Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report key stakeholders were oriented on the salient provisions of the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (R.A. 9262). The concept

Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report

This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. (For project preparatory technical assistance: All the views expressed herein may not be incorporated into the proposed project’s design.

Project Number: 43407 April 2015

Philippines: Strengthened Gender Impacts of Social Protection (Financed by the Gender and Development Cooperation Fund)

Prepared by PILIPINA, Inc.

Quezon City, Philippines

For Department of Social Welfare and Development

TA 7587 PHI: Social Protection Support Project

PILIPINA, Inc Final Report

(Covering the Period 1 November 2012 to 31 December 2014)

KNOWLEDGE SUMMARY

The Technical Assistance (TA) for the Strengthened Gender Impacts of Social Protection was approved by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2010 to improve the gender responsiveness of the ADB-supported conditional cash transfer program of the government, known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (referred to as Pantawid throughout the report). The first activity under the TA was the conduct of participatory gender audits to assess initial gender impacts of Pantawid. Based on the findings in the gender audits, village-level gender action plans (GAPs) were prepared, integrating recommendations of women beneficiaries, communities and local and regional Pantawid staff. In October 2012, the non-government organization (NGO) PILIPINA, Inc. was contracted by ADB to support the implementation of the GAPs at the village and municipal levels. This second phase of the TA, named NGO1NGO to Implement Gender Plan (hereinafter referred to as “Project”) sought to provide capacity-building and linkage support for the Pantawid grantee-families in 31 barangays located in one (1) city and nine (9) municipalities to implement their GAPs. The Project activities benefitted women Pantawid grantees through capacity building trainings, linkages to employment/income earning opportunities, awareness raising activities on violence against women (VAW) and women’s and children’s rights, formation of community support groups to address VAW issues, and increased participation in bottom up budgeting process of the local governments. The Project also documented at least 20 human interest stories on the GAP implementation to showcase positive impacts of the project activities, draw out significant experiences and lessons as bases for policy and program recommendations to strengthen the gender equality and women’s empowerment components of the Pantawid Program. A total amount of US$ 127,470.58 (Php 5,333,496.60) was spent for all project activities which comprise 82.6% of total project grant. Key Outputs: Achieved Formation of Pantawid gender and development (GAD) Core Groups

GAD Core Groups of about 8-10 grantees/parent leaders were formed in each barangay to lead the grantees in all activities related to their respective GAPs. Total GAD Core Group members is 291 (284 women).

Improved capacities of Pantawid Capacity building activities conducted for GAD Core

TA 7587 PHI: Social Protection Support Project - NGO1NGO to Implement Gender Plan (43407-013) Contract Number 101742-C41981

Final Report (Covering the Period 1 November 2012 to 31 December 2014) 3

grantees to assess and plan actions for gender issues in Pantawid, in their families and communities

Groups and key local government officials: • Gender sensitivity training (GST) and GAD

planning (387 participants) • Orientation on Bottom Up Planning and Budgeting

(BUB) (474 participants) • Forum on Violence Against Women and Children

(VAWC) (379 participants) Community activities for implementing the GAP participated in by Pantawid grantees, with support from community members, LGUs and resource grouos

• Pantawid grantees in the 31 project barangays participated in validation of GAD assessment, capacity needs survey and resources inventory for GAP implementation (5,087 participants)

• Livelihood skills training: 1,945 participants (1,864 or 96% women)

Knowledge products on management of gender in CCT programs

• 28 stories were collected; 20 were written and submitted as human interest stories

• PILIPINA also participated in two (2) national conferences on the GAP implementation, organized by the DSWD Pantawid NPMO GAD where its policy and program recommendations were adopted.

Key Results: a) 291 Pantawid grantees and women leaders in the community were organized

as GAD Core Group members, who would serve as community mobilizers and motivators in the implementation of the GAPs. They would also serve as frontline advocates and links with the local resource groups and stakeholders, particularly, the local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs).

b) Initial results of the Project show that there is increased awareness of Pantawid grantees, in particular, the GAD core group members, on gender equality and women’s human rights which they seek to apply in their family lives, especially with regard changing their relationship with their husbands/partners and children.

c) Enhanced capacities in responding to VAWC cases have also been shown,

with some grantees tapped to handle cases in their respective barangays. Some barangays, particularly those in Sta. Catalina and Dumalinao, have set up quick response teams (QRTs) with the GAD Core Group as members.

d) 1,945 (81 males, 1,864 females) attended the livelihood skills training of their choice, with a few starting to improve their livelihood activities and gain some more income or savings from applying what they have learned.

Some grantees have also started to organize themselves for mutual sharing of resources and information as well as to conduct common capacity-building activities.

Commitments from the other resource groups, particularly the DSWD-SLP, DA and non-government organizations, such as the Partnership for Philippine Support Service Agencies (PhilSSA) to train the remaining grantees, to undertake follow-up and post-training support, specifically access to micro-credit and referrals to employment opportunities, were also firmed up.

Lessons Learned

1) These convergence of resource groups and institutions that have been initially tapped by the Project need to be harnessed to ensure that commitments to: a) implement the skills training for the remaining number of grantees; and, b) post-training support are followed-through.

2) The initial raising of consciousness on gender equality and women’s rights among the grantees needs to be reinforced, not necessarily in the form of seminars and trainings, but through collective action, where they can come together for mutual sharing and learning from their experiences. These could be done through the parent-leaders’ meetings and community activities that they undertake as Pantawid grantees.

3) Male role models who champion gender equality and respect women’s human

rights need to be formed. The women subjects in the Human Interest stories have expressed the need for their husbands to undergo gender sensitivity training (GST) so that they could better appreciate the principles of valuing women’s work and shared breadwinning and household work.

