Aspects of Development NGO Governance in the Philippines
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Ateneo de Manila University Archīum Ateneo Economics Department Faculty Publications Economics Department 2002 Doing Good and Being Good: Aspects of Development NGO Governance in the Philippines Fernando T. Aldaba Follow this and additional works at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/economics-faculty-pubs Part of the Growth and Development Commons JULY- DECEMBER 2 00 2 VOL VI NO 2 Doing Good and Being Good: Aspects of Development NGO Governance in the Philippines FERNANDO T ALDABA Giving and Volunteering among Filipinos RAMON L FERNAN Ill Struggling for Sustainability ISAGANI R SERRANO Non-Governmental Organizations and Advocacy: Lessons and Prescriptions for Policy Change EDNA E A CO Afterword: NGOs Face Bigger Challenges FILOMENO S STA ANA Ill Book Reviews Greg S. Castilla: In His Own Words. The Educational Thoughts of Carlos Bulosan PAZ VERDADES M SANTOS SUSAN EVANGELISTA P-JJBLIC 1--'0LICY .................................................................. EDITORIAL BOARD Francisco Nemenzo Jr, Chairman; Emil Q Javier; Jose V Abueva; Edgardo J Angara; Emmanuel V Soriano, Onofre D Corpuz; Raul V Fabella; Maria Carmen C Jimenez; Jose Y Dalisay Jr Issue Editor: FILOMENO S STA ANA III Managing Editor: MARIA CARMEN C JIMENEZ Research Assistant: SELENA J SALANG Design: ARIEL G MANUEL Public Policy (ISSN 0118-8526) is published semi-annually by the University of the Philippines. Subscription Rates (inclusive of postage): P700 (local), US$25 (Foreign Individual), US$30 (Foreign Institution). Editorial, Business & Subscription Offices UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies UP Bahay ng Alumni Building 1101 Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines Telephone 435-9283 Telefax 929-3540 Email cidslib@ cids. org. ph Public Policy accepts submissions of manuscripts accordance with the comments and suggestions of examining contemporary social, cultural, economic referees. 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PUBLIC POLICY CONTENTS Editor's Note Essays Doing Good and Being Good: Aspects of Development NGO Governance in the Philippines Fernando T Aldaba 1 Giving and Volunteering Among Filipinos Ramon L Fernan III 27 Struggling for Sustainability Isagani R Serrano 47 Non-Governmental Organizations and Advocacy: Lessons and Prescriptions for Policy Change Edna EA Co 75 Afterword: NGOs Face Bigger Challenges Filomeno S Sta Ana III 93 BOOK REVIEWS Greg S Castilla In His Own Words. The Educational Thoughts of Carlos Bulosan Paz Verdades M Santos/Susan Evangelista 109 EDITOR'S NOTE Non-government organizations or NGOs are back in the limelight. They played a major role in EDSA II; they were instrumental in shaping public opinion and in mobilizing various forces which constituted the core of the protesters. The same is true for EDSA III, which some would rather call a reaction. The NGOs that supported Joseph Estrada created an upheaval that nearly toppled the newly formed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presidency. The pro-Estrada NGOs and ur ban poor organizations also produced the warm bodies of the masa in the failed Malacafiang attack. N GOs, regardless of their loyalty or their independence and regardless of their rivalry, have shown that they are a powerful force that can shake the Philippine political landscape. EDSA II and EDSA III-and for that matter, EDSA I, have demonstrated the role of NGOs in making or unmaking governments. On the other hand, controversies and scandals involving NGOs have emerged before and after EDSAll. The more embarrassing controversies have not only ex posed the bad NGOs but have tarnished the image of the whole NGO community and can possibly diminish the credibility and legitimacy of NGOs. It is against this background that interest in NGOs is growing. The University of the Philippines is one of a few academic institutions that have undertaken pio neering efforts in studying NGOs. In Diliman, the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, the National College of Public Administration and Governance, and the College of Social Work and Development have courses and/or programs on NGOs and the non-profit sector. There are similar programs in the other Univer sity of the Philippines campuses. Research centers-the Third World Studies Center and the Center for Inte grative and Development Studies, among others-have consistently promoted stud ies and discourses about the NGOs, the broader civil society and the movements for social change. Other prestigious educational institutions have also embarked on strengthen ing their programs relating to NGOs and the social movement. Ateneo de Manila University and other Jesuit institutions have built academic programs as well as research offices and support groups that cater to NGOs and people's organiza tions. De La Salle University has begun to undertake NGO advocacy through its Institute of Governance. The Asian Institute of Management and the University of Asia and the Pacific, aside from offering courses suited to the non-profit sector, are involved in policy advocacy in collaboration with other civil society groups. In the same vein, we see a steady growth in the literature about NGOs, civil society and their interaction with the state. We can expect more scholarly publica tions on this subject to come out soon. The Ateneo de Manila Press has led the way in publications. Soon to be off the press are books authored by Jose J. Magadi a on "state-society dynamics," in which NGOs and other civil society groups figure prominently, and by Dorothea Hilhorst, which focuses on NGO dynamics in the Cordillera region. It is high time Public Policy addressed the NGO phenomenon. This issue of Public Policy aims to contribute to the enrichment of the discourse on NGOs, civil society and development. The contributors-Fernando T. Aldaba, Edna E.A. Co, Ramon L. Fernan III and Isagani R. Serrano-are all scholars in their own right, as academics or as "public intellectuals." Equally important, they are NGO practitio ners, boasting of solid track records which span a generation of active involvement in social and political movements. What they write on the issue of NGOs thus carries a lot of weight. The contributions to this volume address what the authors consider to be the critical issues and challenges that face NGOs and the larger civil society. An afterword from the editor completes the collection of essays on NGOs. Hopefully, these es says will capture the interest, if not provoke the minds, of the readers of Public Policy, who for better or for worse, are affected by the increasing intervention of NGOs in public life. !WBLIC JULY- DECEMBER 2002 YOLICY VOLUME 6 NUMBER 2 Doing Good and Being Good: Aspects of Development NGO Governance in the Philippines1 FERNANDO T ALDABA Cood Covernance as a Key Development Issue Good governance is a strategic factor for sustainable human development. For the past two decades, mainstream economists have been pushing for market re forms like trade liberalization and privatization to foster greater competition and to enhance growth in many developing economies. While economic growth and de velopment have accelerated in certain areas of the global economy, i.e. East Asia, sustained human development remains an elusive dream for many countries in the third world. While market reforms are indeed important, there are other key prob lems confronting the developing nations- corruption, ineffective bureaucracy, rent seeking, patronage politics, authoritarianism, etc. All these issues redound to weak Aldaba and ineffective governance which continue to plague the said countries. Today, aside from market reforms, various sectors of society including multi-lateral and bilateral aid agencies call for governance and institutional reforms so that sustain- able human development can be achieved . .. governance In many ways, governance has always been a key has always development issue. Governance is broadly defined as been a key "an exercise of political, economic and administrative development authority to manage a nation's affairs"(UNDP 1997). Furthermore, governance transcends the state and in ISSUe cludes both the private sector and civil society. How- ever, most recent studies on governance focus on the public and corporate sectors, examining both institutions from the lens of trans parency, accountability, participation, efficiency, equity, sustainability, legitimacy and integrity- all important characteristics of good governance (World Bank 2000 and UNDP 1997). In the case of the Philippines, current literature on public sector governance has focused on topics that include decentralization, corruption, fiscal manage ment and civil society participation. There are also emerging