Local chief executives share best practices in13th CBMS Philippines National Conference

www.pep-net.orgISSN 1908-6889Volume XIII, Number 4December 2015

The 13th CBMS PhilippinesNational Conference, with the generaltheme Enhancing Resilience ofCommunities Amidst EmergingDevelopment Challenges, was heldon March 1-3, 2017 at the CrownePlaza Manila Galleria and attended byat least a thousand delegatescomposed of key officia ls andrepresentatives from thegovernment, non-governmentorganizations, private organizationsand the academe.

This year's convention featuredpresentations and discussions on therole and uses of the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) inthe context of emerging policydevelopments and key issuesrelating to meeting the sustainabledevelopment goals (SDGs),strengthening public accountabilitythrough results-based monitoring,and fostering resilience throughadaptive governance.

Leading the roster of distinguishedconference guest speakers is the VicePresident of the Philippines LeniRobredo who spoke about TheScience and Numbers BehindEmpowerment , highlighting theimportance of baseline data incrafting transformative policy andprogram responses to the nation'swar on poverty.

The policy discussion during thesecond day of the conference began

Tanzania Project TeamHolds Stakeholder'sMeetings in BukobaMunicipality andNshamba Ward 5

CB MS T ogo Te amO rg an i ze s T r a in in gW o r k s h o p 6

CBMS Team in KenyaCo nduc ts Nat ionalDi sseminat io n Wo rk shop

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www.pep-net.orgISSN 1908-6889Volume XV, Number 1March 2017

with the presentation ofUndersecretary Janet Abuel of theDepartment of Budget andManagement (DBM)-LocalGovernment and RegionalOperations Group on the nationalgovernment's initiative onImproving Public FinancialManagement through Results-BasedMonitoring and Evaluation whereinthe role and significance of localgovernment unit (LGU) developmentindicators were highlighted instrengthening public financialmanagement systems at the locallevel, improving local governance,and in turn providing better deliveryof public services.

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2017 Annual PEPConference to be heldin Nairobi, Kenya

Inside

Vice President Leni Robredo stresses the importance of evidence-basedpolicy planning to help the vulnerable sectors of the society atthe 13th CBMS National Conference.

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INFORMAL ECONOMY INTOG O.

On the other hand, Director Anna LizaBonagua of the Department of theInterior and Local Government(DILG)-Bureau of Local GovernmentDevelopment started the policydiscussion on the third day of theconference with the DILGpresentation on Building AdaptiveCapacities and Community-BasedResilience. Aside from presentingsome of the good practices at thelocal level in terms of buildingcommunity resilience, DirectorBonagua a lso highlighted thealignment of the adoption of CBMS inthe country with the process ofpreparation of the LGUcomprehensive development plans(CDP), disaster risk reductionmanagement (DRRM) plans, LocalClimate Change Adaptation Plan(LCCAP), and legislative agenda andlocalizing the sustainabledevelopment goals (SDGs).

This year's CBMS conference themedraws from the concerns on the risksand impacts of depleting resources,demographic transition, economicfluctuations, political uncertainties,

armed conflict, and more frequentoccurrences and growing scale ofnatural disasters on short- term andlong-term development goals andoutcomes which continue to be on topof policy debates and agenda ofgovernments across the world.

Since its conception in 1993 andadoption by several LGUs in thecountry starting in 2000, the CBMShas complemented variousdevelopment initiatives in thecountry by generating the necessarydisaggregated data formultidimensional poverty analysis,preparation of local developmentplans and budgets, program designand focused targeting, and impactmonitoring of events/phenomenasuch as the global financial crisis,MDG localization, typhoon Yolanda(Haiyan), among others, whileempowering communities topartic ipate in the developmentprocess.

The conference was organized by theCBMS Network Office of the De LaSalle University-Angelo King Institutefor Economic and Business Studies(DLSU-AKI) in collaboration with theDepartment of the Interior and LocalGovernment (DILG), the NationalEconomic and DevelopmentAuthority (NEDA), the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP),the United Nations Children's Fund

(UNICEF), and the League of Cities ofthe Philippines (LCP).

