Local Youth Leaders to Champion Open Government in their Communities

Manila, Philippines – Local youth leaders from seven (7) local government units graduated as Open Government Youth Champions through POGCHAMPS: Project Open Government (Youth) Champions' three-month training program.

LYDO and LYDC from 7 LGUs ( Province of Albay, Province of Northern Samar, City of Manila, Quezon City, Municipality of Balete, Aklan, Municipality of San Mateo, Rizal, and Municipality of Odiongan, Romblon) with DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, DLSU President Br. Bernard Oca FSC, and Galing Pook Foundation Board of Trustees Member Ms. Ma. Gladys Sta. Rita

The training program concluded with a culminating activity last May 10, 2023, at De La Salle University, Malate, Manila. The event showcased Local Government Unit’s (LGUs) Open Government Youth Action Plans and their learning journey throughout the training program.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman stressed that the public’s trust and confidence in the government could be earned through strengthened citizen participation. She also urged the youth leaders to be a beacon of transparency and public participation.

"Remember that as we become more transparent, accountable, and participatory, we gain and regain the trust of our citizens. That is why we need to be open and encourage citizen participation so that together we can take action and catalyze change for the better," Secretary Pangandaman said.

DBM Secretary Pangandaman extends her congratulations to the participants in her welcome message.

On the same occasion, National Youth Commission (NYC) Commissioner Reena Vivienne Pineda congratulated the participants for completing the program. She also extended NYC’s support to the youth leader for their future youth development programs and projects.

"Now I am confident that you will continue to make a positive impact on your communities and that you will be able to use what you have learned to create a better future for all Filipinos," Commissioner Pineda added.

NYC Commissioner Reena Vivienne Pineda lauds the participants in her closing message.
Photo from: National Youth Commission Facebook Page

Building Bridges of Support for Mental Health Advocacy

Representatives from the LGUs of the Province of Albay, Province of Northern Samar, City of Manila, Quezon City, Municipality of Balete, Aklan, Municipality of San Mateo, Rizal, and Municipality of Odiongan, Romblon, presented their Open Government Youth Action Plans and shared their stories throughout the training program.

In their video, the Municipality of Balete, Aklan, laid out their action plan for addressing cases of teenage pregnancy and mental health problems in their locality by establishing the Balete Adolescent and Youth Facility, which aims to provide consultation and counseling services for the youth.

Echoing the same cause, the LYDO of San Mateo, Rizal, also hoped to address mental health issues in their province by implementing a long-term program such as peer mental health respondent.

The LGU also mentioned conducting focused group discussions, collaborating with different stakeholders, and publicizing the initiative’s progress as steps for transparency and engagement.

Meanwhile, the LGU of Quezon City (QC) showed its means of addressing gadget addiction among the youth in their locality by applying the values they learned from the program.

"Ini-encourage po namin sila na gamitin ang pribilehiyo ng isang kabataang QC sa pamamagitan ng pagtangkilik ng mga serbisyo, produkto, at mga lugar na makikita sa QC."( We encourage them to utilize the privilege of being a youth in Quezon City through its good services, products, and places found in the city.) LYDO Reynafelle Cenera said.

Pushing Towards Youth Economic Empowerment

Albay Local Youth Development Officer (LYDO) Rhondon Ricafort emphasized their priority to expand school youth's economic empowerment through youth employment projects.

"We wanted to focus on our youth's employment, especially sa out of school youth. That is why ito yung inuna naming ipakita, and we make it sure na… the office has the funds to support especially dun sa basic na gagamitin ng aming out-of-school youth." (We wanted to focus on our youth's employment, especially for out-of-school youth. That is why we presented it first, and we made sure that the office has the funds to support it, especially for the basic needs of our out-of-school youth.) he said.

The Municipality of Odiongan, Romblon presented their action plan to primarily deal with the increase in school dropout cases in their locality. Among the initiatives are implementing educational assistance programs and community learning hubs for youth.

Odiongan, Romblon LYDO officer, Engr. Reden Escarilla, also mentioned collaborating with various agencies to conduct livelihood programs. "Sa pakikiisa ng pamahalaang bayan ng Odiongan, pangarap namin na maiangat ang antas ng kabataan at walang iwanan.” (Through the support of Municipal Government of Odiongan, it is our dream to uplift the level of youth and leave no one behind.) he said.

Applying Principles and Practices of Good Governance

Jhon Mel Rebenito, Balete, Aklan LYDO shared that identifying the root cause of the problem, consulting with community stakeholders, planning financial management, and advocating for transparency are the key takeaways to strengthening community participation and accountability.