DSWD and/or even LGU GAD budgets could be tapped for this purpose.

4) Further noting that Project implementation has been disrupted by natural

calamities and human-made crisis situations, women’s rights need to be asserted in these situations, as well. Orientation on women’s rights in disaster and crisis situations, should be integrated in family development sessions (FDSs) on disaster-preparedness.

For municipalities affected by armed conflicts, such as Alegria, Surigao del Norte and Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, an orientation on the Philippine National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security (which also use the Magna Carta of Women as legal basis), can be undertaken.



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Project NGO1NGO to Implement Gender Plan was implemented by PILIPINA, Inc. from November 2012 to December 2014. The Project sought to provide capacity-building and linkage support for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid) grantee-families in 31 barangays located in one (1) city and nine (9) municipalities to implement their Gender Action Plans (GAPs). The Pantawid Program is the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) of the Philippine Government. The Project was also expected to document at least 20 human interest stories on the GAP implementation, draw out significant experiences and lessons as bases for policy and program recommendations to strengthen the gender equality and women’s empowerment components of the Pantawid Program. The following milestone activities were undertaken to mobilize and enhance the capacity of the Pantawid grantees in the selected sites in refining and implementing their respective gender action plans (GAPs):

1) Formation of Gender and Development (GAD) Core Groups composed of Pantawid Parent-Leaders and active community women leaders. Capacity building activities were provided for the GAD Core Groups, including: a) Gender sensitivity training (GST) and GAD planning. This activity sought to

increase the awareness of the GAD Core Group members and other stakeholders (Pantawid local team, key LGU officials and personnel) on the basic concepts, key issues and principles of gender and development. GAD Core Group members also fleshed out the implementation of their local GAPs.

b) Multi-stakeholders’ forum on addressing violence against women and their children (VAWC). GAD Core Group members, selected Pantawid grantees and key stakeholders were oriented on the salient provisions of the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (R.A. 9262). The concept and strategy of community-based initiatives to respond to VAWC was also introduced.

c) Orientation and agenda-building among Pantawid parent-leaders for constructive engagement in the Bottom-up Planning and Budgeting (BuB) process. The activity gathered all parent-leaders of the city/municipality to orient them on the rationale, principles and processes of BuB and also to

help them appreciate the important role they play in the BuB, including being chosen as a representative to the local poverty reduction action team (LPRAT). The participants also collectively agreed on the programs and projects that they would push for adoption in the local poverty reduction action plan (LPRAP).

d) Revalidation of GAPs and livelihood skills training in Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda affected (Coron, Palawan; Carles, Iloilo, and Balete ,Aklan). This activity was done primarily to find out if the livelihood skills training needs previously identified were still relevant, after the typhoon struck. Participants also shared their experiences, which served as an informal post-trauma stress debriefing (PTSD) session.

2) Pantawid grantees’ participation in community activities for implementing the

GAP, with support from the community members, local government units (LGUs) and resource groups. These activities included:

a) Barangay assemblies to revisit/validate the results of the gender audit/assessment undertaken in a previous phase of the Project; as well as refine and improve the gender action plan based on the validated gender issues and priorities of the Pantawid grantees. Capacity needs assessment (CNA), livelihood skills inventory-surveys as well as resource groups’ mapping were also conducted;

b) Dialogue forum with resource groups & stakeholders to present the

GAPs, particularly, the livelihood skills training needs of the Pantawid grantees in the project barangays and to generate commitments from the groups to respond to the needs of the grantees for sustainable livelihood and gainful employment;

c) Livelihood skills training which were community-based and short-term

(minimum of 1 day, maximum of 5 days), community-based livelihood skills training which would serve as initial steps for grantees to gain access to sustainable livelihood through engaging in microenterprises or gainful employment.

A total of 1,945 grantees (81 males, 1864 females) in the ten (10) pilot municipalities/city participated in the livelihood skills training of their choice, with a few starting to improve their livelihood activities and gained some more income or savings from applying what they learned.

A significant number of trainees are waiting for the post training support in the form of access to micro-credit assistance or referrals to gainful employment from the Sustainable Livelihood program (SLP) of the DSWD.

3) Writing and packaging of knowledge products, as well as generation of policy

and program recommendations on management of gender in CCT programs. This was done through gathering and writing of human interest stories which will provide ‘faces” and ‘experiences’ of the effects and ‘results so far’ of Project



processes and interventions, which could inform DSWD Pantawid NPMO as well as National and Regional Advisory Committees in their integration and scaling-up of gender equality and women’s empowerment strategies in the Program. PILIPINA also participated in two (2) national conferences on the GAP implementation, organized by the DSWD Pantawid NPMO GAD where its policy and program recommendations were adopted.

A total amount of US$ 127,470.58 (Php 5,333,496.60) was spent for all project activities which comprise 82.6% of total project grant Initial results of the Project show that there is increased awareness of Pantawid grantees, in particular, the GAD core group members, on gender equality and women’s human rights, which they seek to apply in their family lives, especially with regard transforming relationships with their husbands/partners and children. Enhanced capacities in responding to VAWC cases have also been shown, with some grantees tapped to handle cases in their respective barangays. Some barangays, particularly those in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental and Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur, have set up quick response teams (QRTs) with the GAD Core Group, as members Prior to the Project interventions, the DSWD-SLP focused its interventions on Set 1 grantees (i.e., those who were enrolled in the Pantawid Program in its pilot phase). , in the light of their imminent graduation from the Program. Through the advocacy of PILIPINA, Set 3 grantees (i.e., those who were enrolled in the Pantawid Program in Year 2010) coming from the pilot barangays were also prioritized to participate in the DSWD-SLP. The DSWD Pantawid NPMO GAD also adopted the suggestion to include selected GAD Core Group members to participate in the National Wrap-up Conference on the Implementation of the Municipal Gender Action Plan, held on 4-6 August 2014 held at Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City. The grantees’ presence in the Conference affected the dynamics of the participants’ interaction in a positive way. The discussions generated in the conference were also enlivened and enriched with the experiences and perspectives of the grantees.

