Practices in Responsive Local Governance : Cebu City, Philippines

1. Practices in Responsive Local Governance : Cebu City, Philippines June 20, 2006 Teresa Banaynal-Fernandez Lihok Pilipina

2. Good governance (UNDP) ----- is a goal and a process by which the different stakeholders such as the • government, • private sector, • civil society and other institutions can assume a stake in the management of the nation at different levels - national and local

3. Cebu City - The inclusive City Processes of engagements and partnerships …. took place between and among the Non government organizations, people’s organizations, the private sector and the city government on issues such as urban poor and housing, children’s issues, violence against women, water and watershed, waste management, etc. that has shaped governance of Cebu City.. and affect the national landscape as well.

4. A. The People’s Alternative

5. 1988 – Influencing the First Local Election after Martial Law Aims: • Mobilize local residents to institute popular systems and generate an environment that would make electoral contest issue-oriented and program- based • Enable deserving and competent candidates who lack money and machinery to win; • Hopefully , reduce corruption in government Among the strategies and activities were: • Formulation of a local government agenda for the poor and asked candidates to sign • People sponsored campaign rallies and bulletin boards • Intelligent Selection of Candidates to endorse

6. 7-Point Agenda • Adoption of the two principles of social justice and people participation embodied in the constitution as basis or guide in governance. • Creation of an Office for Social Development promoting the welfare of the poor to: • Acquire lands for self-help and low-income housingprojects through public grants, expropriation, or negotiated sale and the cancellation of land title. • efficient delivery of basic services such as roads, water, canal, health care, and electricity particularly in depressed areas • Formulation of a comprehensive Socio-economic plan by experts and the common Tao that will increase employment in the city • Solution to the following problems: • Peace and order – by insisting that police be placed under local government control and by undertaking thorough investigation of vigilantes according to the directives of Pres. Aquino. • Drug addiction, gambling, beggar proliferation and inhuman prison conditions, including punishment of persons and syndicates that exploit these problems. • The impartial implementation of traffic ordinance on both private and public vehicles • The distribution of stalls for small vendors in Carbon market and other areas. • Support activities to repeal PD 772 and effectively implement PD’s 2016 (prohibiting eviction of occupants in lands proclaimed as area for priority development (APD) AND 1417 (increasing the fees collectible in connection with registration for chattel mortgages) and to give the poor representation in the city council

7. Winning mechanism for the Urban Poor : • The new Mayor announced the creation of an Office for the Urban Poor (now Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor) to take care of urban poor concerns – land acquisition, relocations , basic services, demolitions , referrals, etc. • A City Housing Fund was started and the Office/Mayor advocated with HUDCC for a program that can facilitate loans for land acquisition for community groups • The Community Mortgage Program is now a national is a government program that enables organized communities to secure tenure through a loan financing from the government payable at installment.

8. Exacting Accountability: Implementation of the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 : • Tri-partite council to deal with cases of demolition. • Several Ordinances were also passed such as: • Ordinance Creating Ad Hoc Committee Cebu City Land Valuation for Socialized Housing, • Resolutions identifying sites for social Housing, • Ordinance Creating the Cebu City Housing Board • Implementing Balanced Housing Provision • In March 1997, UDHA Performance Audit of the city government and the different housing agencies. In the scale of 1 to 5 with 5 as the highest, the PO’s gave the City 1.7.

9. Continuing lobbying for responsive housing program… • Monitoring implementation of the Community Mortgage Program • Lobbying for a separate Social Housing Finance Corporation with representation from NGO /PO with voting status • Urban Poor Alliance (Up-ALL ) was formed to push for the 14-point agenda with government. • UDHA Performance monitoring has been extended to other cities in the Visayas along: land acquisition, land inventory , balanced housing provision, beneficiary listing, evictions and relocations , basic services

10. Impact • Recognition of urban poor as a sector to reckon with • Program : CMP /SHFC are in place • Thousands of families have acquired tenure because they have availed of community mortgages.

11. Difficulties: • The program institutionalized are at the mercy of people who may not have the passion of the people who started it. • DWUP • CMP • Need to constantly monitor; the housing money is very attractive to people who want to profit form it… there are many fly-by-night originators supported by people from the housing agencies who get documents approved faster. .

12. B. Bantay Banay – Making VAW-C an issue of Governance

13. Beginnings .. • 1992: Lihok Pilipina study - 6 out of 10 women are being battered by their partners. . • A Watch Group Bantay Banay (Family Watch Groups against Domestic Violence) was formed. • Composed of representatives from police, social welfare, hospitals, NGOs, government agencies, barangays and community groups

14. Strategies • organization and training of community groups • formation of Inter-Agency Committees per area • mainstreaming VAW as an issue of governance- advocate for government to provide program, policy and budget. • anchor NGOs/ agencies

15. Services & Activities • Direct Services - medical and medico-legal check-up, counseling, legal assistance, temporary shelter & livelihood referral • Direct Action.Direct interventions such as stopping the ongoing violence, prevention of further violence, dialogue in barangay level, referrals • Training.GST/GAD, VAW, laws & legal processes, crisis intervention, family dialogues, budgeting, etc. • Advocacy & Media Work.Support for passage of laws affecting women, mobilize members to attend court hearings, calls media attention to lapses & delays, monitoring

16. At the City Level Committees formed: Training, advocacy, enforcement, rehabilitation, Counseling handling, Community organizing, legal assistance, livelihood, elderly, youth,

