Young Advocates

50 Best Practices in Leadership Development

2012-11-27T01:29:00.000-08:00

Process/Program Design

Define meanings, design model. Know what leadership means to you and have a model for developing it.
Ownership: Program participants own their development.
Branding: Plan/process/program designed to deliver certain brand of leader.
Alignment of LD with the culture, values, and strategy. Top management, as the voice of strategy, must play a visible and active role and review how LD efforts support business initiatives. Identify real-time business issues and listen to and provide feedback on recommended solutions by program participants. Align leadership behaviors with strategies to keep focused on the end-game of success.
Purpose. Aligning leadership behaviors to strategy creates a core purpose for LD and prevents LD practices becoming ends in themselves. The best LD systems enable execution of business strategy. They are anchored in—and driven by— strategy. Leadership traits must mirror and keep pace with the strategic challenges. Leaders must possess the right skills and orientations to launch, test, and revise strategies as necessary. This requires alignment of leadership skills to strategy.
Involvement of top management and en-gagement of top talent (active leadership commitment, sponsorship and visibility). Executive endorsement lends credibility to LD efforts and elevates the experience of participants.
Design in multiple dimensions, phases, and delivery platforms.
Predetermine what you want your leaders to know, be and do as a result of the LD.

Experience

On-job experience: Field or special assignments/crucible challenges.
Off-job experience: leader role in extracurricular and volunteer activities.
Action Learning: Performance with reporting, shared learning, and action items.
Simulation, pilot, or small-scale operation.
Developmental assignments, meetings with global counterparts. People learn to lead by doing, so focus on experiential learning. Emphasize experience over classroom training.
Action orientation. The best LD tools tend to be actionable and leveraged to real business solutions. LD produces higher performance by improving leader effectiveness. Tailor LD systems to business realities. Strategies for growing leaders shift with changing demands.
Experiential learning. Such learning includes moving leaders onto special projects, task forces, or new initiatives; embedding real-world problems into LD programs; challenging leaders to take on real problems with immediate feedback and payback; connecting participants to projects that have real consequences.
Networking. Bonding occurs as individuals work together. Taking on challenges establishes a crucible that forges strong relationships. These networks strengthen as leaders mature. Bring together leaders from different disciplines to work on special projects. Co-mingling of participants tends to break down barriers and promote synergistic problem-solving.
Rotational assignments. Rotate participants across disciplines, divisions, functions, and geographies. Complexity and specialization are barriers. Use these assignments to round out the leadership package in a way that positions individuals for senior leadership positions.
Social/political competence: Enlighten participants on how to cope well with the social and political elements of leadership.

Content/Curriculum/Competencies

Learning modules/magazine articles on most relevant topics.
Define the deficiencies/gaps and identify the critical content and topics.
Case studies, stories, culture values.
Community/team building exercises and activities.
Different agenda and curriculum for different levels of managers and leaders.
Focus on a few, company-specific core competencies. Have a focused set of competencies—three, four or five competencies—that become the focal point for developing leaders in each unit. As the strategic demands change, LD priorities may also shift. Leadership competencies migrate as the demands evolve.
Smart Content: Content and curriculum adapted to different levels of managers and leaders in strategic context.
Tailored leadership competencies: Isolate and agree on the key competencies. Limit competency models to a few competencies, and prioritize them to fit the changing needs.
Competencies as the development core. Competencies stand as the primary clusters of knowledge, behavior and motivations. Defining a set of organization-specific leadership competencies guides LD efforts.
Focused and prioritized few. A formal and focused leadership competency model sets behav-ioral expectations for leaders at all levels. This allows the virtual collection of leadership experience by generating guidelines on how leaders should think, act and interact. A leadership competency framework helps define the culture.
Identify the leadership competencies that drive business results—the core competencies from which the specific prioritized few are selected. As leaders move up, their skills must shift from people and project management to strategic business and operations management.
Leadership curriculum designs. Most LD programs have a voluntary curriculum. Those that have specialized, customized, mandatory LD programs tend to identify the program as essential to elevating leader potential. Create fluid designs incorporating just-in-time response elements, including eLearning and blended learning solutions.

Learning/Teaching

Create individual development plans. Help participants select the top two priorities for action learning. Individualize development by bringing in the right skill sets at the right time, using case studies, external education, e-learning, and other media.
Teaching others, and learning from others. Involve leaders in developing other leaders. Participants enjoy attending programs with senior leaders as teachers, both in classrooms and in experiential or action learning applications. This expands the impact of the LD program exponentially. Bring leaders in to formal organized sessions—whether it’s in-person, face-to-face sessions, or delivered virtually.
360-feedback and feed-forward with team members. Use external executive coaches and deploy 360-degree assessments and feedback tools, along with feed-forward activities.
Target all levels of leadership: Have elements that apply to line managers for basic training; functional managers for leadership, management, vision; and top leaders using external education and consultants.
Multi-dimensional learning designs and platforms. Incorporate a range of learning techniques and delivery mechanisms. These curriculums incorporate fluid design elements to target learning interventions—e-learning, experiential, classroom or blended—that are real-time and real-life. Classroom and e-learning tools are more prevalent for managers. Senior-level LD programs are more likely to incorporate experiential and action-learning techniques.
Integrate with talent management: To build a sustainable leadership pipeline, assess leadership potential, identify successors, and place these individuals into the right development programs. Integrate TM processes with Performance Management, Succession Planning, Recruitment and Selection, Promotion and Compensation, OD, and Culture.

Coaching/Mentoring

Engage senior leaders as teachers, mentors, and coaches.
Monitor progress on action learning.
Use both internal and external coaches and mentors.
Agree on performance standards.
Link stated values and actual behaviors with measurements.
Supply mentoring and coaching for emerging and senior leaders.
Proactive process of mentorship so employees gain support from direct managers and from people outside the management chain. This enables leaders to develop themselves even as they develop others.

Results/Outcomes/Reach

Orientation: Have an employee/customer/market orientation.
Measure and track results against desired outcomes.
Require accountability for behaviors, performance, and financial results.
Scope: LD includes all leadership recruitment, placement and succession planning; development of the benches and pipelines, filling critical gap leadership roles.
Outreach: Great LD programs benefit all stakeholders, cultivate loyalty and longevity, and inspire service, even sacrifice.
Evaluate ROI in LD. Assess LD outcomes informally and anecdotally, with some connection between LD and bottom-line outcomes.
Define expected results in LD. The true value of LD is difficult to assess due to the gap between desired and actual practice in measuring development effectiveness. As LD is more integrated with strategic activities, its value becomes more measurable and apparent.

My Personal Best Leadership Experience

2012-11-27T01:27:00.004-08:00

My personal best leadership experience resulted from coaching the Southington Lighting U14 travel softball team. The head coach of the team, a parent, brought me on as an assistant coach with the hope that I could help lead them to a championship. I decided to help this team because they were based in my hometown. I believed that because I played Division I softball and that is what most of them aspired to, I would be able to help them. They had been together as a team for 6 years and had never won a tournament.

Even though I was the assistant coach, I basically controlled everything, from running practices to coaching first base. I changed everything, from their pre-game routine to how they wore their uniforms. However, because the team had been together for so long, my joining the coach staff came with some resistance. It was important to keep my other coaches as involved as possible. Although they knew it was time to “let go of their daughters,” they had to adjust to our new plan of attack. At first, the players did not understand why I was making the changes I was making. They were used to doing things a certain way but I knew in order to be successful, things had to change. It was clear from the moment I started with the team that the majority of the players were complacent and did not believe they could win. They were used to their fathers coaching them and getting away with everything.

Challenging them was the first step. Creating an environment that was positive, motivating, and challenging made them become very invested in what we were doing. Everyday we did some sort of challenge that everyone had to succeed at before practice could end. We implemented new techniques, set the bar higher, and ultimately doing all the “little things” paid off. I was convinced they could be successful, but they all had to realize how important they were as individuals and as teammates. We did some team building exercises so everyone could understand they had a role and all roles were equally important. It was also important to gain the trust of my other coaches. So, I constantly asked them for feedback and ideas. If the girls were going to act as a cohesive unit, the coaches had to be united as well. We used the phrases, “attention to detail,” “little things matter” and “on the hop.” If we were going to lose a game, it was not going to be because we were out hustled or because we did not try. Trying to get everyone on the same page was no easy feat. Getting twelve fourteen-year-olds, one head coach, parents, and two assistant coaches functioning as one unit was something foreign to them.

Our ultimate goal was to win a tournament and as the girls said “get shinny trophies.” Eventually, our efforts paid off. We were in our last tournament in August 2010 and it was now or never for the season. When we played our seeding games on Saturday, we looked composed and energetic. We went into Sunday’s games as the number one seed. In the championship game, we were down in the seventh and last inning by 2 runs. Before they went to bat, I asked them how badly did they want to win. “We want it bad coach,” they replied. I said, “Well, in life, when you want something bad, you have to go and get it and give it 100%. You don’t stop just because things are not going your way.” We came back and we won. As we celebrated our victory with big trophies and a pizza party, we talked about how we had grown so much more over the season. As the players slowly left the celebration, a parent came up to me and said, “Coach, I’ve never seen my daughter so confident in her life. Thank you.” The end product was a win, but what they took from that season was so much more.

Although when I started with the team our immediate goal was to win a tournament, I knew I wanted more than that. I wanted to create a winning culture and have 12 young women function as one by creating goals and working hard. I wanted the girls to realize that with hard work, they could do anything and giving 100% was the only option. I told them that just as they would not leave a question blank on their homework, they should not come to practice and check out after the first half. Details, accountability, staying positive and hard work would lead to success.

If I wanted the girls to buy into my philosophy, I had to set a good example for them. If they were responsible for getting to practice on time, I had to be early. If they had to tuck in their shirts, so did I. If they had to keep their cool, so did I. We all had our roles and we were accountable to each other. That is why we won.

Think Like Bill Gates

2012-11-27T01:27:00.000-08:00

Over the years, I’ve asked various people at Microsoft about how Bill Gates thinks. I’ve asked people from his speech writers to people that have survived his executive reviews, where Bill is known for his grueling interrogations. I was always curious how somebody of that caliber flexed their mind and used their skills to slice and dice problems.

Bill Gates sees and thinks differently than most people do. He has an amazing ability to find the flaws, or see opportunities, or connect the dots. He can zoom in to details with precision or zoom out to the big picture. He can flip back in time or fast forward to the future. He also has the ability to focus on the merits of the idea or innovation before worrying about the business case. Chances are, you could benefit from Bill’s thinking skills, even if it simply means getting a new perspective on your problems. Whether you’re trying to change the world, or you want to unleash your best, it doesn’t hurt to be able to leverage the thought patterns of a billionaire and one of the world’s most influential philanthropists.