I. INTRODUCTION

The Social Protection Support Project (SPSP) was extended by the Asian Development Bank to the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program for targeted poor households, or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid), of the Philippine Government being implemented through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in 2010. Women are the primary recipients of the cash grants because of their role in fulfilling the conditionalities of the subsidy which are to keep their children in school and ensure health care-seeking behaviour of families with pregnant women and children. Culturally, women are found to be more reliable as custodians of funds because “they have engendered the responsibility to channel the cash primarily to their children’s health and education needs; and are least prone to spending on non-essential consumption such as cigarettes, gambling and alcohol.”1 Gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Pantawid Program, therefore, are explicit goals of the SPSP. To contribute to the above goals, capacity building support for Pantawid grantees are coursed through the family development sessions (FDS), which is a series of structured learning and sharing sessions with topics covering family relations and growth, parenting and child-rearing, livelihood, community roles and citizenship. A technical assistance (TA) project (TA 7587: Strengthened Gender Impacts of Social Protection) was also undertaken to improve the gender-responsiveness of the Pantawid program in the pilot areas. The outputs were: 1) participatory gender audits of the implementation processes and gender impacts of the Pantawid Program; 2) community-driven and municipal-level gender action plans (GAPs); and 3) knowledge products related to management of gender in the CCT program.2 The first activity undertaken under the TA was a series of participatory gender audit/assessment on the implementation of the Pantawid program. Aside from regional and local DSWD Pantawid staff as participants, the gender audit/assessment was also held in 30 barangays in 1 city and 10 municipalities spread out in 8 administrative regions across the country. Focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with Pantawid beneficiaries at the barangay level to understand key gender issues, needs, constraints, and measures needed to strengthen gender equality benefits from the Pantawid program. A specific output from the gender audits/assessments was the formulation of gender action plans (GAPs) by each participating barangay. On October 2012, PILIPINA was contracted by ADB to support implementation of the localized GAPs.

1 Final Inception Report dated 22 April 2013 submitted by PILIPINA.

2 Asian Development Bank, TORs for NGO Services, pdf, TA7587 PHI, page 1.



II. REVIEW OF PROJECT CONCEPT AND PLAN

A. Scope of NGO’s Services PILIPINA, Inc. was contracted to undertake the second activity of the TA project gender pilot initiative, which sought “to provide capacity-building and establish essential linkages for the Pantawid (sic) grantee-families in the 30 barangays to implement their Gender Action Plans (GAPs).3 PILIPINA’s deliverables also included documenting at least 20 human interest stories on the GAP implementation within its community and cultural contexts and use this and the evaluation of the TA process to provide lessons and policy and program recommendations to the DSWD Pantawid Program management.”4 B. Objectives of the Assignment The GAP Implementation Project sought to support the DSWD Pantawid GAD Focal Points to:

1) Build the capacity of Pantawid grantees in thirty (30) pilot barangays in ten

(10) cities and municipalities to implement their gender action plans (GAPs);

2) Provide technical and logistical support for GAP implementation;

3) Monitor GAP implementation and document human interest stories C. Project Outputs The Project was expected to deliver the following outputs:

1) Pantawid GAD Core Group (about 8 – 10) composed of grantees and parent-

leaders formed in each barangay and able to lead the grantees in activities related to their GAP;

2) Improved capacities of Pantawid grantees to assess and plan actions for

gender issues in Pantawid, in their families and communities;

3) Community activities for implementing the GAP are participated in by Pantawid grantees, with support from the community members, LGUs and resource groups;

3 Final Inception Report dated 22 April 2013 submitted by PILIPINA

4 Ibid

4) Lessons from the TA Project and human interest stories are written and packaged;

5) Policy and program recommendations of the TA project submitted to DSWD Pantawid Program

D. Strategies In order to accomplish the abovementioned objectives and outputs, the following strategies were mapped out:

1) Capacity-building on gender and Development (GAD), including gender

sensitivity training (GST) and GAD Planning of Core Group members and orientation on addressing violence against women and children (VAWC);

2) Resource inventory, mapping and linkaging including: dialogue with and accessing services from local government units (LGUs), national government agencies (NGAs) and other resource groups; participation in LGU GAD planning and budgeting process, particularly, the Bottom-up Planning and Budgeting (BuB) process;

3) GAP implementation with Pantawid grantees participation, particularly, livelihood skills training;

4) Documentation and learning lessons of TA activities and implementation

including writing and packaging of human interest stories; and

5) Joint TA evaluation and generation of recommendations to improve GAD mainstreaming in the DSWD Pantawid Program.

E. Project Locations

The project sites (31 barangays located in 1 city and 9 municipalities) were selected by

the DSWD Pantawid NPMO GAD using the following criteria:

1) Poverty incidence is in the highest 40% among all the municipalities in the province;

2) Site for convergence of DSWD poverty reduction programs, i.e., Pantawid, Kakahi-CIDSS and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP);

3) Significant number of single-headed households among Pantawid beneficiaries;

4) Presence of indigenous or tribal ethnic population; 5) Relative accessibility of the area; and 6) Place is relatively stable, in terms of peace and security.