CBMS Implementation and Uses inthe Philippines

On the first day of the conference, asession on fostering evidence-basedprograms to protect the children'srights was chaired by Dr. AugustoRodriguez of UNICEF Philippines.Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagma-Luisto ofTabaco City, Albay presented howthe community-level data gatheredthrough CBMS were used to decideon the interventions to answer theirproblems in education. Among theinterventions made after their CBMSimplementation were the LibrengGamit sa Eskwela and Love onWheels program. Similarly, MayorMaria Angela Garcia of Dinalupihan,Bataan used the CBMS data asbaseline in implementing projects,including the expanded EarlyChildhood Care and DevelopmentProgram, Palay Check Junior insecondary public schools, andtobacco-free generation program.Meanwhile, Mayor Joseli toGuyguyon of Kiangan, I fugaoaffirmed that he has been using theCBMS to develop projects aimed toprotect maternal health as well asthe health and nutrition of children.He cited the crafting of severalsocial protection programs such asthe safe motherhood program and

Usec. Janet Abuel of the DBMemphasizes the role and significanceof local government unit developmentindicators in strengthening publicfinancial management systems at thelocal level.

About a hundred local chief executives attended the 13th CBMS PhilippinesNational Conference on March 1-3, 2017.

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supplemental feeding program basedon the results of the CBMS.

Meanwhile, a discussion dealt onmaximizing CBMS data to provideinterventions to the vulnerablesector of the society in CagayanValley. Mayor Nieve Rose B. Camma-Meneses of Nagtipunan, Quirino ledthe discussion, together with CPDCOliver B. Francisco of Cauayan City,Isabela and MPDC Engineer Jesus P.Gragasin of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya.The discussion emphasized the usesof the CBMS results in identifyingvulnerable households and howCBMS helps the local government toprioritize response actions duringdisasters. He also added that CBMSprovides mapping of the vulnerablehouseholds which helps the localoffic ials to easily locate thesehouseholds during rescueoperations. The presenters likewisedescribed how CBMS can effectivelyaddress poverty in its response toattain the Millennium DevelopentGoals (MDGs), now the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), throughthe collection of reliable community-based information.

The first day of the conference endedwith the session on responsivegovernance through CBMS. MayorMariano R. Martinez of San Remigio,

Cebu and CPDC Perla Amar of Lapu-Lapu City presented how CBMS hadhelped their localities to have moreresponsive governance through theimplementation of projects andprograms targeted to the rightbeneficiaries. Mayor Martinezmentioned that with CBMS, "you areempowering your communityaltogether as people from the groundare part of the development of plansto address the problems of thecommunity". Further, PlanningOfficer Peter Ross Retutal of theProvince of Bohol discussed how thecommunities in their province makeuse of the CBMS data in targetingbeneficiaries of programs.

Opening the LGU session on thesecond day of the conference wasUNDP Regional Programme Advisoron Local Governance andDecentralization, Mr. Patrick Duong.Assistant CPDC Joseph Raymund A.Sumabal of Panabo City thenpresented the city's currentcollaboration with the CBMS NetworkOffice and UNDP on the localizationof SDGs. He showed how the datafrom CBMS can monitor the SDGs.Meanwhile, UNDP-PhilippinesProgram Coordinator, Mr. JaimeAntonio, Jr. , presented how theUNDP's Family-Based Actions forChildren and their Environs in the

Slums (FACES) contributes tolocalization of the SDGs. Ms. MelanyQuiton of the Bureau of LocalGovernment Supervision of the DILGalso provided a clearer overview ofthe Seal of Good Local Governance(SGLG) given to LGUs which wasintroduced in 2014 and which tracksthe performance of the LGUs. Shenoted how the SGLG complementseight goals of the UNDP's SDGs.