10 Ways to Think Like Bill GatesWhile I don’t think Bill will lend you his brain, you can do the next best thing. You can take some of this thought patterns and practices for a test-drive. Here are ten patterns to get you started:

Prioritize. “What’s the next best thing you should be thinking about?” It starts here. Time is your most limited and precious resource. This is about asking whether the problem is even worth your time. Before you throw cycles at it, figure out whether it’s worth it. Is it significant? How much time should you spend on it? For an example of how Bill Gates figures out how to prioritize, check out the following video: Bill Gates on Mosquitoes, Malaria, and Education.
Ask smarter questions. If you want better answers, ask better questions. Rather than getting stuck in one line of questioning, such as “what’s wrong with this?” or “what’s right with this?”, you can explore your thinking more deeply, by asking a range of questions. One of the skills we learn at Microsoft isPrecision Questions / Precision Answers. In this approach, there are 7 categories of precise questions: 1) Go / NoGo - Do we need to talk about this? 2) Clarification – What do you mean? 3) Assumptions – What are we assuming? 4) Basic Critical Question – How do we know this is true? 5) Causes – What’s causing this? 6) Effects – What will be the effects? 7) Action – What should be done?
Make data-driven decisions. This is one of the toughest switches to make. By default, most people make emotional decisions and then find data to support the decision. This means asking questions like, “what’s the data say?” This means getting informed, before you make your decision. This means evaluating the sources of data. It’s an extreme exercise in emotional intelligence to pause your emotional response, while you check your logic and critical thinking.
Divorce your ego. This is where you separate yourself from the problem. This is also about separating yourself from the solution. Instead, you hold the problem or solution out in your hands and inspect it from different angles. Rather than focus on whether you’re right, it’s about whether the solution is right. It’s about being able to beat up the thinking, without taking it personally.
Frame the problem. Framing a problem is simply how you look at a problem, just like how you frame a picture. It’s about choosing what to focus on, what’s in and what’s out. When you frame the problem, you bound it. Framing also helps you get a better perspective on the problem, as well as share the problem more effectively with others. Some questions to help frame a problem include: Who’s the customer? What are their needs and priorities? What’s happening in the market? What are competitors doing? What are our options for responding? How do we differentiate? How is technology changing and what possibilities does it offer our customers? What are the priorities for our business?
Get perspectives on the problem. This means being able to switch your perspectives. Rather than see the glass half-full or the glass half-empty, you should see both. Challenge yourself to switch back and forth from finding flaws to finding opportunities. If you only know how to play the Devil’s advocate, you have a limited view. Like a multi-faceted diamond, you should be able to look at the problem from different angles. This also means being able to broker in experts and get other people’s perspective on the problem. Problem solving is a team sport. It’s also about leveraging smart people without domain expertise. For example, you can take a dev manager in consumer devices and have him/her move into the enterprise or business applications.
Model the problem. By abstracting the problem into a model, you can think about it in simpler ways, without being bogged down by the implementation details. One of Bill Gate’s favorite tools is his whiteboard. A whiteboard makes it easy to sketch out ideas and visualize them. A whiteboard can help whether you’re trying to map out the problem or draw a solution. Keep in mind that George Box taught us that, “all models are wrong, but some are useful.”
Think of the system and the ecosystem. Bill Gates has an engineering mind. He can see the problem as a system. You can map out the system by asking yourself questions along the line of, what are the bits and pieces? … How does it work? … How do the bits and pieces work together? … what’s the flow through the system? … what are the inputs and outputs? After you have a handle on the system, you can ask yourself about the ecosystem or the system of systems.
Think of the problem over time. It’s easy to look at the problem and just see it as a static snapshot. The challenge is playing out the problem or your solution over time. Time can dramatically change what it looks like. Consider the impact of trends. Consider sustainability. Some things that look good only temporary, and really break down when you apply time to them. Sometimes time is on your side. You might find that there may be better windows of opportunity.
Think strategically. Strategy guides your actions. You can think strategically along different lines. Consider the core of what you do (mission, vision, values, and goals.) Consider internal analysis (strengths and weaknesses, resources and capabilities, and benchmarking.) Consider external analysis (competitive analysis, opportunities and threats, and industry conditions.) Consider the organization design (structure, controls and incentives, culture and people.) Consider execution (roles, responsibilities, resources, action plans, measurement, and accountability.) Consider functional strategies (marketing and sales, operations, human resources, and R&D.) Consider strategic choices (corporate strategy and business strategy.)

If these thought patterns and practices don’t stand out as different or extraordinary, contrast them with some common default patterns:

less focus on emotional intelligence and more driven by emotional reaction
more likely to start thinking about a problem before asking which ones
more likely to ask a limited range of questions, from one specific angle or perspective (such as Devil’s advocate)
more likely to get lost in the details of the problem rather than step back, model it, and play with possibilities, unlikely to see the challenge as a system or think about the ecosystem (the players, the key levers, the centers of gravity … etc.)
unlikely to think about the problem over time (especially larger time frames like 1 year, 3 years, 5 years … or consider trends)
unlikely to think strategically over tactically, or get mired in tactical details before evaluating strategic options and differentiators, strengths, or weaknesses.

The good news is, thinking is a skill and there are plenty of resources that we can use to improve our thinking techniques. One of my favorites is Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats.

Source: http://sourcesofinsight.com/how-to-think-like-bill-gates/

Centrist Party Lists Guest Candidates

2012-11-11T20:22:00.002-08:00

Centrist Party Lists Guest Candidates

By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD

October 9, 2012, 6:15pm

MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of the newly formed Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines (CDP) said they see the rising of a new dawn on Philippine politics with their accreditation by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

During a press briefing at a hotel in Mandaluyong City, the CDP, led by its new president, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, “We see the rising of a new dawn with the accreditation of the Central Democratic Party of the Philippines – Ang Tunay na Demokrasya.”

“This is the party to watch out because we have an ideology and principles to back us up,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he looks forward to the change in political landscape with the formation of CDP.

During the press briefing, the CDP named youth leader Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino as one of their guest candidates for next year’s mid-term elections.

Aside from Aquino, the party also chose re-electionists Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel and Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who will run as independent, as guest candidates.

– Ang Partido ng Tunay ng Demokrasya.

Aquino, meanwhile, expressed thanks to the CDP leadership for choosing him as one of their guest candidates.

“Even though we are not formally members of the CDP, I think the CDP has found first of all, a younger set of leaders that they can push which I think is a welcome sign. And secondly, we as guest candidates are those who can really engaged with the CDP in coming out with the reforms that we want to see in the country,” Aquino said.

“We can be the group that could usher in change and reforms in the country,” he said.

Prior to his term as congressman, Rodriguez served as vice-governor of Misamis Oriental.

CDP chair Lito Monico Lorenza disclosed that the Comelec accredited CDP as a national political party last Sept. 12.

Lorenzana says the CDP “abhors the politics of patronage” and takes pride in the fact that “the political party is owned, funded, and controlled by its dues-paying members and not by any single patron or groups of individuals who are out to assume political power.”

He added that because of Comelec’s delayed approval and the party’s own rigorous internal candidate selection process, they could only field candidates in certain areas of the country.

Lorenzana said CDP is organized in 106 provinces and cities with 9,594 registered members in all the 17 regions.

“We are an ideology-based political party with a clear belief system anchored on the core value of respect for Human Dignity – guided by Principles of Christian and Muslim Social teachings.

He said this is spelled down to concrete and credible political concepts and programs and are all encapsulated in the CDP Political Platform of Governance.

Rodriguez said these guiding principles and agenda are:

- The creation of a truly functioning Democracy and the Rule of Law;

- The establishment of a thriving Social Market Economy (SME);

- The building of strong and sustainable political parties; and

- The adoption and practice of the principle of Subsidiarity in all structures of governance… towards a vision of a Federal Republic of the Philippines

Lorenzana, meanwhile, said that apart from its adherence to Christian or Centrist Democratic Ideology, what differentiates CDP from other parties is that its new members must first all undergo political education via a Basic Orientation Seminar (BOS) and enhancement all-year round.

“The Party structure is built from the ground-up; from district councils, to regional councils to the national congress.”

CDP also practices internal democracy and strict observance of its rules and regulations. The party exists and operates even in-between campaign periods and off-election seasons.

Together with young professionals under the Successor Generation Program, the predecessor of CDP, the Centrist Democratic Movement (CDM) was born in early 2010.

In January of this year, the CDM decided to convert itself into a political part and seek accreditation from Comelec as a full-pledged national political party: The Centrist Democratic Party (CDM).

The other officers of CDP are: Lorelyn Galarrita Turtosa-Dumaug, Secretary General; Dr. Nenita Manongsong, VP-Luzon’ Rey Uzhmar Padit, VP-Visayas; and Jordan Jay Antolin, VP-Mindanao.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/376498/centrist-party-lists-guest-candidates#.UKFZvuT7Kz7

Synergy as strategy

2012-11-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Synergy as strategy

by Jose Eliseo Rocamora

(Editor's Note: President Aquino's approval rating declined to 72 percent in August from 77 percent in November. The decline may be partly due to a double-digit rise in disapproval of his efforts at "reducing the poverty of many Filipinos" from 21 percent in May to 36 percent last month. So how is the Aquino administration addressing poverty? The National Anti-Poverty Commission presents its strategy here.)

The depth of poverty in the Philippines will require efforts on a massive scale. A multidimensional approach grounded in economic growth and its distribution will therefore be needed to effectively reduce poverty.

The participation of all stakeholders – local governments and government agencies, the private sector, civil society, and the poor themselves – is vital.

The government's resources have been focused on Pantawid Pamilya, which will benefit 4.3 million households in the next three years through conditional cash transfers that are linked to the health and education targets of the Millennium Development Goals. We are also targeting 5.2 million poor families for subsidized health-insurance coverage (NHTS-PR, DSWD). This is the first time many poor Filipinos will have been helped by the government.

The goal of Pantawid Pamilya and PhilHealth is to deliver direct and substantial assistance to the poor in the quickest possible time. The targeting and administration of beneficiaries is therefore centralized.

These programs are geared toward addressing the health and education needs of the poor. By improving school attendance and health conditions of the poor, intergenerational poverty can be significantly arrested.

Our long-term goal is ultimately the empowerment of the poor. We must convince the poor that, with a little bit of help, they can be the source of their own deliverance. The poor must actively participate in designing and implementing their own poverty-reduction programs. This can only be possible if the center of gravity for these programs is local: clearly, the poor can best be organized at the municipal level.

Our localization strategy maximizes the impact of existing programs by generating greater local government and civil society participation and providing a framework that links local and national antipoverty planning.

We have therefore compiled a list of over 600 municipalities based on a combination of criteria: poverty incidence and magnitude, as well as access to Pantawid Pamilya, PhilHealth and Pamana (which focuses on peace and development). These municipalities account for almost half (40,298,709) of the total population, including around 12 million of the country's poor, who are concentrated in four regions: Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Caraga, Region 5 and Region 8.

To focus on these municipalities, the community-based monitoring system will be used as a mapping tool for antipoverty programs. Support for nonfocus municipalities will be demand-driven, with special attention given to members of the House of Representatives and/or governors supporting programs that cut across more than one municipality.