The list of project sites is listed in the table below, with the corresponding community development officers (CDOs) assigned to these sites:

Table 1: List of Identified Project Sites

Region/Province Municipality / City Barangays (villages)

LUZON

Region II/ Isabela

1. Sta Maria Bangad

Calamagui North

San Antonio

Region IV-B/ Palawan 2. Coron Buenavista

Decabobo

Tagumpay

Region V/ Albay

3. Legaspi City

Bgy. 37 Bitano (Poblacion)

Bgy. 59 Puro

Bgy 63 Bangquerohan

Region V/ Sorsogon

4. Pilar Guiron

Lumbang

Sta. Fe

VISAYAS

Region VI/ Aklan

5. Balete Aranas

Arcangel

Feliciano

Region VI/ Iloilo

6. Carles Bancal

Guinticgan

Nalumsan

Region VII/ Negros Oriental

7. Sta. Catalina Cawitan

Fatima

Obat

MINDANAO

Region IX/ Zamboanga del Sur

8. Dumalinao Mecolong

Paglaum (Poblacion)

Sumadat

Region XI/ Davao del Sur

9. Kiblawan Balasiao

Cogon-Bacaca

Dapok

Region XIII/ Surigao del Norte

10. Alegria Alipao

Anahaw

Julio Ouano

Alegria (Poblacion)

III. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS In undertaking project activities, PILIPINA used as reference/ starting point the results of the participatory gender audit conducted under phase 1 of the TA. Issues and needs identified during the gender audits, and actions to address these were included in the

gender action plans formulated by the beneficiaries. For instance, a major gender issue identified was the lack of livelihood and employment opportunities for women. Incidences of violence against women were also among the issues mentioned. Based on these needs, beneficiaries were provided with livelihood skills trainings, gender sensitivity trainings and forum on violence against women. A. Deliverables achieved Achieved Formation of Pantawid gender and development (GAD) Core Groups

GAD Core Groups of about 8-10 grantees/parent leaders were formed in each barangay to lead the grantees in all activities related to their respective GAPs. Total GAD Core Group members is 291 (284 women).

Improved capacities of Pantawid grantees to assess and plan actions for gender issues in Pantawid, in their families and communities

Capacity building activities conducted for GAD Core Groups and key local government officials: • Gender sensitivity training (GST) and GAD planning (387

participants) • Orientation on Bottom Up Planning and Budgeting (BUB)

(474 participants) • Forum on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC)

(379 participants) Community activities for implementing the GAP participated in by Pantawid grantees, with support from community members, LGUs and resource grouos

• Pantawid grantees in the 31 project barangays participated in validation of GAD assessment, capacity needs survey and resources inventory for GAP implementation (5,087 participants)

• Livelihood skills trainings: 1,945 participants (1,864 or 96% women)

Knowledge products on management of gender in CCT programs

• 28 stories were collected; 20 were written and submitted as human interest stories

• PILIPINA also participated in two (2) national conferences on the GAP implementation, organized by the DSWD Pantawid NPMO GAD where its policy and program recommendations were adopted.

The following key outputs were accomplished by the Project: 1. Formation of Pantawid GAD Core Groups GAD Core Groups (about 8 – 10 members) composed of grantees and parent-leaders were formed in each barangay. The GAD Core Groups serve as the primary implementers to support in the implementation of the localized GAPs. Initial observation shows that they are able to lead the grantees in activities related to their respective GAPs.

Table 2: Number of GAD Core Group Members per City/Municipality

City/Municipality Male Female Total Sta.Maria, Isabela

0

30

30

Coron, Palawan

0

20

20

Legazpi City, Albay

0

28

28



City/Municipality Male Female Total Pilar, Sorsogon 0 30 30 Balete, Aklan

0

34

34

Carles, Iloilo

3

23

26

Sta.Catalina, Negros Oriental

0

34

34

Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur

1

29

30

Kiblawan, Davao del Sur

0

30

30

Alegria, Surigao del Norte

3

26

29

TOTAL

7

284

291

A total of 319 individuals were identified and participated in the survey for the GAD Core Group. However, 291 parent-leaders and community leaders became actively involved throughout the duration of the project. The GAD Core Group members played a key role in the implementation of the project. They served as community mobilizers and communication links of their respective Pantawid groups. They were also the frontline advocates and links with the local resource groups and stakeholders, especially the barangay and municipal government officials and heads of public service agencies. Capacity building interventions were designed and implemented by the PILIPINA team to enable the GAD Core Group function efficiently and effectively (Please see following section on Improvement of Capacity). At the end of the project, GAD Core Group members have become strong GAD champions in their communities, able to articulate women’s needs and negotiate with other stakeholders in addressing these needs. They are recognized as leaders in their communities and their knowledge and expertise on key gender issues, particularly in handling cases on violence against women and their children (VAWC), are tapped by their respective barangay LGUs. The sustainability of the project, particularly in terms of responding to community issues and concerns from a gender perspective, lies in the continued involvement of these GAD Core Group members. It is important, therefore, to continue to train and form them as local GAD speakers and trainers, as well as harness their leadership abilities as local GAD advocates.

2. Improved capacities of Pantawid grantees to assess and plan actions for gender issues in Pantawid, in their families and communities.