Meanwhile, local chief executivesand representatives of EasternVisayas shared the good practices onpoverty reduction and developmentplanning strategies using the CBMSAccelerated Poverty Profiling (APP).Ms. Janice Claire Canta of TaclobanCity and Mayor Allan Contado ofBalangkayan, Eastern Samar sharedsimilar insights on how CBMSplayed a vital role in disasterpreparedness and relief and rescueoperations during typhoon Yolanda.In the case of Biliran, Biliran, MayorGrace Casil inspired the delegates ofthe conference with her narrative onhow effective the CBMS CARES hasbeen for the small municipality ofBiliran. CBMS CARES means "CBMSas catalyst to an adaptable, resilient/responsive, empowered andsustainable Biliran" and it aims toimprove the situation of the peoplethrough good and responsivegovernance with the use of the CBMSdata.

On the third day, the opening sessionfocused on using CBMS as a tool forpoverty reduction, planning anddisaster risk reduction management.MPDC Jay Keenson Acebuche ofPagsanjan, Laguna recognized theimportance of CBMS as a tool fortargeting beneficiaries, engaging thecommunity, and linking with thepeople for greater communityinvolvement. In addition, CPDCJemie Cubillo of General Trias,Cavite and MPDC MildredPurificacion of Carmona, Cavite

More than a thousand delegates composed of local chief executives and staff oflocal government units, and officials and representatives of government agencies,non-government organizations, private corporations and academic institutionsattend the 13th CBMS National Conference on March 1-3, 2017 at Crowne PlazaManila in Quezon City, Philippines.

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emphasized the key role of CBMS inmapping households who arepotential benefic iaries ofgovernment programs as well asthose households in disaster-proneareas.

At the end of the three-day event,CBMS Team Leader, Dr. Celia Reyes,shared the latest developments andnext steps on the use of the CBMSmethodology. She mentioned thecontinuous development of theCBMS Accelerated Poverty Profiling(APP) and also emphasized howCBMS can generate baseline andpanel data requirements forlocalizing the SDGs, for localplanning and budgeting, forvulnerability risk mapping, and forimpact monitoring.

Launching of the Many Faces ofPoverty Volume 8

One of the highlights of this year'sconference was the launching of theCBMS publication, The Many Faces ofPoverty Volume 8 . The localgovernment units featured in thisvolume are the provinces of Albayand Marinduque, and the cities ofBalanga, Candon, Marikina,Parañaque, and Valenzuela. The LGUswere recognized for theircommitment and initiatives towardpoverty reduction.

The CBMS poverty maps will identifywho and where the poor are as theyprovide a comprehensive picture ofthe different faces of poverty indifferent parts of the country. Theywill also aid in identifying the mostpressing needs of the community,

2017 Annual PEP Conference to be heldin Nairobi, Kenya

DEVELOPMENT researchers willgather in Nairobi, Kenya from June 8 to14 for the 2017 Annual Partnership forEconomic Policy (PEP) Conference.This year's conference is expected todiscuss some recent developments onpoverty analysis and policy issues aswell as new project proposals fromvarious initiatives. The annualconference is supported by the UnitedKingdom Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) and theInternational Development ResearchCentre (IDRC) of Canada.

Based on the global PEP initiative forPolicy Analysis on Growth andEmployment (PAGE) in developing

countries, this meeting will serve as anopportunity for research teams todiscuss their new project proposals andstudy findings with peers and expertsaround the globe. These proposals andfindings from different countries willbe presented during a series of parallelsessions and will cover topics on somepolicy issues related to growth andemployment. The presentations will begrouped according to the researchmethods applied in each project. Theresearch groups are divided as follows:Community-Based Monitoring System(CBMS), Modelling and Policy ImpactAnalysis (MPIA), MicroeconomicPolicy (PMMA), and Policy ImpactEvaluation Research Initiative (PIERI).

In addition to the peer-review andmentoring experience fromdistinguished experts, a trainingworkshop will be conducted to sharebest practices for effective policycommunication. It will be followed byindividual meetings between PAGEgrantees and PEP resource persons.