Development planning

As data on growth and poverty incidence from 2000 to 2009 indicate, rapid economic growth is a necessary, but ultimately insufficient, condition for poverty reduction. Our development policy is therefore based on "inclusive growth." While social protection programs (e.g., Pantawid Pamilya) lessen the income gap, asset reform programs (e.g., agrarian reform) address the "asset gap" between rich and poor.

Because almost two thirds of the poor live in rural areas, we will pay particular attention to developing agriculture by crafting policies that correct distortions to reduce the economic and social opportunities of the poor in rural areas.

As Dr. Emmanuel de Dios (1993) has noted, growth affects poverty reduction if the production factors and resources being enhanced are those owned by the poor, or if the returns on their outputs increase with growth. Regrettably, the sector growth pattern since 2000 has been biased against agriculture and toward the least labor-intensive sectors.

To address the unequal distribution in regional growth, our localization program will focus on the poorest regions. But in order to more fully align poverty programs with economic growth programs, we propose to divide the country into three economic zones:

Rural and semiurban areas close to logistical and industrial hubs in urbanizing growth areas;

Areas farther away from urban growth centers but with good resource endowments, particularly land and water; and

Areas with neither good resource endowments nor logistical connections to urban areas.

Poverty programs can then be tailored to the needs of each zone: marketing and business development in Zone 1; production and roads in Zone 2; and direct assistance and service delivery in Zone 3.

This "economic geography" approach will link poverty programs with other economic development programs and help shape budget allocations and multiyear investment plans by providing a unified framework for bringing local and national antipoverty planning together.

Good governance

A bottom-up budget process will undercut existing circuits of patronage. Inter-agency planning on poverty programs within the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster will shift decision-making away from areas where patronage syndicates might be operating.

Thus, the political economy at the local level can be changed if local officials figure more directly in the planning, service delivery and implementation of antipoverty programs.

With these measures, we hope to build pathways to free the poor from the grim and implacable realities of persistent poverty.

Key programs

1. Social protection

For the immediate term: Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program provides substantial assistance to the largest possible number of poor people in the shortest possible time.

Some 2.3 million poor households nationwide are receiving conditional cash transfers as an incentive to have themselves and their children regularly checked in health stations (P500 per month per household) and for children aged 6-14 to attend public schools (P300 per child per household, for up to three children) or to receive a maximum monthly cash grant of P1,400 per household.

For the immediate to medium term: Health care reform will expand PhilHealth toward universal coverage. A target of 5.2 million indigents will be enrolled in PhilHealth, giving priority to ARMM, Zamboanga Peninsula, Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Mimaropa, Socsargen and Caraga (NHTS-PR, DSWD).

For the immediate to medium term: Water infrastructure will be provided to 483 "waterless" municipalities, where over 50 percent of the population lacks drinking water and often suffer from waterborne and sanitation-related diseases.

For the medium to long term: Education-For-All. Resources will be devoted to basic education, aiming for universal enrolment by 2016, by addressing critical bottlenecks: school facilities, teacher positions, textbooks, teacher training and scholarships for poor but deserving students.

2. Asset reform

For the opportunity poor: The goal is to provide access to productive resources and asset reform (agrarian reform; distribution of ancestral domain titles; fisheries and aquatic resources reform; low-income housing and urban land reform). This also involves completing the land distribution covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) within five years and the remaining 4.2 million hectares (out of the targeted 10 million hectares) of ancestral domain land under the Indigenous People's Rights Act. Around 3.4 million hectares are already in the pipeline for distribution.

Of the remaining 1.102 million hectares CARP should cover by 2014, coconut farms represent the largest percentage at 350,000 hectares, one-third of which are large, private agricultural lands. This distribution of CARPable coconut lands will be supported by an industry development plan and a road map crafted with the help of civil society.

3. Microenterprise, jobs

Access to microcredit: For the 5 million poor needing credit for microenterprises, access to microcredit/finance and markets will be provided so they can become part of the solution: creating jobs for themselves and work for others.

Self-Employment Assistance Kabuhayan: Expanding this at the local government level and encouraging community-based microcredit organizations to assist in entrepreneurial development.

4. Localization, empowerment

Widening Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services: Expanding from 184 of the poorest municipalities in the 42 poorest provinces to 407 municipalities in 48 provinces by 2016.

Expanding the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) program for barangays in conflict areas: Assisting 13 percent of all barangays in conflict-affected areas, where clashes between government forces and insurgent groups are taking place, leading to significant numbers of evacuees and internally displaced persons.

(Jose Eliseo M. Rocamora, a Cabinet secretary, is the head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.)

Youth Wave Project with Iloilo City SK Federation

2012-10-24T02:29:00.002-07:00

Office of the President of the Philippines

National Anti-Poverty Commission

Youth and Student Sectoral Council

in partnership with

Iloilo City SK Federation

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Project Title	Youth Wave! A Roadshow on Drug Addiction, Teenage Pregnancy, Volunteerism and Voters’ Education
Project Leader	Janvie S. Amido Focal Person for Gender and Development Youth and Student Sectoral Council National Anti-Poverty Commission
Target Partners	West Visayas State University Main Campus Western Visayas College of Science and Technology Main Campus University of the Philippine –Iloilo City Campus University of Iloilo University of San Agustin Central Philippine University John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University-Arevalo/Molo Saint Paul University St. Therese MTC Colleges Magdalo Campus Iloilo City Community College
Partner Government Agencies/LGUs/ CSO	(Project Linkaging/Networking/Coordinating) Sangguniang Kabataan Iloilo City Federation National Anti-Poverty Commission Youth and Students Sectoral Council (Teenage Pregnancy) Department of Health Regional and City Office Commission on Population Regional Office (Drug Addiction) Philippine Drug and Enforcement Agency Regional Office Philippine National Police City Office (Voters’Education and Registration/BMPM Patrollers’ Registration) Commission on Election Regional and City Office ABS-CBN Boto Mo Ipatrol Mo PPRCV
Project Rationale	There are currently 1.2 billion youth in the world, the largest number of youth ever to have existed. The majority of these youth live in the developing countries and The Philippines is on the top-list where most daunting challenges, living in poor economic, social and environmental conditions, with limited access to quality education, training and employment. Yet, even facing these challenges, youth are recognized and act as agents for positive change, whether it be as the drivers of economic advancement, or the instigators of democratic reform. This project proposal is an attempt to take on this challenge of creating an environment for youth leaders of today, not just tomorrow. It is within the context of youth being the pioneers of today, and leaders of tomorrow, that this project is being conceived. This project explores how youth can be more meaningfully engaged in governance in local levels, on issues like teenage pregnancy, drug addiction and electoral reform. The UN has recognized the unique roles that youth play in development since its inception. This project proposal seizes on the opportunity for the youth to be heard and be part of the decision making, with initiative that will really walk the talk or that turns the black and white paper into action. It aims to empower, challenge, develop, and nurture young minds to be more critical on issues affecting them. Making and helping them as negotiators of positive change in all levels of participation.
Project Description	The project will achieve the following: (1) sharing of experiences and information between the participants and the resource speaker in addressing different issues affecting young people (2) generation of ideas among the youth of what are the solution that can be done (3) making them as agents of change through involving them as election patrollers/volunteers (4) and linking youth with identified key players in making available and feasible solution to addressing issues for implementation. It will bring together the following key players identified for their specific crucial roles: Academe (theoretical framework/feedback development) Government Agencies (policy formulation) Media (content popularization) Private Sector/Civil Society Organization (advocacy alignment and networking)
Objectives	1. Forge strong and sustainable partnership among youth and key players (identified above) in addressing the issues on teenage pregnancy, drug addiction and youth participation (first time voters/election patrollers) 2. Facilitate knowledge generation about multi-disciplinal and multi-sectoral initiatives aimed at addressing issues of the youth 3. Empower the youth by placing them at the fulcrum of partnership, providing participatory opportunities for their smart ideas about addressing youth issues and showcasing the same as practical solutions that are replicable
Expected Output	1. Partnership agreement and commitment among key players to achieving the objectives of the project and ensuring its sustainable results. 2. Youth Proposals on practical ideas for addressing youth issues as identified above. 3. Database and social networking accounts solely dedicated to: a. Promoting this project and the youth proposals b. Posting progress result of the proposals c. Widening youth network, and d. Facilitating open dialogues and sharing of ideas for potential collaborative work. 4. Registered Volunteers/Election Patrollers that will serve as agents of change. 5. Identified Media Outfits/Programs that will commit to publishing/broadcasting information related to the project’s thrust and monitoring progress and the commitment of the key players. 6. LGU Program/Agency Directives inspired by or reinforcing support for the adoption, implementation, and eventual replication of the youth proposals.
Activities	Forum Dialogues Media Exposures (interviews/features) Key Players dialogue/meeting to identify roles Interfacing session between youth and the key players Onsite BMPM Patrollers’ Registration/Voters’ Registration
Timeline	Planning September 2012 Meeting with key players October 8, 2012 Information Dissemination/Coordination October 3-10, 2012 Completion/Implementation November- February 2012 Evaluation/Appraisal/Reflection February 15, 2013 November 16- UI November 23- WVSU November 29- WVCST December 7- USA December 11- CPU January 8- JBLFMU- Arevalo January 15- JBLFMU-MOLO January 25- St Therese February 1- St Paul February 8- UP/ICCCI
Sample Program	7:30-8:00AM Opening Program NAPC YSSC and SK Fed 8:00-9:00AM Teen Drug Addiction PDEA and PNP ICPO 9:00-10:00AM Teenage Pregnancy DOH, CHO and POPCOM 10:30-12NN Citizen Journalism/Voters’ Education COMELEC, ABS-CBN BMPM and PPRCV 08:00am-5:00pm Onsite Registration of BMPM Patrollers

-nothing follows-

Seven Steps to Hitting Your Target

2012-09-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Seven Steps to Hitting Your Target

11. Have you identified and written your goals? Have you written down what you want to be and do and have?

22. Did you list the benefits? What will I gain by reading this objective? What’s in it for me? Concentrate on your benefits, not the problems that might be there.

33. You need to identify those obstacles which you need to overcome in order to reach each one of those goals. You see if there were no obstacles you’d already have everything you wanted.

44. Identify the skills and knowledge required to reach each one of these goals.

5. Who are the individuals and people that you need to work to achieve your goals.

66. You need to develop a specific plan of action to reach this goal.

77. The final step. Set the date you want to reach that goal.

Proving that Good Governance is Good Politics: A Tribute to Secretary Jesse Robredo

2012-08-22T22:54:00.002-07:00

Proving that Good Governance is Good Politics: A Tribute to Secretary Jesse Robredo

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August 22, 2012

By Maria Belen Bonoan, Steven Rood, and Juan Mayo Ragragio

Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Jesse Manalastas Robredo – a highly-regarded, multi-awarded public servant, and an internationally recognized expert in local governance – died after the small plane he was in crashed on August 18. For two days, vigils were held, hoping for good news for the fate of Secretary Jesse and his companions (one of whom survived). Upon confirmation of his death on August 21, tributes poured in and President Aquino accompanied his remains to his hometown of Naga City in the Bicol Region.