The following activities were undertaken towards this end: Table 3: Activities Undertaken Leading to Improved Capacities of Grantees

Activity Participants No. Of Participants Date Facilitators/ Resource Persons

Male Female Total Gender Sensitivity Training (GST) and GAD Planning

GAD Core Group members Municipal Links (MLs) Key LGU officials and personnel

28

359

387

October - December 2013

Invited Resource Persons/ Trainers PILIPINA CDOs Regional GAD Focal Persons

Orientation on Bottom-up Planning and Budgeting (or BUB) *Figures reflect number of participants from Sta. Maria, Isabela; Coron, Palawan; Balete, Aklan and Carles, Iloilo

All Parent Leaders in the City/ Municipality Key LGU officials and personnel Municipal Links (MLs)

26*

448*

474*

October - December 2013 (Sta. Maria, Isabela, Balete, Aklan; Carles, Iloilo; Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental; Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur; Kiblawan, Davao del Sur and Alegria, Surigao del Norte) September 2014 (Coron, Palawan)

Invited Resource Persons from DILG, NAPC or CSOs PILIPINA CDOs Regional GAD Focal Persons

Multi-stakeholders’ Forum on Addressing VAWC *Figures do not reflect number of Participants from Alegria, Surigao del Norte


7*

352*

379*

March- May 2014

Invited Resource Persons PILIPINA CDOs Regional GAD Focal Persons

Revalidation of Livelihood Skills Training in Typhoon Yolanda affected areas (Coron, Palawan; Balete, Aklan & Carles, Iloilo)


16

94

110

February 2014

PILIPINA CDOs



Four (4) key interventions were undertaken by the PILIPINA Team to build the capacities of GAD Core Group members in advocating gender equality, women’s human rights and participatory governance. Municipal Links and LGU officials and staff also participated in these capacity-building sessions:

i) The Gender Sensitivity Training (GST) and GAD Planning was a 2-3 day training activity which sought to increase participants’ awareness on the basic concepts, key issues, principles and strategies of gender and development; as well as orient them on laws and policies promoting gender equality and women’s human rights. A detailed implementation of the GAP was also mapped out.

Gender Sensitivity Training

and GAD Planning:

Traits of men and women Sta. Maria, Isabela

Gender Sensitivity Training and GAD Planning:

Collage of elements of a Gender-fair society Alegria, Surigao del Sur

ii) Supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda wrought havoc in three (3) project sites,

namely: Coron, Palawan; Balete, Aklan and Carles, Iloilo. To make the project more relevant to the needs of the grantees, a focus group discussion (FGD) was undertaken with selected Pantawid grantees who were also survivors of the supertyphoon. Participants were able to share their experiences on the effects of supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda on themselves and their families. They were also oriented on what their rights are in situations of disasters and calamities, as provided for by the Magna Carta of Women. Revalidation/review of their GAPs, especially those pertaining to livelihood, were also undertaken.

iii) The Multistakeholders’ Forum on the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children (Anti-VAWC) Act was conducted to provide selected Pantawid grantees with stock knowledge and handles to respond to issues of violence against women and their children. Key duty bearers who have a critical role in addressing VAWC cases were also invited. The concept and strategy of community-based initiatives to respond to the issue was also introduced.

Each participant was given a colourful pamphlet published by a public interest lawyers’ group, explaining the key features of the Anti-VAWC Law (Republic Act 9262) in simple terms, using the Tagalog language. The pamphlet proved to be useful as awareness-raising material, as well as reference in handling VAWC cases referred to the GAD Core Group members. The Municipal Government of Alegria supported the VAWC Forum of the Pantawid grantees, as part of its Women’s Month celebration.

iv) The BuB Forum gathered all parent-leaders of the city/municipality to

orient them on the rationale, principles and processes of the Bottom-up Planning and Budgeting (BuB). It also sought to help the parent-leaders appreciate the important role they play in the BuB, which is as one of the three CSO signatories to the local poverty reduction action plan (LPRAP) to be submitted for funding by the participating national government agencies.

Funding for the conduct of the BuB Fora, in Sta. Maria, Isabela and Coron, Palawan was sourced from the TA funds; while those in six (6) other project sites were supported by the DSWD RPMOs. The two project sites in Region V were unable to hold their BuB fora due to lack of material time to organize as well as availability of funds to advance for the conduct of the forums.

The immediate effect seen among the participants, after these series of interventions, was the increase in awareness on women’s human rights, gender equality and



participatory governance. Knowledge of laws and policies that seek to promote and protect women’s rights and gender equality lead to assertion of rights, both within the household and the community. Male GAD Core Group members, or even male spouses of the GAD Core Group, gained a deeper appreciation of shared breadwinning and household chores. They realized that taking on domestic chores, such as childcare and laundry is not a diminution of their manhood, but could actually lead to a healthy family relationship. Benjie Andres Tanes Parent Leader in Brgy.Bancal, Carles, Iloilo

Benjie Andres Tanes, a fisherman since his

boyhood, is the only male among ten parent

leaders in Brgy. Bancal.

The gender sensitivity training of the Project for

the Carles GAD Core Group members in October

2013 affirmed Benjie’s role as an “Ina-Tay” (a

monicker for his dual role of inay (mother) and

itay (father). His wife, Rosalinda, was working in

the city – a step the couple jointly decided to take

because she had a secretarial diploma with

better chance of getting employed. He now felt

better knowing that it is okay for the husband to

stay home and take care of the children.

Increase in self-worth or self-esteem was also an immediate effect. Whereas before, participants could not imagine leaving their homes for more than a day, they have realized that childcare and household chores could be shared. Many have learned to delegate or rearrange household tasks to other members of the family, including husbands and sons, in their absence. Knowledge of the Anti-VAWC Law and community-based approaches to address VAW has made them a valuable resource in helping their respective barangay LGUs address domestic violence cases in their communities. Some GAD Core Group members also serve as volunteers of the VAW Desks and Quick Response Teams, set up by the Barangay LGUs, such as those in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental and Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur as well as Women Friendly Spaces (WFS) set up through the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Carles, Iloilo.

