activities.

Being a network of social change organization, PHILSSA is also strong in managing internal change. Having leaders of two kinds – the most seasoned practitioners and the most dynamic visionaries – has enabled it to adjust to changing objective realities, evolving demands of development work and shifting generations of development workers.

Looking forward to the sustainability of service organizations, PHILSSA is in fact the first of Philippine NGO networks to be seriously interested in a study of the so-called “successor generation” who will carry on the work for development. PHILSSA is not wanting in the areas of stimulating creativity and adopting innovations for greater effectiveness and efficiency.

PHILSSA’s own people are not to motivate. Majority is self-propelled and self-directed professionals needing only minimum supervision. Guidance takes the form of informal coaching and mentoring as well as the trafficking of unexpected demands and tasks beyond the natural capacity of individuals. Delegation follows functional lines. Tasks are passed on first to teams or collegial bodies before these are farmed out among their individual members.