Secretary Jesse’s claim to fame is no mean feat. As mayor of Naga City for 18 years, he transformed this once lethargic city into a premier city in the Bicol region. He always generously thanked The Asia Foundation for nominating Naga to Asiaweek as a “most improved city” – though ironically the award itself came during the 3-year interregnum between his two long stints in office (while he was at the Harvard Kennedy School as a Mason Fellow) and it was Mayor Cho Roco (brother of Robredo ally Senator Raul Roco) who was pictured in the article.

By the end of his first stint as mayor (1988-1998), Robredo had transformed the city into a model of local governance in the country, and a laboratory of governance innovations – making it a favorite destination for other local governments worldwide in search of governance models. Under Secretary Jesse, Naga City pioneered the implementation of citizen charter and performance pledges to exert accountability among the city bureaucrats—long before the Anti-Red Tape law was passed in the country. He adopted i-Governance to engage citizens’ access and representation in local decision-making process of the city. He made important information about government services accessible through an interactive website, streamlined government services, and afforded the citizens with a platform to provide feedback on city government performance. Most importantly, Secretary Jesse empowered the people of Naga City, and made them an important partner in the development of their city.

Jesse Robredo was indeed proof that the 1991 Local Government Code could foster much improvement at the local level – as were a number of other mayors and governors who were repeatedly cited by the Galing Pook awards over the years. But what Jesse demonstrated was that good governance was indeed good politics. While initially allied with his uncle Luis R. Villafuerte, they parted ways early in Robredo’s first term, and thereafter the kingpin of the surrounding province of Carmarines Sur ran candidates against the Robredo slate. Given his support by the empowered populace, he was able to see off the Villafuerte challenges – at least within Naga City.

However, Secretary Jesse’s cause did not stop in Naga City. He did not try to run for higher office (a move which rarely works) but instead, became in 2010 the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and focused on improving local governments throughout the country. With barely two years in office, he was instrumental in regaining the trust and hope of civil society to work with government institutions, while at the same time raising the bar for civil society-government engagement. In many ways, through civil society organizations, he gave the public the opportunity to pro-actively work with city hall officials on the city budget, the annual investment plans, policies related to the use of funds for health and education projects, and projects to improve the city environment. Until today, that ordinance serves as a model for local executives.

Just at a time when people saw no real hope for it, Secretary Jesse championed the full disclosure of financial transactions to encourage transparency and accountability in local governments. In fact, he was intolerant not only of graft and corruption but also of inefficiency, ineptness, and mediocrity. For him, after 20 years of decentralization, it should no longer be business as usual for local governments – it was time to link “islands of good governance” into an archipelago.

The Asia Foundation is one of many development partners that have benefited enormously from Secretary Jesse’s leadership at DILG. Since 2002, the Foundation, through the USAID-supported Transparent Accountable Governance (TAG) project, has been promoting transparency and accountability in local governments, primarily in cities across Mindanao. However, it was not until 2010 when Secretary Jesse took the helm at DILG that the Foundation finally had the full support of DILG to promote our TAG program. Through DILG Memorandum Circular 2010-83, DILG acted on the recommendation arising from the 2010 Rapid Field Appraisal (RFA) of Decentralization to encourage local governments to disseminate accurate information on its budget and expenditures. Secretary Jesse was a staunch supporter and promoter of the Foundation’s Budget Tracking for Transparent Accountable Governance (BTTAG) initiative – a pioneering effort of civil society organizations to increase transparency and make local budgets public in the Philippines. Secretary Jesse never got tired of attending BTTAG events. He was there at the launch, during the policy fora, and at the conclusion – tirelessly providing the keynote messages to inspire TAG partners in each occasion.

Left to right: Maria Rendon, Chief of the Office of Economic Development and Governance, USAID/Manila; Patricia Sarenas, Chair, Caucus of Development NGOs; Steven Rood; Hon. Jesse Robredo, DILG Secretary; Erwin Alparaque, Davao City Administrator; and Paul Paraguya, Executive Director, Balay Mindanao Foundation, Inc., attend the launch of the Foundation’s Budget Tracking for Transparent Accountable Governance initiative.

The considerably short period that Secretary Jesse was at DILG was also probably the local government department’s most productive time in recent years. Secretary Jesse put the house in order, upgraded the department website, led the example of full disclosure and expanded the DILG’s network of partners. As city mayor for 18 years, he is well aware of the issues surrounding local governments: graft and corruption, bloated budgets, lack of transparency, and limited resources. But as he successfully demonstrated, these limitations need not hamper nor discourage local governments from bringing innovations, testing the waters nor challenging the full extent of the devolution – all for the greater good of the people.

In the same manner, he recognizes that despite significant successes, local governments “have “to constantly create the environment for active participation and citizenship in local communities. A mission that’s difficult in most areas of the country where power has been denied to the people for centuries and where traditional structures have held sway for generation.” Jesse’s stellar performance and contributions to good governance have been honored with international and national awards, but the best award will be the memory that will live on in the hearts of the people of Naga City and the entire nation. Jesse’s untimely death is a deep loss to the cause of good governance, national and local. He had the vision, the passion, and the capacity to introduce more reforms to our public administrative and political processes. We hope that his life of achievement inspires a new breed of leaders who will carry on his cause.

Maria Belen Bonoan is The Asia Foundation’s Philippine director for Local Governance, Steven Rood is Philippine country representative, and Juan Mayo Ragragio is a Bicolano and former chief of party of The Foundation’s Local Governance, Elections, and Civil Society project in Timor-Leste. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the individual authors and not those of The Asia Foundation.

Number of Seats Held by Women in Mongolia’s Parliament Triples

2012-08-22T22:52:00.002-07:00

Number of Seats Held by Women in Mongolia’s Parliament Triples

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August 22, 2012

By Carol H. Yost

While the arrest of Mongolia’s former president Nambar Enkhbayar on corruption charges has been dominating headlines, another quieter, but very significant event took place earlier this summer on June 28, when nine women won seats in the country’s parliamentary elections. This is triple the number of women elected just four years ago.

The newly elected women MPs representing four different political parties were sworn in on Friday, July 6. While women still constitute only 12 percent of the 76-member parliament, a strong sense of optimism emerged that the new MPs would help unify across parties and have a significant impact on decisions affecting all Mongolians, including critical issues for families such as maternal and child health, schools, hospitals, and daycare.

This rise in the number of women elected to parliament was due in part to a new election law passed this year that introduced proportional representation for 28 of the 76 seats. It also specified that a minimum of 20 percent of the candidates nominated and approved must be women. There is no quota for women parliamentarians – just the proportion of women as candidates on each party list, but this change was nonetheless positive for women.

Five women candidates were elected directly: D. Oyunkhorol (MPP), Ts. Oyungerel (DP), G. Uyanga (MPRP), S. Odontuya (DP), and L. Erdenechimeg (DP). Another four were elected based on proportional representation: R. Burmaa (DP), M. Batchimeg (DP), Z. Bayanselenge (MPRP), and S. Oyun (CWGP). This is certainly good news, but still leaves Mongolia well below the world average of 19.5 percent women parliamentarians.

Last month, I attended the International Women’s Leadership Forum in Ulaanbaatar, hosted by the Community of Democracies and organized by The Asia Foundation, which brought together over 100 participants (including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who addressed the Forum) to discuss ways to promote women’s entrepreneurship, access to natural resources, and leadership in the private and public sectors. I spoke with several of the new women parliamentarians who were attending and they shared their enthusiasm for what this could bring for women’s participation in Mongolia, but also expressed concern about ongoing, stubborn challenges.

Hillary Clinton, remarking about the nine newly elected women in Mongolia's Parliament during her speech at the International Women’s Leadership Forum said, "these women are blazing a path for all Mongolians who have the drive and desire to serve, to follow."

Ms. Batchimeg, one of the new MPs from the majority Democratic Party told me that people are starting to see the side effects of being a resource rich country that has spawned corruption and widened the gap between the rich and poor. “There is a perception among the electorate that women are less corrupt than men – there is a strong mandate for women MPs to work to make government more transparent, provide equal opportunities for the people, more equitable growth, and clean politics,” she said.” She hopes that even more women will run for parliament in the 2016 elections.

Ms. S. Oyun, who has been an MP for 14 years and was reelected in June, said that “there is so much energy and potential for women of Mongolia in medium and low levels of public service and the private sector. Men dominate at the decision-making level, but if you look at education, women tend to be better educated; at the university level women are 60 percent of the graduates, so women shoulder as much work as men, but men still dominate in decision-making. Now we have to prove that an increase in the number of women will make some change and impact before the next elections.”

Ms. Oyun also explained to me that that the women candidates from four parties got together before the election and agreed on what their priorities would be and said they would work to increase investment in women’s and children’s health. She noted that the birthrate in Mongolia has increased 50 percent in the last six to seven years, which is a sign that people are feeling more optimistic.

Ms. Oyungerel who was elected from the Democratic Party, said that this was the third time she ran for parliament. “The first time, I ran I got 12 percent of the vote. The second time, I got 42 percent of the vote. This time, I won.” Ms. Oyungerel, who was previously an advisor to the president, told me that the financial barriers to women being elected to the parliament are enormous. She said that parties have internal “taxes” for people who want to run and it is very hard for women to raise the money required to be a candidate and this is a huge deterrent for women. When she became an MP she made a big promise to her constituency to address land issues. “The land law says every citizen has the right to free land, but they can’t meet the requirements of putting up a fence or building (to secure a title) and often the land office won’t accept their applications.”

The nine newly elected women MPs face significant challenges both in unifying across parties to achieve common goals, as well as in forming alliances with their male colleagues to pass legislation. The women I interviewed were optimistic on both fronts – enthusiastic about forming a women’s caucus and identifying men in the parliament with whom they can work.

While the newly elected women MPs are clearly extremely savvy politicians, it will be important for them to have opportunities to network with their counterparts in other countries to learn from their collective experience so that they can utilize lessons learned by other women MPs. The international community needs to ensure that peer-to-peer networking among the world’s women MPs includes these nine courageous women from Mongolia.

Carol Yost is director of The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program. She can be reached at cyost@asiafound-dc.org. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and not those of The Asia Foundation.

Advocacy Institute for Safe Abortion Rights

2012-08-22T20:28:00.003-07:00

ASAP invites applications for its Advocacy Institute for Safe Abortion Rights to be held in Mumbai, between October 31 and November 3, 2012. If you are between 18 and 25 years of age, living or working in Asia, and passionate about sexual and reproductive rights, this institute is for you!

This institute will cover the following topics:

Sexual and reproductive health and rights

Human rights and gender perspectives

Safe abortion

Values clarification

Use of Facebook, Twitter and blogs for networking

The Institute will encourage leadership skills and engage in strategic planning to develop ongoing involvement. Participants will have further opportunities to work in close collaboration with ASAP country partners.