Arlina Generale Suarez Parent Leader in Brgy.Sumadat, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur Arlina, a member of a Quick Response Team that responds to VAWC cases, now knows what to do where there are incidents of VAWC in her community. The Quick Response Team (QRT) was created in her village, Brgy. Sumadat, DUmalinao, through a resolution of the Barangay Council, which also allocated funds for its operation. This was after the Multi-stakeholder Forum on VAWC in Dumalinao in March 2014, during which community-based mechanisms to respond to VAWC were shared.

The QRT is the barangay team tasked to assist the local police desk to handle cases of violence against women and children. In the Dumalinao pilot barangays, the QRT is composed of the barangay captain, the GAD core group of Pantawid Program parent leaders (of which Arlina is a member), the barangay tanod (village security watch team), the health officer and other volunteers. A community assembly was also called to orient the rest of the families on VAWC and the QRT. As QRT member, Arlina is among the first responders to cases of violence and abuse.

Leah Orlina Aguido Parent Leader in Brgy.Buenavista, Coron, Palawan Leah and her husband, Brgy.Kapitan (village head) Fernando Aguido, attended the Project’s training on Gender and Development and Violence against Women and Children (VAWC) in May 2014. Because of this training, Leah now explains their rights to other women in the barangay, especially those who suffer from domestic violence and are fearful or “walang lakas magreklamo (have no guts to complain).”

Not long after the Project VAWC training, a woman approached Leah and Brgy. Kapitan Fernando, complaining that her husband’s brother came home drunk, she argued with him and they ended up beating each other. So Kapitan Fernando asked the woman what she thought would be a just punishment for the man. She suggested that the Kapitan make her brother-in-law do community service in the barangay, a sanction that Kapitan Fernando imposed and which satisfied the woman. “It was a good thing that my husband was invited to the (Project) training on gender and VAWC. The booklets given on VAWC and women’s rights really help me and my husband. The Kapitan reads and applies them even more than I do,” Leah says.



Participation in the BuB Fora lead to the realization that they have a voice and capacity to influence policies and budgets, i.e., how public funds are to be spent. At the time the first round of BuB Fora were conducted in the project sites, it was found that only a handful of parent-leaders, or even municipal links or LGU officials really had a clear understanding of the BuB program, which was a budget and governance reform initiative of the BS Aquino III Administration. Through the BuB Fora, the GAD Core Group members realized that they could negotiate for public services and projects urgently needed in their communities, through their involvement in the crafting of the local poverty reduction action plan (LPRAP). The BuB Fora also gathered all Parent Leaders in the project municipalities to collectively discuss and agree on the priority programs and projects to be proposed in the local poverty reduction action plan (LPRAP).

3. Community activities for implementing the GAP participated in by Pantawid grantees, with support from the community members, LGUs and resource groups

Table 4: List of Community Activities Participated in by Pantawid Grantees

Activities Participants No. Of Participants Date Facilitators Male Female Total

Validation of GAD Assessment and Capacity Needs Survey; Resources Inventory for GAP implementation

Pantawid Grantees in all 31 project barangays

233

4,845

5.087

June- August 2013

PILIPINA CDOs Regional GAD Focal Persons Municipal Links (MLs) LGU officials and personnel

Dialogue Forum with Resource Groups & Stakeholders

- GAD Core Group members/some Pantawid Grantees

- Resource Groups from national government agencies (NGAS) and non-government organizations (NGOs)

- Key LGU officials and personnel

28

359

387

April- May 2014

PILIPINA CDOs NPMO GAD staff Regional GAD Focal Persons Municipal Links (MLs)

Livelihood trainings - beneficiaries 81 1,864 1,945

Three (3) activities were undertaken to mobilize Pantawid grantees participation in GAP implementation in the pilot barangays;

1. Barangay-level assemblies were conducted to revisit/validate the results of

the gender audit/assessment from a gender perspective; as well as refine and improve the gender action plan based on the validated gender issues and priorities of the Pantawid grantees. Baseline Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA), Livelihood Skills Inventory-Surveys were also conducted; as well as resource groups mapping. These were accomplished in July to August 2013. The first portion of the CNA looked into the level of gender awareness of the Pantawid Program beneficiaries. This was immediately followed by a short learning session to elucidate what gender biases are felt and experienced in their families and communities. The livelihood skills survey drew out the livelihood and employment skills that beneficiaries have and the skills that they hope to acquire, which they identified from a list of common skills or trades which they perceived were needed in their communities or town centers and could possibly bring more income to their households.

GAP Validation:

Gender Perception Check Pilar, Sorsogon

Livelihood Skills Survey: Livelihood Training Needs Assessment Coron, Palawan



PILIPINA developed a new set of tools and processes to assess gender awareness and capacity level of grantees; Livelihood skills training needs identified by the grantees were matched with resources available in the project sites. Results of the GAP validation, CNA and livelihood skills survey were presented during the National Feedbacking Forum organized by the Pantawid NPMO GAD, with the regional GAD Focal Points and Municipal Links (MLs) as participants, on September 2013. The plan of action proposed by PILIPINA was approved by the participants.

2. GAD Core Group members and selected Pantawid grantees were mobilized

to present their issues and aspirations outlined in the gender action plans (GAPs), particularly their livelihood skills training needs, to the resource groups that were invited to a dialogue forum. Representatives of the resource groups, composed of national government agencies (NGAs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) were also requested to present their mandates, programs and services, as well as the requirements needed to avail of these programs and services; as well as what they could commit to respond to the needs expressed by the grantees. Finally, the GAD Core Group members/Parent-Leaders came up with plan of action on the conduct of livelihood skills training, which included distributing sign-up forms to all the targeted grantees regarding the skills training they would prefer to attend.

