PHILSSA - The PHILSSA-DFID GTF Project Orientation

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THE PHILSSA-DFID GTF PROJECT ORIENTATION

The orientation for the NGO partners of the project Institutionalising Local and National Partnerships to Address Urban Poverty and Homelessness in the Philippines (PHILSSA-DFID GTF Project) was held last 30-31 March 2009 at the Institute of Social Order. The meeting had been a venue for a more detailed discussion of the project and for a deeper appreciation of the Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF) and the network’s responsibilities and possible contribution as one of its grant holders.

The PHILSSA-DFID GTF Project is funded under the Governance and Transparency Fund of the Department for International Development (DFID) of the Government of the United Kingdom (UK). In his overview of DFID and the GTF, Mr. Balderrama, PHILSSA’s national coordinator, mentioned that PHILSSA is among 38 institutions worldwide who had been awarded a grant under the GTF, and the only grant holder from Southeast Asia. He also gave an overview on the setting up of the GTF as the UK government’s initiative to promote good governance. He also shared the governance framework of DFID, with its key areas of capacity, accountability, and responsiveness. The PHILSSA-DFID GTF Project focuses primarily on the governance aspect and how this can promote better delivery of services to marginalized groups. He also noted the emphasis given by DFID on an independent and challenging evaluation process.

Mr. Balderrama also discussed the details of the PHILSSA-DFID GTF Project—its overall goal,purposes, outputs, and indicators. The project will have local interventions (at the 4 pilot cities and 10 partner cities), as well as regional-, national-, and international-level strategies; program documentation; and monitoring and evaluation. He also discussed the program management structures.

Ms. Jennifer Garay, PHILSSA’s finance and administrative supervisor, discussed the financial management system and the procurement process. Meanwhile, Ms. Lorraine Mangaser, the process documentation staff, discussed the process-oriented reporting system.

In his discussion of UP-ALL concerns and agenda, Mr. Balderrama noted that there should be strategies to bridge the efforts of PHILSSA and UP-ALL, especially at the local level. He also presented the UP-ALL Agenda and advised the implementing agencies (IAs) to consider this as material when the urban poor agenda in the pilot and partner cities are created. He also advised them to assess the possible implications of the 2010 elections on the success of their projects in the cities and to determine strategies to ensure that the project’s advocacies will be achieved.

On the second day of the orientation, Ms. Sarah Redoblado, executive director of ALTERPLAN, discussed the objectives, major concerns, and local baseline data for the Budget Watch and Social Housing Budget Advocacy. Meanwhile, Mr. Denis Murphy, executive director of UPA, discussed the plans for the Eviction Watch and UDHA compliance.

In the afternoon, Dr. Anna Marie Karaos, executive director of JJCICSI, shared the city baselining and profiling tool to be used in Quezon City, which other city IAs can also use or adopt. Then, the Imagic Productions team, led by its president, Ms. Chary Diño, gave the participants some information on the different types of cameras, photo sharing tools, and tips on taking pictures.

During the open forum on Day 2, the IAs raised their concerns, one of which was the possible impact of the 2010 elections to the project’s success. Among the suggestions mentioned were the institutionalization of partnerships with the local government units and establishment of ties with other offices, including the barangay. Several implementing agencies also pointed out that the project is an opportunity for POs to continue working together on housing issues.

Mr. Balderrama emphasized that opportunities for sharing learning and good practices and strategies will be maximized. He also noted that this project provides additional resources for what the IAs have already doing, adding that the processes in the project will also help them improve their work.

The project orientation ended with the contract signing between PHILSSA and the implementing agencies in the four pilot cities (the cities of Quezon, Legazpi, Mandaue, and Davao) and ten partner cities (the cities of Malabon, Manila, Naga, Tabaco, Cebu, Toledo, General Santos, Iligan, and Zamboanga, and the municipality of Montalban, Rizal).

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