Deadline for Applications: August 31, 2012
Find attached a document with details on the institute. We hope you will share it with your network, and help spread the word!

For all questions write to discussions.asap@gmail.com . We look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you!

Shweta Krishnan
Communications Officer, ASAP

[UPDATED] Robredo family grieves, security tightened

2012-08-20T21:45:00.001-07:00

NAGA CITY, Philippines – They were hopeful in the morning of the third day since Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo went missing.

Volunteers on Tuesday, August 21, said their gut feelings were strong that he was still alive.

The mood changed within seconds in Naga.

Mediamen gathered around a small television as Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas confirmed from Masbate that one of the bodies found earlier in the morning was Robredo's.

This was how guests outside the Robredo residence found out about the news around 9:15 am, about an hour after the family inside was notified by a phone call from President Benigno Aquino III.

Shock

Despite it being the third day since Robredo's plane crashed, people were in shock at the news.

Most stared blankly at the screen. It took several long minutes before the tears started to fall.

Volunteers began to cry as the news dawned on them.

Within minutes, an empty Robredo residence transformed into a frenzy as crowds poured in to support the family of the former Naga City mayor.

EMPLOYEES OF CITY HALL as they enter Robredo's house

Employees from City Hall who used to work with the late secretary shared their memories.

One former Barangay Peñafrancia councilor who was a staff member in Robredo's city government told Rappler that Robredo had been a great boss.

"Kahit po mga personal na namin na problema, tinatanong kami kung ano mga problema namin, sa opisina, sa aming mga trabaho," said former government worker Erwin Villacruz. (Even if our problems were personal, he would ask about our problems in the office, about our work)

TEARS FALL FREELY in Naga. This man worked with Robredo for 27 years

Heightened security

Upon hearing the news, security guards also started filing into the premises.

Security barricades were set up outside the gate to control the influx of people, while officials guarding the two entrances were doubled.

Police trainee Rowel Buendia, who is stationed outside the main door to Robredo's house, said he was given instructions to be strict with the people who wanted to come in to see the family.

SECURITY CONVOY READY and waiting to take the family to Naga airport

He said they were still allowed to come in but had to be largely controlled.

"Limitado lang po," he said. Buendia was assigned to the residence for the first time on Tuesday. (It's limited.)

Ieza Rafer – another of the 15-20 security officers guarding the residence – said about 200 visitors have come in and out daily in the past two days.

She said they are expecting more than double, hence the beefing up of security.

Robredo family spokesperson Jun Lavadia said the viewing of his remains will begin at 5pm, at the Archbishop Palace here in Naga.

Robredo's body is on its way from Masbate to Naga as of 12:20 pm, Tuesday.

SUPPORTERS SOBBING as news broke of Robredo's death here in Naga

Family to recieve remains

Robredo's family is now on its way to the airport to receive the remains of the late DILG chief. They will meet there with Aquino and his cabinet members.

Presidential Security Group officials also came to the Robredo residence, and asked media to clear the pathway around his house after his family's departure. They did not confirm whether the President will be coming to the Robredo home.

No family members have spoken to press yet, and former solicitor general Joel Cadiz told journalists to respect the privacy of the family.

"They are grieving," he said of Robredo's family after coming outside of the house. "He was a good man."

ATTY. LENI ROBREDO ENTERS THE CONVOY with her daughters in tow. They are on their way to Naga Airport to recieve Robredo's body

Atty. Leni Robredo, the wife of the deceased Secretary, spoke to media for the first time on Monday to thank them for the support. She asked for continuous prayers.

She also said then that she would likely release a statement once any major developments came in. - Rappler.com

The 7 Deadly Sins of the RH bill, according to Sotto

2012-08-20T21:42:00.002-07:00

from rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – “It is unmanly to refuse battle with the devil.”

Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III quoted Mahatma Gandhi in the 2nd chapter of his speech against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill on Wednesday, August 15.

While the first part of his speech last Monday focused on the alleged evils of contraceptives, this time, Sotto zeroed in on the big money and abortion advocacy supposedly fuelling the RH campaign. (Read the full speech here.)

Sotto said that while RH bill sponsors Senators Pia Cayetano and Miriam Defensor Santiago mean well, international and local groups backing the measure have more sinister intentions.

The senator, however, already raised the same arguments during the RH bill interpellations last year.

Here are the RH bill’s 7 deadly sins, according to Sotto:

1. “The RH bill is a foreign-dictated policy.”

In his one hour speech, Sotto said that the Philippines should not be pushed over by other states and international organizations.

“Sino sila para magdikta sa atin? Hindi tayo gaya nila na iba ang pagpapahalaga sa pagbubuklod-buklod sa pamilyang Pilipino at pagpapahalaga sa buhay ng tao.” (Who are they to dictate on us? We’re not like others who value family ties and human life differently.)

Cayetano already responded to this argument in an interview last Monday. She said, “They said the RH bill is not in line with our culture but the survey shows Filipinos want this. Maybe, it was not line with our culture in 1521 or 1898 but in 2012, based on Filipino practices and customs, they want it and they need it.”

'NOTHING NEW.' Senator Pia Cayetano says the Senate has been through Sotto's arguments in the past but allows him to go on "out of courtesy." Photo by Ayee Macaraig

2. “RH backers are of doubtful character.”

Sotto said the groups pushing for the RH bill have ulterior motives, particularly reducing the world’s population through abortion, especially in less developed countries like the Philippines.

He identified the US Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations agencies, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) as the main global forces behind the measure.

The senator said the IPPF’s vision states, “We believe that a woman has the right to choose and access safe abortion services and we advocate for changes in legislation to support this.”

“This is the true meaning of Pro-Choice,” Sotto said.

3. “Eleven mothers DO NOT die of childbirth everyday.”

The Majority Leader said that the often cited statistic that 11 mothers die everyday in the Philippines is wrong. To debunk the argument, he even asked his staff to do their own survey.

Sotto said a check on government hospitals in Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, Batangas and Cavite in 2011 showed that the maternal deaths ranged from only zero to 7 for the entire year.

Ironically, he even used statistics from the UN and the World Health Organization to prove his point.

“So there, for the sake of argument, pro-RH figures themselves result in 5.75 maternal deaths a day and not 11 deaths like what they’re insisting.” Sotto said in Filipino.

In an earlier blog post, Cayetano showed the computation of data coming from the UN, the National Statistics Office, and the National Statistical Coordination Board as illustrated here:

Table from the blog of Sen Pia Cayetano

4. “The RH bill is a marketing tool for contraceptives.”

Sotto said RH supporters like the USAID fund the Dharmendra Kumar Tyagi (DKT), the largest manufacturer of contraceptives. He said the USAID also funds the NSO, which releases “information needed for population control in the country.”

“Aba ang galing ano? Gagawa ka ng demand for contraceptives, tapos ikaw ang magsu-supply ng solusyon. Magandang ideya sa marketing pero hindi sa paggawa ng batas. Sana ‘wag nating gawing pain ang ating bansa sa ganitong pag-eeksperimento.” (How amazing! You’ll make a demand for contraceptives, then you’ll supply the solution. That’s a good marketing idea but not to make laws. I hope we don’t make our country the bait for this experiment.)

Santiago has responded to this argument in past interviews. “That is a cheap shot. Anything the government does will make profit somewhere in any capitalist society. Let’s elevate political discourse to a higher level.”

The RH co-author explained, “Kahit naman yung rhythm method na gusto nila, may kikita. Kikita ng pera yung mga gumagawa ng kalendaryo doon, ‘di ba?” (Even with the rhythm method, someone profits. Those selling calendars will make money, right?)

CONTRACEPTIVES VS CALENDARS. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said that whether it's the rhythm method or contraceptives, someone will make a profit out of laws passed in Congress. File photo by Ayee Macaraig

5. “The RH bill may be promoting a super race.”

Sotto said that since IPPF founder Margaret Sanger believed in eugenics through birth control, pro-RH groups may also seek to create a “super Aryan race” like Hitler.

“This is what they call eugenics: If you are weak, useless, uneducated and poor, you have no right in this world. In other words, what eugenics wants to happen is to have birth control so that those left behind is only a superior, intellectual race.”

“Maybe this is also what those pushing for the RH bill want to happen?”

Cayetano, though, previously told Rappler that contraceptives must not be viewed “as if you were killing children by preventing them from being born.”

“[It’s] as if it was not a responsible thing to do to decide for yourself that with my income and my time, I will be a good parent to two children. How many people can be a good parent to 10 children?"

6. “Passing the RH bill now will legalize abortion later.”

The RH critic said the strategy of the international groups is to use local organizations to first make artificial contraceptives acceptable to Filipinos so that later on, abortion will be legalized.

“This is the big picture, and the RH bill is an important detail to complete this picture,” Sotto said.

Dr Sylvia Estrada Claudio, director of the UP Center for Women’s Studies, said the statement was a logical fallacy.

“We’ve long been saying that, please, let’s talk about abortion later, it has nothing to do with the RH bill. But if he insists, fine. If he wants a debate, fine. Let’s do it in front of the media, in public where he cannot hide behind his [parliamentary immunity], his distortions, his unscientific ways, his insinuations and his conspiracy theory so the public can really see how to look at science and how to debate properly and in a democratic way,” Claudio said.

7. “Local NGOs get millions to push for RH.”

Sotto was passionate in his tirade against local NGOs, saying they receive big bucks from the international groups he named, and promote abortion as well.

He said the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN), and Likhaan all receive funding from either the IPPF or UN agencies amounting to millions of dollars.

“With the budget of these organizations, it’s not at all surprising that their campaign for the RH bill is so strong in radio, television, newspapers, and especially the Internet.”

Elizabeth Angsioco of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines, a member group of RHAN, told Rappler how the funding of local NGOs is spent.

“That’s used for the women, family planning that they want, contraception that they want, education on reproductive health that they want.”

Angsioco said that if Sotto is sincere about wanting to save women, he should push for government spending to help save women’s lives.

“Mahiya nga tayo dahil ang ibang bansa tinutulungan ang ating mga kababaihan samantalang siya, ayaw niya magbigay ng pondo para mabuhay ang mga kababaihan natin. Mahiya siya.” (We should be ashamed because other countries are helping our women while he does not want to give funds to save their lives. Shame on him.)

Sotto: Why should I quote a blogger?

2012-08-20T21:40:00.001-07:00

From Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III denied lifting passages written by a blogger who calls herself, “Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist.”

In an interview on Headstart on ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel, Sotto said he did not plagiarize in his “turno en contra” speech against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Sotto guested on the show on Thursday, August 16.

“Itong blogger na sinasabi nila, eh pareho kami ng pinagkunan eh. Ang pinagkunan namin si Natasha Campbell-McBride. And in my speeches, even in my first speech and my second speech, I’ve always said, every now and then sinisingit ko, hindi po ako nagdudunong-dunungan ha. Hindi po galing sa akin ito.” (This blogger they’re mentioning, we got it from the same source. Our source is Natasha Campbell-McBride. And I’ve always said, I’m not pretending to be wise. This does not come from me.)

