Maria Carmelia Galapon
Social Media Management
Click on each photo to read the full text.
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The Zero Extreme Poverty Philippines 2030 (ZEP2030) movement conducted a series of activities for its 6th General Assembly in November. To kick-off, ZEP2030 hosted the first of the four learning sessions, Mandanas Ruling: Strengthening CSO Engagement in Development, last November 10, 2021. The session discussed the full devolution process and highlighted the roles of CSOs in the implementation of the Mandanas Ruling. Resource speakers from different sectors were invited to present the implications to local development and the importance of CSO engagement to make the full devolution process more participatory, transparent, and accountable.
Alfonso Maralli, Jr., Assistant Director of the Bureau of Local Government Development at the Department of the Local and Interior Government, introduced the Mandanas Ruling - how it came to be and what the effects would be on the national and local governments. With the planned allocation of resources towards local government units, he noted that this would be a great opportunity for CSOs to engage with and leverage government support.
Hon. Roland Boie Evardone, Mayor of the Municipality of Arteche, Eastern Samar, shared the local government unit’s experience in crafting the Devolution Transition Plan (DTP). He cited the formation of the Barangay Devolution Transition Committee and the Devolution Transition Plan Secretariat to ensure that all necessary activities will be implemented according to the timeline.
Marcia Czarina Medina-Guce, Consultant to UNDP Philippines, and Aurelio Salgados, Jr., Executive Director of PROCESS Bohol, further reiterated the value of CSO engagement in the devolution process. Medina-Guce underlined the possible increase of community-based accessibility and capability to steer the conversation as well as the resources towards locally designed interventions. On the other hand, Salgados stressed the need for CSOs to be involved in the crafting and monitoring process of the DTPs to ensure initiatives are carried out accordingly.
The learning session was organized by ZEP2030 Lead Convenors - Caucus of Development NGO Networks and PhilDHRRA. More than 110 participants attended the session on Zoom and Facebook.
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ZEP2030, in collaboration with UNDP, kicked off the first local level Accelerator Lab in Cebu yesterday, March 2, 2020, with 29 participants from 12 NGOs and institutions (Rotaract Cebu Fuente, Facilitator's Circle, Feed the Children, CENVISNET, CBE, USPF, PBSP, ICM, AF, and UNDP). The Accelerator Lab retreat is a three day workshop where the participants come together in the goal to deepen and have a common understanding of the state of poverty in Cebu by identifying driving factors of poverty and mapping how each correlate with one another.
On its first day, participants of the workshop visited the Carbon Public Market, Cebu for an interaction with vendors and others in the area, as part of a solutions mapping exercise. The participants learned how they have managed to run their business operations. Through this, the participants aim to learn from the existing behavioral and cognitive patterns in the community.
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DEL MONTE FOUNDATION AS A TRAILBLAZER OF THE ZEP2030 MOVEMENT
Del Monte Foundation, Inc. (DMFI) is the corporate social responsibility arm of Del Monte Philippines, Incorporated. For the past 25 years, DMFI has implemented various programs geared towards the improvement of education, livelihood, health, and environment in the effort of creating happy and healthy families in sustainable communities in the province of Bukidnon.
In 2017, DMFI joined the Education Cluster of the Zero Extreme Poverty Philippines PH 2030 (ZEP2030) and volunteered as a Local Convenor for the town of Sumilao. Ms. Bella Quimpo, DMFI Executive Director, shares that Sumilao remains to be “one of the most underserved communities. Parang naiiwanan.”
Barangay Kulasi, the poorest barangay in Sumilao, was selected as the ZEP2030 pilot barangay of DMFI and the Municipal Government under the leadership of Mayor Jose Antonio Villo. DMFI worked hand in hand with the Barangay Council and conducted the Poverty Probability Index (PPI) survey among 113 households, followed by a Family and Community Visioning (FCV) workshop. From these, DMFI and the community were able to identify appropriate interventions that align with the needs of the people of Kulasi, complementing the barangay development plan in place. These include: skills training for the women to augment the income of their families, partnering with the LGU for the provision of sanitary toilets for 56 families, and provision of additional facilities for schools and day care centers such as tables and chairs, playground equipment, and supplementary learning aids, including books and toys to help children develop their motor skills.
As a Local Convenor for the ZEP2030 Movement, Ms. Quimpo believes that DMFI’s commitment is over and above implementing interventions that are focused on education or on their own programs alone. The Foundation recognizes that the needs of the families are multi-faceted, and it takes more than one organization and more than one thematic cluster to fully resolve the hindrances to reach a level of self-sufficiency. Currently, DMFI is also collaborating with Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. for the provision of a level 2 water system which will benefit 154 households in Barangay Kulasi.
From one pilot barangay, DMFI has now completed the PPI survey and Family and Community Visioning workshops in seven other barangays in Sumilao. Together with the LGU-Sumilao, they have been able to gather the various stakeholders of the municipality for the presentation of the consolidated Community Development Plan of the eight barangays and match the resources of the stakeholders with the identified needs. They plan to expand ZEP2030 to three more municipalities in Bukidnon by the year 2020. Together with this expansion, they hope to build and strengthen the convergence with other partners and stakeholders in the province.
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Live Streaming Management
ZEP2030 6th General Assembly
https://www.facebook.com/1714657108814347/videos/918242628810740
ZEP2030 5th General Assembly
https://www.facebook.com/ZeroExtremePoverty2030/videos/138926957620523