GAD Core Group members who were selected to do the presentation of their GAPs gained confidence in expressing themselves in public. It was the first speaking engagement for many, so GAD CDOs had to coach them to do the presentations. The Dialogue Forum was undertaken through funding support from DSWD NPMO GAD.

3. The last set of activities undertaken was the Livelihood and Employment Skills Training, which were organized based on the earlier assessments and beneficiary qualification and registration for the feasible trainings. To reach the largest possible number of grantees, given the limited amount of funds, short-term (minimum of 1 day, maximum of 5 days), community-based livelihood skills training were implemented, as initial steps for grantees to gain access to sustainable livelihood and gainful employment. The other consideration was the preference of grantees for shorter duration trainings, since many were not prepared to be away from their homes for long periods of time.

Most of the trainings provided the participants with starter kits. Examples are scissors, comb and covers for the training haircutting and styling and basic tools and implements for basic farming and gardening.

Activities Participants No. of Participants

Female participants

Date Facilitators

Livelihood Skills Training: a. Animal & Livestock

Raising

b. Simple Bookkeeping/ Business Management

c. Haircutting & styling

d. Basic Farming/ Simple Gardening

e. Food Processing (meat, fish & vegetable)

f. Computer Literacy

g. Massage

h. Basic Cosmetology

4Ps Grantees/ beneficiaries fr.: -Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental -Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental -Sta. Maria, Isabela; Pilar, Sorsogon; Carles, Iloilo; & Kiblawan, Davao del Sur

-Alegria, Surigao del Norte -Balete, Aklan & Carles, Iloilo -Legazpi City, Albay -Kiblawan, Davao del Sur -Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental -Balete, Aklan -Coron, Palawan

-Coron, Palawan -Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental; Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Norte; & Kiblawan, Davao del Sur

50

10

219

74

90

60

90

57

25

56

48

164

49 9

212

68

89

60

89

54

25

53

46

162

Sep. 2014 Sep. 2014 Sep. Nov. 2014

Sep. 2014

Sep. 2014 Nov. 2014 Nov. 2014 Oct.-Nov. 2014 Dec. 2014 Sep. Oct. 2014

Sep. Oct. 2014 Sep. Oct. Nov. 2014

Trainer (from Department of Agriculture) Trainers (from TESDA accredited training institutions) Trainers (from Department of Agriculture) Trainers (from TESDA accredited training institutions – Leon Ganzon Polytechnic College) Trainers (from TESDA accredited training institutions) Trainers (from TESDA accredited training institutions – GEFI Community College, Coron, Inc.) Trainers (from TESDA accredited training institutions – GEFI Community College, Corn, Inc.)



A total of 1,945 (81 males, 1,864 females) availed of the livelihood training

activities. Some graduates of the training reported that they have earned

i. Darag Chicken Raising & Organic Farming (Provision of Food & Transportation Subsidy)

j. Soap Making

k. Baking

l. Dressmaking

m. Vegetable/ Corn/Cassava/Rice Production

n. Basic Entrepreneurship

o. Manicure & Pedicure

p. Hog Raising

q. Wood Working & Carpentry

r. Capital Assistance from Philssa

s. Catering

-Balete, Aklan -Pilar. Sorsogon -Coron, Palawan -Balete, Aklan; Carles, Iloilo; Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental; & Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Norte - Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental

-Balete, Aklan & Carles, Iloilo -Sta. Maria, Isabela -Legazpi City, Albay & Pilar, Sorsogon -Balete, Aklan -Coron, Palawan -Legazpi City, Alba

7

20

41

130

50

227

45

380

17

25

60

6

20

41

128

49

219

44

362 0

21

58

Sep. Nov. Dec. 2014 Oct. 2014 Oct. Nov. 2014 Oct. Nov. Dec. 2014 Sep. Nov. 2014 Nov. 2014 Nov. 2014 Nov. 2014 Nov. 2014 Nov. 2014 Dec. 2014

Micro-entrepreneur/leader of a people’s organization from the workers in the informal (WIS) sector Trainers (from TESDA accredited training institutions – GEFI Community College, Corn, Inc.) Trainers (from TESDA accredited training institutions)

TOTAL 1,945 1,864

additional income from practicing the skills that they learned in the training.

Some positive indications include the following.

- Graduates of the Massage training in Coron are reportedly earning an average of Php900.00 per week as on-call massage therapists;

- Some trainees who graduated from the trainings on food processing in Balate, Aklan and Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, were able to invest on the equipment needed, and are now engaged in their own food enterprise.

Livelihood Skills Training: May CuartonMongcal Parent Leader and food processing trainee in Brgy. Feliciano, Balete, Aklan After attending the food processing training for livelihood skills given through the Project in September 2014, May bought her own small steamer costing P900 and started cooking siomai (pork dumplings) and rice cakes with squash, cheese or malunggay (moringa) leaves from recipes she had learned.

May and husband Eduardo now sell siomai at a school canteen. They sell on average P700 worth of dumplings in a school day, making a gross profit of about P350. The sales are good, but she has to pay a 10 percent commission to the canteen and another 15 percent for the school personnel who sell the food items for them. As for leftovers after school hours, May sells them in the public market and the municipal hall of Balete. “At first, I was embarrassed to go around hawking food, but I got used to it,” she says with a smile.



Livelihood Skills Training:

Rosalinda Igong-Igong Arabe (Sally) Parent leader, farming and gardening trainee in Brgy. Poblacion, Alegria, Surigao del Norte. The Project training on Basic Farming and Simple Gardening in September 2014 equipped Sally and other Pantawid Program women in Alegria with better skills for growing vegetables in their home plots. They were also provided with seeds of eggplant, string beans, cucumber, pechay (a green leafy vegetable) and ampalaya (bitter gourd); and a gardening tool kit containing a spade, rake and bolo (machete or long-bladed knife).

