NGO/CSO Experience in the Philippines

Capacity Building Conference for Iraqui NGOs organized by the UNDP and LEADING POINT Management Advisory Services, 18-20 November 2012, Erbil,

Iraq

Isagani R SerranoPresident, Philippine Rural Reconstruction

Movement (PRRM)

Outline

• CSOs in Philippines---now and then• Policies & legislations on civil society• NGO/CSO-government relations• CSO challenges---past, present, future • Roles in society, in change processes• Lessons learned • The future CSOs want to build

CSOs now

• How many? –Moving target• Presence in all non-state sectors:

NGO/development community, workers, farmers, fishers, women, youth, children, IPs, Bangsamoro, LGBTs, PWDs, Chinese community, science & academic community, mass media, faith-based groups, ex-military, corporate/business…

• Primaries, networks, network of networks

CSOs through the years

• Pre 1896 revolution: indigenous associations• 1896 revolution against Spanish colonialism:

liberal democracy, freedom of association• US colonial rule (1898-1941), US-guided elite

democracy • Post-World War II democracy: continuing elite

rule and US influence• From democracy to dictatorship and back

Policies and legislations

• UN influence: UN Charter, UDHR, etc.• Constitutional basis: 1935, 1973, 1987• Changing policies across 9 post-war

presidential regimes• People’s anti-dictatorship struggles and 1986

revolution• 1987 Constitution: people’s participation;

Local Government Code of 1991

CSO/NGO-GO Relations

• Cooperation• Adversarial: Anti-government, anti-NGO/CSO• Critical collaboration• Parallelism• Gap-filling• State substitution• Regime-changing, revolutionary

Challenges past and present

• Legitimacy & recognition• Political repression, loss of open space, • Funding sustainability, ODA-dependence• Politicization & depoliticization• Competition, hegemonism, representation• Impact & accountability• Capacity for self-governance• Capacity to engage government

Roles in society & change process

• Building social capital• Sounding board for policymaking• Critic of government policy & practice• Self governance • People’s development

Lessons from Philippine experience

• People’s participation---a value in and for itself• CSOs: civic initiative for common good• CSOs as antidote to bad governance • CSOs subject to same governance standards• ‘Impossible’ issue: ‘representation’• Focus on initiative & inclusive participation• How inclusive is inclusive? • Good governance helpsno guarantee of sustainable

development

The future(s) CSOs want to build: post Rio20, post-2015

• Rights and freedoms: continuing deficits• Egalitarian society: baseline of high inequality • End to poverty, more equality• Good governance: democracy & participation• Sustainability of development: social, political,

economic, ecological• Limits to growth• Social harmony, resiliency, happiness