Meanwhile, the PEP Policy Forum isscheduled on June 14 where lessonsabout policy engagements will bediscussed. At the end of the forum, thewinners of the 2017 PEP Best PracticeAwards will be announced.

assist in prioritizing interventions toaddress these needs, and facilitatethe targeting of programs for thosewho need the assistance most.

Winners of the 6th CBMS SpecialAwards

The municipality of Pagsanjan inLaguna won the first place in the BestPhoto category while themunicipality of San Mariano inIsabela bagged the second place, andthe city of Ligao in Albay got the thirdplace. For the CBMS Best AdvocacyVideo category, Angadanan, Isabelatook the top spot followed by SanMariano, Isabela at second place andby Kiangan, Ifugao on the third spot.The winning entries can be viewedonline at https://www.pep-net.org/13th-cbms-philippines-national-conference

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IMPACT ASSESSMENT. Dr. AnicetoOrbeta, Jr. shares the findings from the

Tanzania Project Team Holds Stakeholders’Meetings in Bukoba Municipality andNshamba Ward

THE TANZANIA Project Teamshared the findings of the community-based monitoring system (CBMS)implementation in BukobaMunicipality and Muleba District andthe results of their study on youthemployment and vulnerability in twostakeholder's meetings on March 7and 9, 2017. A total of 72 participantsattended the dissemination meetings,including people from thegovernment such as the executive andadministrative officers, villagechairpersons and councilors, andhealth officers; and members of theacademe.

The team introduced CBMS to theparticipants and mentioned how thedata gathered will be useful togovernment planners in policyformulation and design. Theimplementation of CBMS is supposedto create a baseline that will enablepolicymakers to develop appropriateinterventions and target the rightbeneficiaries of certain programs. Thestudy findings on youthunemployment and vulnerabilitywere also presented in the workshopin as much as this was considered adevelopment issue in the community.

Grace Benedict of the CBMS Tanzaniateam discussed the results of theCBMS implementation, particularlythe findings on the socioeconomiccharacteristics of the households andtheir members, education, health andnutrition, housing, water andsanitation, and communityparticipation in developmentactivities. Meanwhile, Dr. DomitillaBashemera presented the findings ofthe study on youth employment and

vulnerability wherein she mentionedthat the study focused on the followingindicators: number of employed andunemployed youth, sectors where theyouth are currently employed and arelikely to be employed, ownership ofmobile phones, access to informationabout employment opportunities, andthe challenges in finding training onentrepreneurship. The vulnerability toshocks of the unemployed youth wasalso pointed out.

After the presentation of the studyfindings, the participants held a focusedgroup discussion wherein they wereasked to come up with proposals of ayouth employment plan which aims toincrease opportunities available to theyouth. The discussion focused on theavailable opportunities, challenges,interventions and possible solution(s)

to help the youth in their communityto have better prospects. In addition,the discussions also tackled theimplementation, project requirementsand costs of the said proposals.

A study tour was then proposedwherein four youth members and arepresentative from the district youthdevelopment office will go to Dodomato study the development plansfocused on the youth. The members ofthis tour are expected to share theirfindings to the Tanzania YouthInvestment Club, particularly on thesources of capital land ownership,group formation, and how the youthare able to grow and developopportunities for themselves.

Grace Benedict, a member of the CBMS Tanzania Project Team, sharespoverty-related findings at the workshop in Nshamba Ward.

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CBMS Togo Team Organizes TrainingWorkshop on Local Developement PlanningA TRAINING workshop wasorganized by the CBMS Togo ProjectTeam on February 16-17, 2017 at theConference Room of Melissa Hotel inTsevie. The workshop had a total of 24participants, including the members ofthe project team. The meeting was heldas a capacity building exercise to trainthe participants in the preparation oflocal development plans using theCBMS data.