17. Participatory Structures and Processes Strengthened: At the Barangay Level

18. Impact:Bantay Banay has… • 1. Trained (With City funds) almost 5000 representatives of community groups, police stations, teachers, hospitals, barangays councils, men, government. agencies and professional groups in responding to VAW-C

19. Bantay Banay…. 2. Advocated for the following structures/Policies with budget to be in place for women in the City: • Ordinance: Creating the Women and Family Affairs Commission -1997 • GAD Budget Policy commitment signing in 1999by Mayor /Barangay Captains in the presence of DBM,NEDA and DILG Representatives • Ordinance 1891 : Gender Code - 2001 • Ordinance creating CODI In City Hall (2002) • Ordinance on Anti Domestic Violence (2002) • Ordinance for the implementation of the Anti VAW-C & Solo parents Act (2004) • Ordinance for the Implementation of the Anti Trafficking Law (2005)

20. Influencing the 5 Pillars of Justice, Consultation on VAW and the Justice System

21. Bantay Banay continues to… 3.Respond and do cross referral of cases - 17,000 cases (2004) 4. Monitor City government's performance through a Report Card on gender, people Efficiency and Transparency (RA 6713), and other mechanisms in partnership with academe 5. Encourage community groups to be involved in other issues that can exacerbate violence - like waste management, productivity, disaster, housing/site development 6. Undertake joint learning among partner agencies, case conferences, assessments 7. Link with other Bantay Banay Network members

22. IMPACT… • Replication in other cities • Institutionalization of Gender Concerns in the CCWFAC and the Gender Code with Budget: • Barangay GAD Budget Allocation: • 2000 P9,090,585.71 • 2001 P8,043,492.65 • 2002 P8,134,360.72 • 2003 P9,517,707.96 • 2004 P10,185.009.43 • 2005 17,325,534,.17 • City GAD Budget Allocation: • 2002 – P1.2 Million • 2003 – P2 Million • 2004 – 15 Million + P 3 M • 2005 – P15 M + P2.9 M

23. The Bantay Banay Network Region V: (Naga City; Iriga City; Legaspi City;) Region VI: (Negros Occidental – Toboso, Escalante, Calatrava, Iloilo City, Victorias City, San Carlos City) Region VIII: (Ormoc City; Tacloban City; Calbayog City; Inopacan; Hindang; Hilongos; Sogod; Baybay) Region VII: (Negors Oriental – Amlan,Bayawan Manjuyod, San Catalina, Dumaguete, Cebu Province – Catmon, Carmen, Liloan, Consolacion, Mandaue City, Lapulapu City, Cordova, Cebu City, Talisay, Minglanilla, Toledo City, Bohol – Tagbilaran City, Panglao Island) Caraga Region: (Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao City, Butuan) Region X: (Malaybalay, Cagayan de Oro, Villanueva, Claveria, Binuagan, Talisayan, Magsaysay, Jasaan, Sugbaycogon) Region XI & XII: (Davao City, Gen. San City, Davao del Sur) ARMM: (Marawi City, Compostela Valley, Wao Lanao del Sur, Samal Island)

24. More impact … • RA 9262 – Anti violence against women and their children act was passed • Relevant agencies have incorporated violence as a cocnenr: Pink Room, Violet Room, GAD Desks, etc. • RDC to approved Resolution enjoining LGU’s to pass local legislation re solo Parent, Anti VAWC Anti Trafficking, and monitoring through SDC-GAD Sub committee on Gender.

25. Present….. • The City Development Council: 40 % (56 organizations) are PO/NGO/PSR representatives. NGO’s also Chair the 4 CDC committees: Development administration, infrastructure, Economic Development and Social Development Committee. • The CDC allotted P49.6 million for NGO/PSR/PO Development projects as part of the Annual Investment Plan for 2002-2006

26. Most of the efforts that have become programmatic / long term structures– started as adhoc • CMP, DWUP, Bantay Banay, Women’s Commission, CUSW, Local Plan of Operation for Children , Local Housing Board , Solid Waste Management and others - have been initiated by the NGOs. • The City has shown openness in the effort and has provided both financial and other forms of support.

27. Some difficulties Notes : • Most of the LGU efforts are reactive. • They have to be shown data to really based their response on objective conditions. The NGOs and the PO’s need to learn from its own history. A writing of the experiences and the impact on the present would help them in their own direction towards advocacy. They should also know how to use the data base to back up their own advocacy

28. 3. It still remains to be desired that its response to poverty alleviation be more pro-active. While it tolerates the informal sector, it still has to come up with policy that can guide its own program. 4. A more systematic employment generation and livelihood support has to be facilitated. Concerns of the poor have to be included in the long-range targets, plans and indicators of effective governance.

29. Notes: • There is a need to review available avenues for engagement at the municipal/barangay level ; that is where a lot of governance action is. .within reach • Elective positions are not many and election is very expensive. • The formal avenues of participation like the CDC and other special bodies have their limits , but they can also provide a lot of elbow room and opportunities for more engagement • Women should be able to identify all these openings – policy, program and budget to claim their space and effect changes. .. Whatever the issue is. After all, all issues are women’s issues

30. Cebu City … still remains an inclusive City • 1994 - awarded the Dubai -Habitat Award for NGO/PO-GO Partnerships • 2002 – Awarded for Top LGU in Urban Development and Housing Act implementation by PhilSSA/ICSI • 2003- the Galing-Pook Award for Gender Responsive Governance • 2004 - awarded as one of the Women Friendly Cities in Asia and the Pacific by the UN-Habitat Japan and UNIFEM Asia

31. Daghang Salamat