POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION: A Strategy for the Ilaw ng Buhay Movement

 

 

 

 

MANAGEMENT RESEARCH REPORT

 

PART    I

THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SECTOR

PART    II

THE ILAW NG BUHAY MOVEMENT – CURRENT STRATEGY AND PERFORMANCE

PART III

STRATEGY FORMULATION FOR THE ILAW NG

BUHAY MOVEMENT  (Outline)

 

 

 

 

 

 

BY:

 

NESTOR M. PESTELOS

Asian Institute of Management

Class 1986 – 1987

 

Paper submitted:

17 October 1986

 

 

POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION:  A Strategy for the Ilaw ng Buhay Movement

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY …………………………………………………..

INTRODUCTION             …………………………………………………..

            A.         Background       …………………………………………………..

            B.         Objectives         …………………………………………………..

C.                  Scope and Limitations of the Study ……………………………

D.                  Methodology and Main Data Sources ………………………….

 

PART I:  THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SECTOR

CHAPTER I – PROFILE OF THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SECTOR …...

A.                  Concept / Approaches …………………………………………..

B.                  Organizational Framework ……………………………………...

C.                  Social Indicators to Measure Attainment of Goals ……………..

D.                  Existing programs ……………………………………………….

E.                  Involvement of Non-government Organizations ………………..

F.                  Financial Resources ……………………………………………..

G.                 Assessment of Program Effectiveness ………………………….

H.                  The Philippine Country Program for Children ………………….

I.                     Target Groups ……………………………………………………

CHAPTER II – RESOURCE DIMENSION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ….

A.                  Share in the National Budget …………………………………….

B.                  Sources of Funding ……………………………………………….

C.                  Current Thrust and Future Outlook ……………………………….

 

 

CHAPTER III – PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES TO SOCIAL

                           DEVELOPMENT ………………………………

                                                                                                                       

A.                  Community Development (CD) Approach ……………………….

B.                  Community Organization (CO) Approach ………………………..

C.                  CD-CO or Social Planning Approach …………………………….

D.                  Facilitative Factors ………………………………………………..

E.                  A Second Look at Non-governmental Organizations …………….

 

PART II: - THE ILAW NG BUHAY MOVEMENT – CURRENT

STRATEGY AND PERFORMANCE

 

CHAPTER IV – THE ILAW NG BUHAY MOVEMENT ………………………

A.                  History/ Background ……………………………………………..

B.                  Objectives ………………………………………………………..

C.                  “Grand Design” of the Movement to Achieve

its Objectives …………………………………………………….

                        C.1       Key Activities ……………………………………………

                        C.2       Organizational Framework ………………………………

                        C.3       Functional Policies ………………………………………

                        C.4       Linkages …………………………………………………

CHAPTER V – ASSESSMENT:  THE MOVEMENT IN CORTES, BOHOL ..

A.                  Background Information ………………………………………..

A.1       Physical features ………………………………………..

A.2       Socio-economic profile …………………………………

A.3       Organizational structure ………………………………..

A.4       Problems and proposed solutions ………………………

B.                  Overall Development Planning in Cortes ……………………….

B.1       Nature and scope of local planning ……………………..

 

 

B.2       Approaches and methods of formulating the

Area development plan ……………………………………

B.3       Social indicators used to identify problem ………………..

B.4       The planning process and people’s participation …………

B.5       Financing the area development  plan ……………………

B.6       Facilitating and controlling plan implementation ………..

B.7       Appraising local capabilities, the outputs

and the contribution of the plan and projects

towards social goals ………………………………………

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………………..

 

ANNEXES ……………………………………………………………………….

 

PART III: STRATEGY FORMULATION FOR THE ILAW

NG BUHAY MOVEMENT

 

OUTLINE ………………………………………………………………………..

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A.       Findings from Part I (Social Development Sector )

1.  Social development is the primary concern of 108 government agencies and more than 200 non-governmental organizations involved in the following areas:

-          Education and manpower

-          Health, nutrition, and family planning

-          Housing and human settlements

-          Social services and community development

-          Agrarian reform

-          Multisectoral concerns

 

2.       Social development expenditures maintained an expenditures which average of 22.6 percent, compared to economic expenditures which average 36.6 percent for 1972 – 86.  National budgetary resources account for 73% of total financing for the sector.  The rest are shouldered by social institutions, social security agencies, domestic financial institutions, and international funding agencies.

 

3.       An assessment of the sector’s performance shows “low levels of effectiveness” in practically all areas.  The poor performance was attributed to the lack of a comprehensive social policy supported by adequate programs and projects specifically addressed to the following:

-          poverty amelioration

-          redistribution of income and wealth

-          decentralization of authority and responsibility for social planning and service delivery.