Prior to the workshop, the participantswere given modules in crafting localdevelopment projects. Dr. Esso-HanamAtake, coordinator of the CBMS Togoproject, provided an overview aboutthe project. Then, he presented the useof the CBMS data as a baseline indeveloping local plans andinterventions appropriate to the needsof the community. He also elaboratedon what a local development plan isand outlined its importance. He furtherexplained the different stages of projectidentification and stressed theimportance of involving the localauthorities in the success of a project.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yaovi Tossou, amember of the CBMS Togo ProjectTeam, focused his discussion on thesustainability of a project. He talkedabout the management of the projectand the tools needed to assess itssustainability. On the other hand, Mr.Yevesse Dandonougbo, also a memberof the project team, talked about theproper identification and budgeting ofresources for the project.

The participants raised some concernsrelated to the involvement of non-elected officials in the implementationof projects. Others also mentioned thepossible contributions of thebeneficiaries and national governmentexecutives in the implementation of adevelopment project. In addition, theparticipants were also concerned aboutthe long-term management of theprojects that will be implemented andthe cost it entails.

The CBMS Togo Project Team was ableto address the concerns of theparticipants, especially on the

budgeting of resources. ProfessorAkoete Ega Agbodji emphasized theimportance of a budget in the selectionof development projects. He cited theimportance of showing the marketprices in the deliberation andexpansion of the project/s.

Aside from these discussions, thetraining workshop also presentedpossible project plans, particularly onbuilding a health hut in Gblainvie andsetting up a public latrine in Dalave.These projects were identified as aresponse to the needs of thesecommunities which were derived fromthe CBMS data. The discussions wereled by Mr. Abdul-Fahd Fofana.

After the successful workshop, it wasrecommended that the training shouldbe done nationwide to introduce theimportance of a local developmentplan which is based on the CBMS data.The future workshops should alsofocus on financial analysis andcommunity project management.

Dr. Esso-HanamAtake, project leaderof the CBMS TogoTeam, shares theimportance ofcreating baselineinformation fromCBMS data in thedevelopment of localproject plans.

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News Updates

CBMS Team in Kenya Conducts NationalDissemination WorkshopON FEBRUARY 22, 2017, theCommunity-Based MonitoringSystem (CBMS) Project Team inKenya led by Dr. Diana Kimaniconducted a national disseminationworkshop at the Nairobi Safari Club,Lillian Towers in Murang'a County.The said workshop discussed theCBMS design and methodology,results from the data gathered in thecommunity and the findings of thestudy on youth employment andentrepreneurship. The participants ofthe said workshop included theplanning department of Murang'aCounty, Ministry of Youth andGender, members of the Muthithicommunity, CBMS enumerators, andrepresentatives from non-government organizations (NGOs),academic institutions, researchorganizations, and other countries.

Dr. Patrick Kariuki, a member of theproject team, discussed the need forbaseline data to assess the situationof the communities in Kenya, the keyfeatures of the CBMS and i tsimportance as a tool in policy design.The team received positive responsefrom the participants of theworkshop who pointed out thesignificance of using the CBMS datato develop plans at the national andcounty levels. Some stressed thatmost of the surveys in Kenya arebeing carried out after a period of 10years or more, thereby making thedata used in the planning formulationoutdated. The participants alsomentioned the importance of CBMSin identifying and locating thespecific households as possibleprogram beneficiaries of theinterventions from the nationalgovernment and non-governmentorganizations.

CBMS Kenya Team Leader, Dr. DianaKimani, presented the poverty profileof 11,010 members of MuthithiLocation in Murang'a County. Shereported that based on the results, 61percent of the households in theMuthithi community have no accessto safe drinking water while 46percent have no improved sanitarytoilet facilities. In addition, theresults showed that 37.9 percent ofthe members have income below thenational poverty line for rural areas.Furthermore, about 37 percent ofchildren 14 to 17 years old are notattending secondary school.