“Bakit ko naman iko-quote ang blogger? Blogger lang iyon. Ang kino-quote ko si Natasha Campbell-McBride.” (Why should I quote a blogger? She’s just a blogger. I’m quoting Natasha Campbell-McBride.)

The senator was referring to the doctor he cited as part of what he called expert opinion and scientific studies showing the damaging effect of contraceptives to children born to mothers who used contraception.

Sotto added that his staff did not examine blogs in getting research to debunk arguments of the RH advocates. Instead, he said they relied on books, columns and editorials.

The RH critic stressed that pro-RH groups should respond to his pointsinstead of alleging plagiarism.

The similar passages were spotted by Alfredo R Melgar who wrote about it on the website of the Filipino Freethinkers, a group staunchly supporting the RH bill. Melgar wrote that the first part of Sotto’s speech delivered last Monday was closely similar to an entry of the US blogger.

“His scientific proof was copied entirely and almost word-for-word from an article by a blogger calling herself ‘Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist.’”

Melgar also said Sotto should have known that ‘Sarah’ had a disclaimer on her site saying, “The information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for the advice provided by your doctor or other health care professional.”

‘Sarah’ also wrote, “The nutritional and other information on this website are not intended to be and do not constitute health care or medical advice.”

Melgar said that Sotto “ignored decades of studies and declarations by the World Health Organization and the Department of Health that contraceptives are safe, only to rely on an unknown blogger making wild claims. He even ignored the blogger’s disclaimer. Sotto’s reckless method of legislation is inexcusable.”

Below are the similar passages between Sotto’s speech and Sarah’s blog, as pointed out by Melgar. (Read Sotto’s full speech here and Sarah's bloghere.)

Sotto’s speech:

Actually, these contraceptives are not just detrimental to women and the unborn. They are scientifically proven to have damaging effects to children born from mothers who were using contraceptives prior to their pregnancy too.According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, the use of the pill also causes severe gut dysbiosis. What is worse, drug induced gut imbalance is especially intractable and resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change. ¹Gut imbalance brought on through use of the pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. As a result, even if a woman eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, if she has been taking oral contraceptives for a period of time beforehand, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of all this healthy food as the lack of beneficial flora in her gut preclude this from occurring. ²Pathogenic, opportunistic flora that take hold in the gut when the pill is used constantly produce toxic substances which are the by-products of their metabolism. These toxins leak into the woman’s bloodstream and they have the potential to cross the placenta. Therefore, gut dysbiosis exposes the fetus to toxins.³ Not well known is also the fact that use of the pill depletes zinc in the body. Zinc is called “the intelligence mineral” as it is intimately involved in mental development. ⁴

Sarah’s blog:

¹ According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, use of other drugs such as the Pill also cause severe gut dybiosis. What’s worse, drug induced gut imbalance is especially intractable and resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change.

² gut imbalance brought on through use of The Pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. As a result, even if a women eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, if she has been taking oral contraceptives for a period of time beforehand, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of all this healthy food as the lack of beneficial flora in her gut preclude this from occurring.

³ Pathogenic, opportunistic flora that take hold in the gut when The Pill is used constantly produce toxic substances which are the by-products of their metabolism. These toxins leak into the woman’s bloodstream and guess what, they have the potential to cross the placenta! Therefore, gut dysbiosis exposes the fetus to toxins

⁴ Not well known is the fact that use of The Pill depletes zinc in the body. Zinc is called “the intelligence mineral” as it is intimately involved in mental development.

Other RH supporters pointed out that even Sotto's second speech delivered on Wednesday had text similar to an article on www.feministsforchoice.com:

Sotto's speech, part 2:

Despite the fact that the movement was gaining popularity in a society with a serious poverty crisis, Gandhi was an outspoken critic of artificial birth control. His general attitude was that

"Persons who use contraceptives will never learn the value of self-restraint. They will not need it. Self-indulgence with contraceptives may prevent the coming of children but will sap the vitality of both men and women, perhaps more of men than of women. It is unmanly to refuse battle with the devil."

www.feministsforchoice.com:

Despite the fact that the movement was gaining popularity in a society with a serious poverty crisis, Gandhi was an outspoken critic of artificial birth control. His general attitude was that

“Persons who use contraceptives will never learn the value of self-restraint. They will not need it. Self-indulgence with contraceptives may prevent the coming of children but will sap the vitality of both men and women, perhaps more of men than of women. It is unmanly to refuse battle with the devil.”

What is a Budget – for NGOs?

2012-08-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

“Budget” is a term that NGOs often come across when they need to plan and implement a project activity. Besides, we also come across this term again and again when we are in the process of developing a proposal. Any donor funding for NGOs is limited and a proper and planned budget is required to convince the donor to access this funding. Donor agencies also have their limitations and they distribute their financial resources evenly amongst NGOs based not only on their project plans but also according to the budget they present.

Budget, in simple terms, means a document where you specify how much money you are going to spend (in other words, expenditure), especially if your organization has received grants. In some cases, as in businesses, budgets can also include the money that the organization is going to generate or “income.” The latter is important for all NGOs now because managing any organization, including an NGO does not mean just spending – we also need to look at how costs can be covered and money can be saved for other activities.

In another sense, budget is all about planning your expenses and saving your costs.

Many NGOs tend to plan out a budget only when they need to develop a project proposal for a donor agency. Besides, they only think of the short term project needs – not about the long-term sustainability of the organization.

Source Link: http://www.fundsforngos.org/budget-for-ngos/budget-ngos-2/#ixzz24CzUuM2J

How to Write a Concept Note

2012-08-20T20:42:00.001-07:00

What is a Concept Note?

http://www.fundsforngos.org/concept-note/how-to-write-a-concept-note/

A Concept Note is perhaps the shortest expression your project idea given on paper to a donor. It is usually requested by the donor in situations where no proposals have been solicited from NGOs. Most of the donor agencies prefer to understand the project through a Concept Note rather than a full-fledged proposal.

What should be the size of the Concept Note?

This actually depends upon the donor requesting the Concept Note. However, we need to remember that it is the shortest possible text for our project idea. So, shorter the better. Most donor agencies request a minimum of one page to a maximum of three pages.

Is there a specific format for writing the Concept Note?

Usually donors do not have a format for a Concept Note as they have for a full proposal. But, there are some agencies, which issue solicitation for Concept Notes based upon a basic format given in the guidelines.

Is the Concept Note useful for the applying NGO as well?

Concept Note has many advantages for NGOs seeking funds. It practically gives a framework for ideas when they are organized on paper. It is also the first expression of the project and gives the flexibility for the organization to work and re-work on idea before presenting it to the donor.

What are the contents of the Concept Note?

While there is no standard format for a Concept Note, generally the following information is given:

1. Name of the Organization
2. Title of the Proposed Project
3. Potential Donor
4. Context (not more than 300 words)
5. Rationale for the Proposed Project
6. Project Goals and Objectives
7. Project Strategy/ Listing of Project Activities
8. Expected Results
9. Innovation: How different it is for other or earlier projects?
10. Organizational Background, including the expertise and experience.
12. Budget Estimate
13. Complete Contact Information of the NGO along with the name of the Contact Person.

ISRRC - UPR 13 - Overview of sexual and reproductive rights recommendations

2012-08-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Dear colleagues,

The 13^th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held at the Human Rights Council from May 21-June 4 2012. This was the first UPR session of the second cycle whereby countries will be reviewed by their peers on their entire human rights record for the second time.

14 countries were reviewed during UPR 13 including Algeria, Bahrain,Brazil, Ecuador, Finland, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Netherlands,Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Tunisia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The outcome reports of these reviews will be adopted at the next Human Rights Council session in September 2012.

The Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) collaborated with national NGOs in several of the countries under review to prepare stakeholder submissions and advocate for strong recommendations on sexual and reproductive rights including: Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals (Brazil); Women in Communication Workshop (Ecuador); Vaestoliitto (Finland); CREA, Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad, Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues, Centre for Penology, Criminal Justice and Police Studies, Jindal Global Law School (India); Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (Indonesia); Rutgers WPF (Netherlands); Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (Philippines); Federation for Women and Family Planning (Poland); and FPA Northern Ireland (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).

During each country’s review, States made several recommendations regarding sexual and reproductive rights which are testament to the excellent submissions and advocacy by sexual and reproductive rights advocates from a variety of organizations and coalitions.

Sexual and reproductive rights recommendations included those related to: female genital mutilation, discrimination against women in law and practice, discrimination and violence against persons on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, early and forced marriage, criminalization of consensual same sex conduct, gender-based violence, access to abortion, children’s rights to participate in the decisions that affect them, maternal mortality, sexuality education, nondiscrimination against marginalized groups particularly with regards to health care and education, access to sexual and reproductive health information, education and services, access to HIV services and gender equality. A more detailed summary of SRR recommendations for each State under Review is attached.

Room for Improvement

Several of the recommendations, particularly in relation to women’s rights, were overly broad and lack the specificity necessary to hold State’s accountable for the realization of human rights. Overly broad recommendations are a reoccurring theme throughout the UPR since its inception. States must improve the quality of their recommendations by focusing on specific laws and policies if the UPR is to be a truly transformative mechanism. Civil society must also work to ensure recommendations are more specific and actionable in their stakeholder submissions.

Issues that were not addressed or insufficiently addressed by States include: criminalization of sex work; criminalization of HIV transmission; discrimination and violence against people living with HIV; sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities, young people, trans* people, indigenous people, migrants, people living on low incomes and marginalized people; laws and policies that restrict access to sexual and reproductive health services, education and information; and accountability mechanisms for sexual and reproductive rights violations beyond instances of violence.

Regressive Recommendations

The Holy See made regressive recommendations to Brazil, Ecuador andPoland regarding the protection of the “natural family and marriage, formed by a husband and wife”. The Holy See also recommended toPoland to “protect the right to life”.

Adoption of UPR Reports September 2012

The outcome report for each State under Review during UPR 13 will be adopted at the 21^st session of the Human Rights Council in September 2012. The outcome report indicates which recommendations the State under review will agree to implement. This is the only opportunity for civil society to make an oral statement during the official UPR process. The Sexual Rights Initiative, in collaboration with partners and allies, will work to ensure that sexual and reproductive rights are visible during this segment of the UPR process.

If you would like more information on the UPR process and how to get involved, please review the SRI UPR Toolkit for Sexual Rights advocates published jointly with IPPF. You can access it here in Englishhttp://bit.ly/GTk3tR , French http://bit.ly/NdA7VS , Spanishhttp://bit.ly/MUKJgQ and Arabic http://bit.ly/RICMdu

All the best

Meghan

Meghan Doherty
Advocacy & Communications Officer
Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD)

Abroad Writers' Conference

2012-08-20T19:02:00.002-07:00

Abroad Writers' Conference

Writing Workshops with 3 Pulitzer Prize winners: ROBERT OLEN BUTLER, PAUL HARDING and EDWARD HUMES.