 

4.       Ineffective programs and projects were also traced to low levels of government and community participation in development planning and implementation.

 

5.       For the pas two decades, international organizations have advocated for the building in of participatory approaches in developmental programs.  A major undertaking in the sector designed to involve communities and local governments in development planning and implementation is the Philippine Country Program for Children formulated with the assistance of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

 

6.       Participatory approaches currently being tried in the sector by both government and non-governmental organizations can be into three categories:

-          community development (CD) approach

-          community organization (CO) approach

-          CD-CC or social planning approach

Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages.  The trend, however, is to adopt features of the latter approach.

B.      Findings from Part II ( Ilaw ng Buhay Movement)

1.       The Movement actually started as an experiment on improving service delivery to remote rural households.  It was launched on November, 1975 in a few pilot areas.  The Movement, which symbolizes knowledge against the “darkness which breeds poverty, disease, and death, “has a mass membership of almost a million people in 37 municipalities and 2 cities.

 

2.       The  Movement applies the CD-CO or social planning approach.  Essentially, it prepares both the community and the government to assume responsibilities to solve local problems.  Called the Ilaw social preparation process, the approach is actually a carefully-sequenced set of training and field operations activities designed to even up understanding, remold attitudes, and refine the skills of everyone involved in local development.  It stimulates and makes viable the local development council so that it can function as overall implementor and indicator.  On the other hand, the community is primed so that its organization acts as an equal partner of government.  The process brings both these bodies in cooperative and mutually beneficial efforts to solve local problems.

 

3.       The unique process as intensively applied in a municipality was discussed.  It shows how collaborative planning between the community and local government has been built into the traditional planning process.

 

4.       In 1983, five years after its launching, the Movement set up the Ilaw International Center (IIC) as its research and training institution.  The IIC directs the expansion of the Movement and supports local governments and communities to build in participatory approaches to social development planning and implementation.  It supplies trainors and organizers to Ilaw coverage areas and assists communities to set up projects.  With IIC, the Movement has begun a replication process for its approach.

 

Future Task

      In Part III, outlined in this Report and due for submission on January 20, recent changes in the broader environment ant its impact on the sector will be discussed.  Detailed analysis of the Movement’s strengths and weaknesses will be presented.  The current strategy will be reviewed in relation to perceived opportunities and threats.

 

Hopefully, this process can evolve a more efficacious strategy for the Movement.  An implementation plan will be prepared for the next five years.

 

 

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.                              Final Report and Recommendations, Association of South East Asian Nations Seminar on Social Problems Resulting from Rapid Social Change, Jakarta, Indonesia, 16-22 January 1987.

 

2.                              Gorra, Marilyn N., The Philippine Country Paper on Social Development Alternatives.  Paper presented at Combined Expert Group Meeting on Social Development Alternatives and Second Training Semianr in Local Social Development Planning, Nagoya, Japan, 16-29 October 1985.

3.                              Project Plans of Action for UNICEF Assistance, Manila, Philippines, January 1980.

 

4.                              Second Country Program for Filipino Children (1983-1987), Program Framework, Government of the Philippines, December 1982.

 

5.                              Program Plans of Action Vol. II (F-K), Second Country Program for Children (1983-1987), Government of the  Philippines (1982)

 

6.                              Mid-Term Review, Second Country Program for Filipino Children, 24-25 July 1985.

 

7.                              Social Development, The Philippine Approach, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), December 1980.

 

8.                              Pestelos, Nestor M., Community Participation in Development: A Tortuous Exercise.  Excerpts from the paper he presented at an international rural water supply and sanitation workshop held in Ubol Ratchathance, Thailand, March 1981, under the sponsorship of UNICEF.

 

9.                              Cheema, Shabbir G. and Dennis A. Rondinelli, Implementing Decentralization in Asia, (UNCRD, Nagoya, Japan; 1983)

 

10.                          NGOs as a Democratizing Force in Society, Cendhrra Network Newsletter, Fourth Quarter 1985.

 

11.                          Progress Report, Project Compassion, 1975-1977.

 

 

12.                          Binamira, Ramon P., The Need for an Integrated Approach to Social Development in Underdeveloped Countries – A Look at Project Compassion.  Paper presented to the Special Meeting of the UNICEF Executive Board on the Situation of Children in Asia with Emphasis on Basic Services, Manila.  17-19 May 1977.

 

13.                          Binamira, Ramon P., Lessons from Experience and New Directions.  In-house assessment Paper.  January 1978.

 

14.                          Binamira, Ramon P., The Ilaw ng Buhay: Learning through Experience.  (IIC Publication: 1982).

 

15.                          House of  Ilaw ng Buhay, (IIC Publication: 1983).

 

16.                          Pestelos, Nestor M., Study Tour of Comilla and Other Areas in Bangladesh, 14-29 March 1981.