"Through this program na-enlighten kami. Although we have a different set leadership training na pinagdaanan, additional na leadership style and naibigay ng De La Salle University (La Salle Institute of Governance)," Rebenito added. (Through this program, we were enlightened. Although we underwent a different set of leadership training, the De La Salle University (La Salle Institute of Governance) provided additional leadership styles.)

Meanwhile, the training program brought the Manila City Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) team closer to the various communities they reached out to, emphasizing the importance of openness to changes and differences for the betterment of the programs and projects.

Jaycee Del Rosario, member of the Manila City LYDC, shared budgeting process is crucial in obtaining accountability. He added that "discussions with my local development youth officer opened my consciousness to how tedious the budgeting process is on the LGU level. Civic education, driven mechanisms, and funding accountability are some of the options the youth can do in attaining accountability through public service."

Northern Samar LYDO Representative Jhon Allen Berbon, compared their training experience to the journey of the disciples to Emmaus. "We have been journeying with these OGP values even before La Salle Institute of Governance has mentored us... However, just like the disciples, we have been completely opening our eyes that...there is so much more work to do."

It is also highlighted in their presentation that accountability, public oversight, and consistent practice of democracy are the key elements of open government.

San Mateo, Rizal LYDC Representative Elijah Ermita pointed out that public trust is public office. "Wala ang opisina ng gobyerno at wala mismo ang gobyerno kung wala ang tiwala ng taumbayan satin.” (The government office and the government itself would not exist without the trust of the people in us.)

He also underscored accountability, transparency, and citizen participation as important elements of gaining public trust.

Organized by the La Salle Institute of Governance, in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute, the Galing Pook Foundation, and the National Youth Commission, the POGCHAMPS: Project Open Government (Youth) Champions training program served as a platform to empower young leaders and equip them with the necessary skills to foster open government practices and youth development in their respective localities.

The culminating activity was supported by the Philippine Open Government Partnership as part of the celebration of Open Government Week 2023.

Participants with LSIG Director Dr. Ador Torneo, and Galing Pook Foundation Board of Trustees Member Ms. Ma. Gladys Sta. Rita

Comm and Media Advocates Shape Their Advocacy Comm Skills Through LSIG’s 2-Day Training

Manila, Philippines -- Various government agencies and civil society groups see effective advocacy communication as a step towards increasing participation in political reforms and strengthening democracy.

Held on March 25–26, 2023, at the Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle, Malate, Manila, Making Your Messages Matter: Training on Effective Advocacy Communication in the New Media Landscape aimed to amplify the advocacy communication skills of the 25 participants.

Organized by the La Salle Institute of Governance (LSIG) in partnership with PARTICIPATE, the event featured prominent speakers who shared their expertise and insights on various topics. 

Developing Advocacy Messages and Good Visual Storytelling

DLSU Communication Lecturer Carlo Figueroa gave a talk on media advocacy and truth-telling. He emphasized that the media helps organizations create a reliable and consistent stream of publicity for their issues and other activities, which can lead to more responsive public policies.

"You’re writing as the voice of the organization," he added, highlighting the importance of writing as the voice of the organization.

Figueroa also stressed the importance of having good writing skills to effectively convey advocacy messages to the media and journalists.

"Think like a journalist, including the traditional 5 Ws and 1 H. Practice, and follow the acceptable style and standard that professional news outlets do," he said. 

ABS-CBN News Chief Reporter Jeff Canoy shared tips and reminders on developing effective advocacy messages from a journalist's perspective. He highlighted a good visual story, timeliness, visuals, providing opportunities, scheduling, and accessibility as key elements to incorporate in writing advocacy messages.

Canoy also pointed out the value of putting context when writing a good story. "The difference is we put context on everything because things don’t happen just because they happen. There’s always a reason behind it, and it’s for the journalist to figure out what that reason is."

In developing compelling visual storytelling, Canoy emphasized the show, don’t tell rule. "It’s more effective if you put images side-by-side rather than just me telling you in one paragraph or one text. The composition is always important; essentially it’s like a song…you don't think about those (technical) things."

Jimmy Domingo, Chairperson of the Photojournalists Center of the Philippines, also talked about applying visual communication to shaping advocacy messages from a photojournalist’s perspective.

"Framing, composition, design, and perspective. Visuals are constructs... It implies that a picture shows a thousand words. With the aid of captions, the message of the photo can be explained easily." He added, mentioning the visual composition and caption as vital elements in photography.

Maximizing Social Media for Advocacy and Fact-Checking

In the discussion about the disinformation landscape and the basics of fact-checking, DLSU Communication lecturer Jake Soriano pointed out the proliferation of information disorder in social media.

"Social media is a big part of our lives. And with that, is a problem of mis and disinformation because social media sort of amplifies these problems."

He also explained the consequences of online disinformation. " They harm our health, they shape our politics, and they have impacts on democracy in the Philippines."