HEVER CASTLE: November 21- 28, 2012.
One week at Anne Boleyn's childhood home. Today it's a historic monument and they hold special events. The castle has been given a 5* rating for its rooms and service. Take our workshops or just attend our lectures followed by formal three-course dinners.

Authors teaching writing workshops and giving lectures are: Pulitzer Prize winners, ROBERT OLEN BUTER, PAUL HARDING, EDWARD HUMES; Contributing editor from Vanity Fair, ALEX SHOUMATOFF. Best Selling authors/historians only giving lectures are: ALISON WEIR, ERIC IVES and SARAH GRISTWOOD.

Follow our Blog: http://abroadwritersconference.wordpress.com/ http://abroadwritersconference.wordpress.com/

Don't forget to enter our writing competition to win a Fellowship.

For more information checkout our website:

Http://www.abroad-crwf.com

Regiona Founding Assembly

2012-08-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Partners,

Greetings from the young advocates!

The Federation of Young Advocates, Inc. (FYA Inc.) is a non-profit, non-stock, volunteer organization of young professionals and advocates on human rights, leadership, environment, poverty alleviation, employment and youth participation in governance. We are not only giving information we provide opportunities. We substitute certainty for uncertainty. We believed that there is still hope and that hope lies in the hands of the youth.

In pursuit to its social commitment, the FYA will have its founding assembly and meeting this August 25, 2012 at the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University-Arevalo Hall from 8am to 4pm. Only one representative from every organization is allowed to join. Since the organization has zero-funding base, you are therefore advised to please bring your own snacks and lunch. For those who wanted to eat outside the campus, there are cheaper foods available.

During the assembly, we will be have the following: amendment of Constitution and By-Laws (CBL), thrusts and mandates, Vision, Mission and Goals (VMG), Logo, election of interim officers and representatives and finalization of the upcoming activities like the 2012 Regional Search for Outstanding Young Advocates.

Your participation in this assembly would mean so much especially in helping and empowering young people through involving them in the process. We hope forward for your active and prompt participation in this assembly.

Please have your confirmation here before August 24, 2012.

Should you have further concerns and questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Janvie S. Amido
Youth Ambassador for Peace
UN-Universal Peace Federation

Council Member
Youth and Students Basic Sector
National Anti-Poverty Commission
Office of the President of the Philippines

Chair and Founder

Federation of Young Advocates, Inc.

Contact Details:

Email: janvieamido@gmail.com
janviercwc_wvdf@yahoo.com.ph

Cellphone Number:+639166273481

We prepare the youth for a brighter future.

National Anti-Poverty Commission Youth and Students Sector Anti-Poverty Agenda

2012-07-27T22:08:00.002-07:00

PASS THE SK REFORM AND EMPOWERMENT BILL

Republic of the Philippines

NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY COMMISSION

YOUTH AND STUDENTS SECTOR

Resolution No. ____

Series of 2012

A RESOLUTION URGING THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE IMMEDIATE PASSAGE OF THE SECURITY OF TENURE BILL (HB 4853) FOR REASONS PROVIDED THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Introduced by: Committee on Labor and Entrepreneurship

WHEREAS, Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that (1)Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment; (2)Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work; (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection;(4)Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests;

WHEREAS, Article 7-A of International Covenant on Economic and Social Cultural Rights of 1966 implemented in 1976 states that: (1) Fair wages and equal remuneration for work of equal value without distinction of any kind, in particular women being guaranteed conditions of work not inferior to those enjoyed by men, with equal pay for equal work; (2) A decent living for themselves and their families in accordance with the provisions of the present covenant;

WHEREAS, under Article 13 Section 3 of the 1987Constitution mandates that, “The state shall afford full protection of labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized and promote full employment and equality of full employment opportunities for all; shall be entitled to security of tenure, humane conditions of work, and a living wage; shall also participate in policy and decision-making processes affecting their rights and benefits as may be provided by law; recognizing the right of labor to its just share in the fruits of production and the right to enterprise to reasonable returns on investments, and to expansion and growth”;

WHEREAS, HB 4853 otherwise known as “An act strengthening the security of tenure of workers in the private sector, amending for the purpose Articles 248, 279, 280, 281 and 288, and introducing new articles 106, 106-A, 106-B, 106-C, 106-D, 106-E, 280-A and 280-B to Presidential Decree No.442, as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines”; is instrumental in ensuring that the Philippine government commits full observance to international agreements it consented upon;

WHEREAS, in 2004, of the 27.2 million employed, 13.9 million are in wage employment. Over six million of those employed are in non-regular work in the broadest sense. While these findings still vary, they all point to the fact that precarious (e.g. contractual) employment is growing;^{^[1]}

WHEREAS, 30% of the labor force is composed by the young people and many of the young workers will be entering the labor force every year;

WHEREAS, there is a need for the young people to act and be involved in the fight against contractualization as it posted risk on their future and their ability to plan a life;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED by the 9^th Parliament of Youth Leaders to approve the resolution urging the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the immediate passage of the Security of Tenure Bill (HB 4853).

RESOLVED FURTHER that copies of this resolution be circulated for endorsement by the Department of Labor and Employment and Office of the President and concurrence of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines.

Adopted, _______________________.

Add caption

Republic of the Philippines

NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY COMMISSION

YOUTH AND STUDENTS SECTOR

Resolution No. ____

Series of 2012

A RESOLUTION

CALLING THE SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

TO VOTE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL

WHEREAS, Article II Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution states that “the State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, intellectual and social well-being”;

WHEREAS, the National Framework for Youth Development - the 2005-2010 Philippine Medium-Term Youth Development Plan of the National Youth Commission acknowledges as national policy agenda to ensure the acceptability, accessibility, availability and affordability of culturally and gender-sensitive/responsive health services and facilities for the young people especially in regard to adolescent health and youth development (AHYD);

WHEREAS, the 1995 Beijing International Conference on Women emphasized that empowering women & young women is the key to a healthy and productive lives and called for the promotion of a reproductive health approach;

WHEREAS, the State shall comply with all its international obligations as a state signatory under various human rights treaties, agreements and instruments relative to reproductive & sexual health, women empowerment such asthe Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), International Convention on Population & Development (ICPD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);

WHEREAS, the State recognizes and guarantees the promotion of gender equality & equity, dignity as a health & human rights concerns and youth empowerment as its social responsibility and should be central in its efforts in addressing reproductive & sexual health care;

WHEREAS, the Young Adult Fertility Survey 3 reported that 73.4% of young females and 35.7% belonging in the 15-24 age bracket experiencing reproductive & sexual health problems; the DOH National Epidemiology Center reveals the highest number of HIV cases in the country, 313 recorded cases in March 2012 alone, with 54% belonging to young people;

WHEREAS,the National Anti-Poverty Commission, Youth & Students Sector as a policy recommending body representing the youth and students sector working on the poverty reduction strategies of the government, sees the importance of a timely passage of a national comprehensive reproductive & sexual health policy responsive to the needs of young people as one of the mechanisms to respond to the national poverty reduction programs;

WHEREAS, the National Anti-Poverty Commission, Youth & Students Sector as a policy recommending body representing the youth and students sector believes that every young person is entitled to the protection of his/her human rights, including which is his/her reproductive & sexual health and rights, deems it necessary for these rights to be upheld and not to be delayed;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVEDthat the National Anti-Poverty Commission, Youth and Students Sector urgently calls both Houses of Congress, the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives to cast a vote on the proposed Reproductive Health Bill before the Congress Break in June 2012.

RESOLVED FURTHER that copies of this resolution be furnished to the offices of the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives upon approval.

2012-07-01T22:44:00.002-07:00

For your application, please email us at fya_phil@yahoo.com or youngadvocatesph@gmail.com you can also reach us through our mobile numbers +639487836222 or +639166273481 and look for Mr. Janvie S. Amido. Thank you.

2012-06-26T20:57:00.006-07:00

PRESS RELEASE
June 2012
Quezon City

Contact Persons: MALOU CUETO-TAPIA ROY MAHINAY
0928 504 8649 0943 469 8356

National Farmers’ Council lauds President’s commitment to land reform, warns that the devil is in the details

The 25-member council from the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Farmers and Landless Rural Workers Sectoral Council (NAPC Farmers Council) that represents national federations and networks of small farmers across the country lauded the statement of President Noynoy Aquino promising the completion of CARP, as well as the creation of a task force to oversee the implementation. However, it reminded the President that while these pronouncements are certainly welcome, “the devil is in the details.”

According to Malou Cueto-Tapia, Sectoral Representative (SR) of the NAPC Farmers Council, they are “seriously bothered by these factors, especially the existence of Administrative Order No.7 (AO7)”. “Particularly, we are greatly concerned with Section 29 of AO7 that prevents a transfer of title to the government when there are pending protests or application of exemption or exclusion by the landowner”, SR Malou added. “This practically kills CARP and kills the hope of small farmers who depend on this so-called social justice measure of our country. We strongly urge President Aquino together with other concerned government officials to review other related legislation and totally revoke the portion of the administrative order that derails land reform. ”, SR Malou furthered.

Likewise, the council said that the DAR must train its sights on the contentious landholdings, particularly those with recalcitrant landowners. This is the case in Negros, Camarines, Masbate, Cotabato, and Leyte,” laments Ka Roy Mahinay, an officer of the NAPC Farmers Council. “Unsurprisingly, we will also find these provinces to be burdened by high incidence of poverty such as in Masbate and Negros Oriental with 54.2% and 41.9% (poverty incidence) respectively,” Ka Roy added.

“In the recent years, the Aquino administration has already seen how the farmers sector strengthened their actions such as the recent farmer’s mobilizations that were joined by more hundreds of farmers. Malacañang should be worried as this is a clear evidence that our sector is incredibly unsatisfied with the land reform situation”, NAPC Farmers Council officer Ka Vic Fabe stated. “The recent commitments pronounced by Malacañang are good to hear but could be void without concrete actions such as the revocation of AO7 and other legislative constraints unfavorable to farmers”, Ka Vic added.

Ka Val Vibal, also with the NAPC farmers council, lauded the steps being taken to distribute Hacienda Luisita but said that the same decisiveness should be used to push for coverage in other areas. “We know for a fact that there are landholdings that have supposedly already been distributed under CARP but the farmers have not yet been installed and thus cannot partake of the benefits of having their own land.”###

2012-06-26T20:07:00.003-07:00

September 01, 2011

Peace is our Right: Declare a Peace Day Ceasefire!

We—peace advocates from diverse political, cultural, faith and social backgrounds—urge the Government of the Philippines and the CPP-NPA-NDF to declare a 24-hour ceasefire on September 21. Especially on that date, the ongoing ceasefire between the GPH and the MILF must be upheld.

We support the peace processes and affirm our collective right to peace - peace that is not just the absence of war but also the absence of structural violence. We believe that peace is freedom from fear, want and humiliation.