Dr. Kimani mentioned that thesefindings need to be addressed inorder to improve the situation in thecommunity. In addition, she cited theneed to bridge the gender discrepancyin terms of completion of tertiaryeducation wherein more males havegraduated than females. Meanwhile,

the participants of the workshop areconcerned about the results whereinmore males are unemployed andvictims of crime compared tofemales. Moreover, a greater numberof boys are not attending primary andsecondary schools than girls. Someassociated these findings to thegender policy of the governmentwhich is perceived to favor girls morethan boys.

The results of the study on youthunemployment and entrepreneurshipwere presented by Dr. Phyllis Machio.In the analysis of the determinants ofyouth unemployment andentrepreneurship in MuthithiLocation, it was observed thateducation is not a significantdeterminant. On the other hand,membership in youth groups andmarital status were found to besignificant. The results showed that12.9 percent of the youth are

The participants of the dissemination workshop note the importanceof the CBMS data in identifying and locating potential recipients ofgovernment programs.

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The CBMS Network Updates is thequarterly newsletter of the PEP-CBMS Network. This work wascarried out by the Angelo KingInstitute for Economic andBusiness Studies with financialsupport from the InternationalDevelopment Research Centre(IDRC) and the United KingdomDepartment for InternationalDevelopment (UK DFID).

The Updates may be downloadedfree from the Project's website:

http://www.pep-net.org.

For inquiries , please write or call:PEP-CBMS Network OfficeAngelo King Institute for

Economic and Business StudiesDe La Salle University-Manila

10th Flr. Angelo KingInternational Center

Estrada cor. Arellano Sts.,Malate,

Manila 1004, PhilippinesTel No: (632) 2305100 loc. 2461DL/Telefax No: (632) 526-2067

E-mail: cbms.network@gmail.comcelia.reyes@benilde.edu.ph

Celia M. ReyesEditor-in-Chief

Rachelle Gladys M. AudarEva Salve T. Bacud

Steffie Joi I. CalubayanAnne Bernadette E. Mandap

Jasminda A. QuilitisResearchers/Writers

Editorial Staff

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CBMS NETWORK UPDATESPEP-CBMS Network OfficeAngelo King Institute for Economic & Business StudiesDe La Salle University-Manila10th Flr. Angelo King International CenterEstrada cor. Arellano Sts., Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines

unemployed in Muthithi while only6.4 percent are employed in theformal sector. It was also found thatfemales have a higher poverty ratethan males.

Further, the proportion of malesengaged in entrepreneurship at 12.9percent is higher than females at 11.7percent. The study revealed thataccess to finance was the biggestbarrier to entrepreneurship at 88.9percent. The utilization rate of thefunds of government programs suchas the Uwezo Fund, WomenEnterprise Fund and Youth EnterpriseFund as well as the opportunitiesavailed from the Access toGovernment ProcurementOpportunities (AGPO) are very low.Some of the youth participantsmentioned that it was their first timeto have heard of AGPO at theworkshop. Others said that they areaware of the Uwezo Fund and theYouth Enterprise Fund but werediscouraged to avail of the benefitsbecause of the many requirements andbureaucratic procedure involved. Theparticipants pointed out that thegovernment should facilitateaffordable finance by reducing barriersto access to credit.

Policy UptakesAs mentioned, the findings from thedata gathered through CBMS areessential in crafting policies that canimprove the situation of communitiesin Kenya. The Director of Planning inMurang'a County, Elijah Kinaro, theDirector of Youth and Gender Affairs,Henry Mwangi, and County PlanningOfficer, Stephen Mwangi explainedhow the government intends to usethese findings in development planningand policy formulation. They reportedthat the county government is in theprocess of putting in place a watermaster plan that will guide theimplementation of water projectswithin the Murang'a County. Throughthe Department of Public Health, thecounty government aims to inform thecommunity members on theimportance of improved sanitation. Aprogram to enhance the training intechnical and vocational centers willalso be launched and will help developskills of the unemployed youth toreduce unemployment and foster jobcreation. Lastly, because of the lowutilization rates, the Department ofYouth and Gender Affairs aims to raiseawareness of the existence of thespecial government programs throughseveral dissemination and outreachactivities.