Figueroa also added during the discussion the need to look at the platform’s accountability with online disinformation.

"We should not depend fully on fact-checking. So, we should look at platform accountability as well. Everything is hyper-advertising, and they’re not very forthright in how they tell us, in how they bump algorithms, and in how they use platform accountability," he said.

On maximizing social media platforms for communicating advocacy, Multimedia production start-up Lyf Solutions President Voltaire Tupaz stressed the need to utilize the presence of the latest technologies to share advocacies.

Tupaz mentioned the changes in the framework of advocacy campaigns and the roles of advocates with the rise of social media. "Advocates today are becoming storytellers and digital citizens. You have to adjust your content plan depending on people’s internet use, " he said.

           In terms of strengthening the NGO’s social media presence, he emphasized the importance of social media auditing. "Through it (auditing), we can measure the effectivity (of the campaign), we can also monitor the social media insights and engagement, and new opportunities to grow and engage your audience."

In the end, Tupaz encouraged the participants to share and discuss their opinions and find like-minded communities and reminded them to think as content creators in leveraging their advocacies.

Participants gained valuable insights and skills to help them communicate their advocacy messages more effectively in the new media landscape.

Experts Equip Advocates to Push for Political and Electoral Reforms

"We can make a difference; we have stopped a lot of discriminatory, unjust, and failed legislation because of our voice."

Manila — Policy analyst, women’s rights advocate, and lead facilitator Dr. Socorro L. Reyes emphasized in her discussion the framework for lobbying (advocacy) and power mapping during a 2-day capacity development training entitled Strategic Advocacy for Political and Electoral Reforms, held last February 8–9, 2023.

This capacity development training is intended to gather representatives from various political stakeholders, youth organizations, women's and LGBTQIA+ groups, civil society and non-government organizations, and the media and increase their capacity in lobbying for political and other electoral governance reforms.

La Salle Institute of Governance (LSIG) Director, Dr. Ador R. Torneo, acknowledged and thanked the resource speakers and participants from various civil society groups in his welcoming remarks. He also stressed that the training is meant to help us (advocates) review practices and basic concepts and implement policy agendas more effectively.

During the program overview, various participants mentioned specific topics, such as approaches and strategies in political and electoral reforms and knowledge in political communications, that they expected to learn from.

Through the Advocacy Process
In Session 1, Dr. Reyes tackled the framework for lobbying (advocacy) and power mapping: player, process, products, and impacts. A workshop was conducted where participants presented their quick assessment of the sources of their target advocacy, including influence and power.

Dr. Jean Encinas-Franco, an associate professor at the Department of Political Science at UP Diliman, discussed the advocacy process of understanding the dynamics of the policy process. She highlighted that civil society groups must be involved in every policy and legislative process.

The discussion continued with RAPPLER Head of Regions, Ms. Inday Espina-Varona, in which she presented the advocacy process of political communication and negotiation. Ms. Varona highlighted that there must be short-, intermediate-, and long-term goals in the advocacy process.

"Our most important public is our partners. The first step to empowerment is giving space to people’s voices—their voice, not ours." She added.

In her discussion about the advocacy process of networking and coalition building, GABRIELA Vice Chairperson Ms. Joms Salvador said that "advocating for political reforms is not easy. It involves challenging and structurally upturning norms, social biases, and economic interests.”

She concluded that networks and coalition building are essential parts of advocacy and that movements create and sustain change.

The Products and Their Impacts

Day 2 began with the recapitulation of the Day 1 discussion. Mr. Lito Averia, NAMFREL National Chairperson, discussed the laws and policies accessible electoral process and improving electoral rules, including voter registration, accessible voting, especially for marginalized groups, campaign finance, substitutions, fair and reflective of democratic values, party subsidies for women candidates, and automated and hybrid voting mechanisms.

Ateneo de Manila University instructor Mr. Arjan Aguirre tackled political party development laws and policies, focusing on party development's practical and strategic elements. While Mr. Jess Paul Pasibe, PARTICIPATE Election Oversight and Reform Specialist, presented the laws and policies for electoral system reform,

At the end of the discussion, participants developed and presented a result-oriented action plan for their respective reform agendas. The training ended with a closing remark from PARTICIPATE Information Specialist, Mr. Christian Esguerra.

There were an estimated total of 16 participants from the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS), Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), Coalition for Bicol Development-Naga City People’s Council (CBD-NCPC), Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PHILDHRRA), Alternative Planning Initiatives (PHILSSA-ALTERPLAN), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Samahan ng Kabataang Boluntaryo ng Pilipinas (SKBP), Hirayang Kabataan, Now You Know, and iDEFEND, who attended and participated in the training.

This event was organized by the La Salle Institute of Governance in partnership with PARTICIPATE.