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CIVIL SOCIETY INDEX: a Philippine Assessment Report

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CIVIL SOCIETY INDEX: A Philippine Assessment Report Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) August 2011 MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT OF: Civil Society Index: A Philippine Assessment Report Copyright © 2011 CODE-NGO, CIVICUS, UNDP, and CHR Some rights reserved. The Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) encourage the use, translation, adaptation, and copying of this material for noncommercial use, with appropriate credit given to CODE-NGO, CIVICUS, UNDP, and CHR. ISBN: 978-971-93700-8-6 Printed and bound in Quezon City, Philippines. Published by Caucus of Development NGO Networks United Nations Development Programme (CODE-NGO) (UNDP) 69 Esteban Abada Street, Loyola Heights, 30th Floor Yuchengco Tower RCBC Plaza Quezon City, 1108 Philippines 6819 Ayala Avenue cor. Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Telephone / Fax No.: +632 9202595 Makati City, 1126 Philippines E-mail: [email protected] Telephone No. : +632 9010100 Website: www.code-ngo.org Fax No. : +632 0910200 Website: www.undp.org CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Commission on Human Rights of the Participation (CIVICUS) Philippines (CHR) Civicus House 24 Gwigwi Mrwebi SAAC Building, Commonwealth Avenue, Newtown 2001 Johannesburg, South Africa UP Complex, Diliman, Quezon City, PO Box 933 Southdale 2135 South Africa 1101 Philippines Telephone No.: +27 11 8335959 Telephone No. : +632 9280848 Fax No.: +27 11 8337997 Website: www.chr.gov.ph E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.civicus.org Research and Production Team Lead researcher and writer: Philip Arnold P. Tuaño Researcher: Sylvia Rachel Reyes-Sescon Consultants: Ma. Oliva Z. Domingo Sixto Donato C. Macasaet Project coordinator: Patrick O. Lim FOREWORD n 2009-2010, the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) undertook the Philippine Civil Society Index (CSI) project in order to better understand the nature and function of civil society in the Philippines. We were glad to have organised the project, as it helped to deepen our understanding of the nature of civil society in the Philippines and allowed us to collaborate with many individuals and organisations. When CODE-NGO applied to CIVICUS to be the national coordinating organisation to carry out the CSI project in the Philippines, we were very interested in understanding how Philippine civil society fares in relation to neighbouring countries in South East Asia and to other countries around the world. Even if Philippine civil society has often been characterised as one of the “most dynamic” in the region, it was deemed important to find out its strengths and weaknesses compared to other countries, and to determine priority areas that CODE-NGO and other civil society organisations (CSOs) should pay attention to in terms of their policy advocacy and programme development. The CSI project in the Philippines was also undertaken as part of a broader program on strengthening the human rights infrastructure in the Philippines which is being undertaken by the Commission on Human Rights in partnership with various CSOs, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme. This recognizes the crucial role of civil society in the promotion and protection of human rights. Citizens, as claim holders, are better able to demand and fight for their rights when they become organised through civil society organisations. It is hoped that the report will further enrich the understanding of civil society, not only among those who comprise the sector itself, but also among its partners - national and local governments, business, academia and others - in working towards the important goal of Philippine development and democratisation. Sixto Donato Macasaet Executive Director Caucus of Development NGO Networks Quezon City, 31 January 2011 Message he Commission on Human Rights (CHR) values its strong partnerships with civil society organizations (CSOs) in the pursuit of our common goal of promoting and protecting human rights. In support of these partnerships, the Commission helps mobilize, coordinate and contribute resources for human rights (HR) research and programs. It also strives to synchronizing HR programs implemented by the CHR, other government agencies and CSOs, seeking to enhance complementation, learning and mutual reinforcement between these programs. As the scope of human rights work broadens, so does the landscape for these partnerships. There is now a broader and deeper appreciation that human rights go beyond civil and political rights. Economic, social, and cultural rights also have to be recognized and protected. The neglect of these often lead to violations of civil and political rights. From such a vantage point, civil society organizations, even those that do not consider themselves human rights organizations, play an important role in the struggle to promote and better protect human rights. One of civil society’s valuable contributions towards this end has been its long standing advocacy and promotion of people empowerment, which includes organizing citizens through which they can better articulate their interests and demand for their rights. A stronger and more capable civil society sector will help strengthen the over- all human rights infrastructure of our nation. As such, the Commission on Human Rights has supported this assessment on the state of Philippine civil society, which will help the sector improve and become more effective in its work of people empowerment. This is vital since more empowered citizens will invariably contribute to the improvement of human rights conditions in our country. LORETTA ANN P. ROSALES Chairperson Commission on Human Rights Message ince the People Power revolution of 1986, Philippine civil society has burst into life. Countless civil society organizations (CSOs) and associations now operate Senergetically throughout the archipelago, striving to protect the values and rights of the people that they represent. It is in this respect that civil society is indispensable to democracy - it is the environment for citizens to articulate and advocate their interests, protect their rights, and hold government accountable for its actions. The Civil Society Index (CSI) is an important assessment tool that gauges the effectiveness and impact of civil society in terms of the extent of their resources, their impact in the communities, and their practice of corporate governance and ethical values. It is an important assessment tool that generates both the knowledge and the momentum needed to deepen democracy in the Philippines. Given the vibrance of civil society in Philippine political life, it is not surprising the assessment has given the Philippines a respectable CSI score, with high ratings in terms of CSO membership, interaction, and activity. It is especially encouraging to find that there is an extensive number of organized marginalized groups (women, indigenous peoples, and members of the rural population)– many of which were formed by the marginalized groups themselves. However, the assessment did reveal that the potential of CSOs is constrained by the lack of effective board governance and accountability which is crucial in ensuring that these organizations are well governed and managed. Indeed formal mechanisms that promote accountability and transparency within CSOs can be enhanced. The most notable is the Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC), which remains a viable mechanism for promoting CSO governance. Civil Society has been a powerful force in pushing for change in the Philippines. Networks of CSOs, church, business, and political institutions have shown that, when effective, they have the ability to bring down dictatorships and restore democracy to the people. More importantly, the capacity of civil society organizations is important as the means to not only drive reforms and democratic change but to sustain them as well. It is in this context that the CSI as an assessment tool become relevant. If used well, it could be a valuable tool in strengthening CSOs as a democratic vanguard, --- a key intermediary between citizens and the state that determines the access of citizens to political institutions. It is vital that we take heed of the recommendations made in this assessment to strengthen Philippine civil society, for it is both an essential ingredient of democracy, and a natural expression of human rights. RENAUD MEYER Country Director ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank our partner organisations and the many individuals who helped us finalise the project. They include: • CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS), for providing us with the research framework and methodologies to undertake the project. Particularly Tracy Anderson, whose advice on research during the implementation of the project has been invaluable, and Andrew Firmin, David Kode and Mark Nowottny for their assistance in finalising this report; • The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-Governance Portfolio, especially Dr. Emmanuel Buendia, the Commission on Human Rights and The Asia Foundation, and especially Dr. Steve Rood, for providing us with financial support that enabled us to undertake the project; • The Social Weather Stations, for undertaking the population survey for the project; • Patrick Lim, advocacy programme specialist of CODE-NGO, who served as manager of the project, Philip Tuaño and Rachel Sescon, who served as researchers,
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