We draw on the UN-declared International Day of Peace and Non-Violence to highlight the urgent need for peace. The UN General Assembly resolution was passed unanimously in 1981 to give way to a Global Day of Ceasefire. Until now, an annual peace day ceasefire has never been realized in the Philippines.

As we appeal for a ceasefire day, we ask for a million supporters for the peace processes through the One Million Voices for Peace Campaign (OMV). From August to December the OMV campaign will launch photo petitions, Facebook likes, fun runs, local mobilizations and celebrations, film screenings, sports events, indigenous rituals and forums to be held in different communities, regions and key cities nationwide. (For our nationwide peace day plans, visit the GenPeace website)

What difference can one day of ceasefire make? Clearly, it is the difference between life and death at the battlefield. But more importantly, a day of peace is a ray of hope for the Filipino people. It is a day that makes us all believe that—in the brief moment when guns are silenced—peace is possible. A day of ceasefire gives us a glimpse of what we expect to attain in our lifetimes, a just and sustainable peace... freedom from violence in whatever form.

The Filipino people can take a day of respite from all the violence and take the time to reflect on and commit to peace. They can be nourished by a day of ceasefire for as the struggle for towards peace continues thereafter.

WE SUPPORT THE PEACE PROCESSES! DECLARE CEASEFIRE ON PEACE DAY!

Courtesy: GenPeace Philippines

2012-06-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

Search for Outstanding Young Advocates 2012

Nomination Form

The 2012 Search for Outstanding Young Advocates will recognize individuals or organization that has made concrete and significant contributions to the advancement of youth development and empowerment on the following categories: Education (Academic or Non-Academic), Peace and Human Rights, Youth Development/Empowerment (Good Governance, Legislation), Media (Entertainment, Information Technology, Journalism), Culture and the Arts, Volunteerism (Community Organizing/Service), Sports, Health and Environment, Labour and Entrepreneurship. This application is open for all young people region wide aging 15 to 30 years old.

This nomination form has four parts:

I. Basic information

II. Narrative description and justification of nomination

III. Letter of support by second nominator

IV. Supplementary information (optional)

To submit a nomination, please fill out this form and mail it to the Federation of Young Advocates by post. Please include in your mail the updated resume of the nominee. All nomination materials, resume, including any supplementary documents where applicable, must be received by the FYA no later than September 30, 2012.

*Application with deficient information or supplementary documents will be automatically disqualified without any notice.

Shortlisted nominees will be notified by email or post and will undergo series of interviews. Awards will be given on January 2013 in Iloilo City during the Dinagyang Festival. There is only one awardee per category.

Please contact us if you have any questions. Thank you for your interest in the 2012 Search for Outstanding Young Advocates.

Address: Federation of Young Advocates (Attn: SOYA 2012)

C/o Insular Life Office, Insular Bldg., General Luna St., Iloilo City

Phone: +63916-6273-481/ +63948-7836-222

Email: fya_phil@yahoo.com

youngadvocatesph@gmail.com

Website: www.facebook.com/federationofyoungadvocates

www.youngadvocatesph.blogspot.com

ELIGIBILITY

The nominee will be selected based on the following criteria:

1. The nominee should be in his/her advocacy for not less than 1 year with proper documentation of the existence of the organization or otherwise if individual.

2. The nominee must not be over 30 years old or less than 15 years old before September 30, 2012. The nominee should submit together with his/her application the photocopy of his/her NSO Authenticated Birth Certificate.

3. The nominee should be endorsed by at least two individual or organization.

4. The nominee should submit his/her updated resume with 2 recent 2x2 pictures (white background).

5. The nominee should be a Filipino citizen.

6. In not less than 500 words the nominee should tell us something that describes her/himself.

Every qualified nominee is encouraged to prepare a 15 minutes power point presentation to how he/she have helped the community in his/her specific category. Please include actual photos and other necessary information relating to your advocacy.

Guide questions:

1. What is advocacy for you?

2. What is your advocacy all about?

3. How can you influence the community with that advocacy?

4. Why the people should be aware about your advocacy?

5. (If you are having an on-going project) Why there is a need to pursue that project?

6. How can you encourage the people in the community to support your advocacy?

Award Package: Trophy and other awards will be announced

I have read and understood the official guidelines for entry to the awards program. I agree to abide and be bound by the guidelines and decisions of the judges, which are final and binding in all respects. I warrant that all information contained in this entry is true and accurate. I grant the organizers and sponsor all rights to use my name, photographs, videotape or likeness of me, and statements made by or attributed to me relating to the awards program, for any legal purpose including without limitation, advertising, publicly, and other commercial purposes, in any and all forms of media, including the internet, without further compensation. I hereby assign all rights, title, and interest in this submission to Federation of Young Advocates.

________________________ ______________________ Printed Name and Signature of the Applicant Date

______________________________________ Please indicate to which category the nominee belongs.	Search for Outstanding Young Advocates 2012 Nomination Form
I. Basic information (pLEASE FILL-OUT ALL INFORMATION LEGIBLY) hereby nominates (Name of Nominator) for the Outstanding (Name of Nominee) Young Advocates Award 2012. Signature: Date: _ Nominee’s information Street Address: ________________________________ City: ____________Province:____________________ 2” x 2” Photo Tel:_____________ Fax:________________________ Please make sure that you have written the name of the nominee at the back of the picture. Email:_______________________________________ Website: _____________________________________ Contact Person: _______________________________ Nominator’s information Name:_______________________ Title/Position: ____________________________ Organization: _________________________________________________________ Street Address:________________________________________________________ City: _________________________ Province:______________________________ Tel:________________________________ Fax:____________________________ Email:_____________________ Website: _________________________________ Relationship to nominee, if any:_ I have worked very closely with this NGO as one of the partner NGO of the organization ________________________________ * Are you submitting this nomination in your personal capacity, or on behalf of your organization? □ As an individual □ On behalf of my organization
	Search for Outstanding Young Advocates 2012 Nomination Form
II. Narrative description OF NOMINEE Please describe how the nominated individual or organization has made concrete and significant contributions to the advancement of youth development in his specific category. Discuss the nominee’s achievements, commitment and leadership qualities, and where applicable, any unique reasons why the nominee should be given the Outstanding Young Advocates Award this year. (Please attach additional pages if necessary.)
	Search for Outstanding Young Advocates 2012 Nomination Form
III. Letter of Support by Second Nominator In order to be eligible for consideration, each nominee must be nominated in writing by at least two credible organizations or individuals from the field of youth development on a specific category. Thus, please seek a second individual or organization to support your nominee, and ask that nominator to fill out this form. The second nominator’s form may be sent either separately or together with the first nominator’s form. _________________________________ hereby supports the nomination of (Name of Second Nominator) _____________________________________ for the Outstanding Young (Name of Nominee) Advocates Awards 2012. Signature: __________________________ Date: ____________________ Second Nominator’s information Name:__________________________ Title/Position:___________________________ Organization: ___________________________________________________________ Street Address:__________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________ Country:_____________________________ Tel:__________________________ Fax:_____________________________________ Email:________________________ Website: _________________________________ Relationship to nominee, if any:__________________________________________________ * Are you submitting this nomination in your personal capacity, or on behalf of your organization? □ As an individual □ On behalf of my organization To the second nominator: Please attach a letter explaining your reasons for supporting this nomination.*
	Search for Outstanding Young Advocates 2012 Nomination Form
IV. Supplementary Information (optional) Supplementary information about the nominee, such as relevant publications or media coverage, may be included in the nomination. Please note that all supplementary information must be electronic, in either PDF or Word format. If the material is in a language other than English, please translate it or provide a summary. Please use the space below to list the names of each file. Do not list any website URLs. You may email supplementary files to fya_phil@yahoo.com , or save them on a CD and send to the FYA by post, along with this form. 1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________ 4. ________________________________________________ 5. ________________________________________________ 6. ________________________________________________ 7. ________________________________________________ 8. ________________________________________________ -end-

2012-06-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

Be a part of the first and largest assembly of Filipino young leaders on transformational leadership this 15 and 16 September 2012 in Bohol. This first set of Primer is a general guide intended for our friends in this Fan Page. A separate Primer for the participants will be mailed together with the invitation letters and endorsements from CHED, DEPED, DILG, and NYC to schools, youth organizations, and SK offices this July. Invite your friends. Share the news.

I Transform! Making Transformation Happen!

For additional information, you may keep in touch with the Convention Secretariat through this site or through email: youthlead_philippines@yahoo.com or mobile: 09158974934.

For Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.392777650759843.81111.345492055488403&type=1

2012-06-19T23:33:00.002-07:00

What is Youth and Students Sectoral Council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission under the Office of the President?

The National Anti-Poverty Commission - Youth and Students Sector is one of the fourteen basic sectors representing the community it directly report to the Office of the President of the Philippines. It is an institution created by virtue of the Republic Act 8425 or the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act of 1998. It serves as a coordinating and monitoring body to all poverty related agenda of the government. The commission is headed by Pres. Benigno Semion Aquino III as the Chairman.

These are fourteen sectors that composed the commission; Children, Youth and Students, Women, Workers in the Informal Sector, Indigenous People, Artisanal Fisher Folks, Farmers, Non-Government Organization, Formal Labor, Victims of Disaster and Calamity, Person with Disability, Senior Citizens, Urban Poor, and Cooperatives. They are working by sectors with sectoral related agenda in alleviating poverty.

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The Priority Sectoral Agenda of the Youth and Students Sector (YSS)

The sectoral agenda aims to institutionalize mechanisms towards a social security program for young people:

1. Access to Universal Healthcare

2. Public Quality Education

3. Youth Participation in Governance

4. Full Employment

All of the above-stated are all legislative agenda which will focus on the passage, localization, and institutionalization of the following paradigm (legislative agenda + program):

1. Access to Universal Healthcare- execution and formulation of campaign towards the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill Number 4244 (MDG Numbers 3,4,5,and 6)

Ø 1.1 Inter-agency Information and Education Campaign to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS and STIs especially to highly vulnerable sub-sectors of the youth (migrant youth; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Questioning (LGBTIQ).

2. Public Quality Education- Promulgation of resolution to support the Students’ Rights and Welfare Bill (House Bill 2910)

Ø 2.1 Increase state subsidy for State Universities and Colleges nationwide

Ø 2.2 Moratorium on all forms of Tuition Fees and Other Increase (TOFI).

3. Youth Participation in Governance- Formulation and execution of a campaign plan for the passage of the Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) Bill and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform and Empowerment Bill (HB 468).

Ø 3.1 National Training for Community Organizers towards the establishment of the LYDC in municipalities, cities, and provinces nationwide.

Ø 3.2 Baseline research on the mechanisms of the LYDC gathered from case studies.

4. Full Employment- Formulate and advocate for the passage of the Security of Tenure Bill (HB 4853).

Ø 4.1 Resolution in support of the Philippine Airlines- Philippines Airlines Employees Association (PAL-PALEA) Row