After the training, Sally has planted ginger in five sacks as there is no more planting space in her small lot. She along with and 20 beneficiaries have also started to work as a collective and planted a 10-by-15 square-meter piece of land. The harvest was agreed by the group to be divided evenly after a fourth has been allocated as payment to the landowner. The group has had to replant, however, because heavy rains destroyed the already-thriving seedlings of their first crop. Perhaps for now, Sally surmised, collective vegetable farming can add more steady income and better food for their still struggling family.

Also realizing the importance of collective action for mutual resource and

information sharing as well as collective bargaining power, some trainees have

also started to organize themselves. These include the soapmaking trainees,

who named their organization, “Sampaguita Producers Association” and are

sharing the tools and materials given to them as starter kits as well as waiting for

the micro-credit assistance to be provided through the DSWD-SLP.

A significant number of graduates of the training activities are awaiting the post-

training support to be provided by the DSWD-SLP.

The remaining 3,679 grantees were endorsed to DSWD-SLP and the

Department of Agriculture (DA) for skills training; while 819 need to be

revalidated.

Arrangements with the DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program (DSWD) were also

made to provide graduates of these training programs with follow-up assistance in the

form of loans as start-up capital for setting up of micro-enterprises or employment

referrals. DSWD-SLP would also provide the necessary social preparatory activities,

such as learning sessions on personal development, time management and financial

literacy. Those who have potentials in entrepreneurship will be trained on how to come

up with a business plan and basic financial management skills.

Other resource groups also made good on the commitment they made during the

dialogue-forum. The NGO, Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies

(PhilSSA), provided livelihood assistance to 25 grantees (4 males, 21 females) from

Barangay Decabobo in Coron. The LGU of Sta. Catalina in Negros Oriental organized

a one-day training on new technologies to upgrade/increase agricultural productivity.

Some challenges were encountered in the conduct of the livelihood skills training:

1. Distance of the training venue and lack of training facility in the barangay. Efforts were made to reserve a venue that is conducive and accessible to the grantees. However, these were not readily available in some areas. For instance, in Coron, Palawan, very few grantees from the barangays of Decabobo and Buenavista were able to avail of the training which require them to stay in Coron Town Proper for at least five (5) days, even if food and transportation subsidies were made available. On the other hand, there are no venues available in the barangay where trainings could be held.

2. Some skills that were identified such as welding, while having potential marketability, require the grantees to enrolled in the TESDA- accredited national certification (NC) II course. This would require a bigger budget outlay (Php20,000.00 for tuition fee alone) and longer time investments which the grantees were not ready to do.

3. Livelihood skills training activities scheduled in early December 2014 were also affected by natural calamities and security issues. Trainings in Regions V (Legazpi City, Albay and Pilar, Sorsogon) and VI (Balete, Aklan and Carles, Iloilo) had to be postponed due to Typhoons Ruby and Seniang.

Also, on 16 November 2014, two (2) Philippine National Police (PNP) officers, who were on their way to conduct a Family Development Session (FDS) on women’s human rights, were abducted by armed men allegedly belonging to the New Peoples’ Army (NPA). This incident took place in Barangay Alipao (a TA project site) in Alegria. As of the end of Year 2014, pursuit of the rebel elements and recovery operations of the kidnapped police officers were still ongoing. This prompted the Mayor of Alegria to certify a situation of force majeur, thereby temporarily suspending Pantawid FDSs and related activities in all barangays. Around 100



grantees, who were set to have their training on food processing and dressmaking, were affected. Gender tracking or stereotyping in the livelihood skills training enrolled in by grantees was also observed. For instance, the woodwork and carpentry training had an all-male participation; while dressmaking, food processing and other trainings on skills usually attributed to women were dominated by female enrolees. While the issue of gender stereotyping was taken up in the gender sensitivity trainings (GSTs), its paractical application to daily experiences still need to be reinforced. The CDO assigned to Balate, Aklan also shared that the GAD Core Group members strongly recommended the woodwork and carpentry training to increase male participation in the livelihood skills training. A few men did cross the gender lines, such as the two (2) sons of grantees from Coron who enrolled in the Massage training, because male massage therapists were found to earn higher than females.

Table 5: Summary Status of Livelihood Skills Training

City/Municipality Number of Pantawid

Grantees Number of Grantees

Trained For Endorsement to DSWD-

SLP/DA Waived/No Information

Male Female Total Male* Female* Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

Sta. Maria, Isabela 18 332 350 2 116 118 16 216 232 0 0 0

Coron, Palawan 23 638 661 9 161 170 36 452 488 0 3 3

Legazpi City, Albay 39 872 911 3 300 303 23 240 263 11 334 345

Pilar, Sorsogon 40 415 455 19 225 244 7 54 61 17 133 150

Balete, Aklan 70 651 721 19 173 192 46 438 484 5 40 45

Carles, Iloilo 46 482 528 9 258 267 35 190 225 16 20 36

Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental 33 513 546 9 209 218 24 304 328 0 0 0

Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur 41 390 431 0 107 107 15 155 170 26 128 154

Kiblawan, Davao del Sur 27 391 418 5 247 252 0 166 166 0 0 0

Alegria, Surigao del Norte 46 500 546 6 68 74 31 355 386 11 75 86

TOTAL: 383

5,184

5,567 81

1,864

1,945 233

2,570

2,803 86 733 819

* Numbers do not tally because some grantees sent relatives of the opposite sex to the training.

4. Knowledge products on management of gender in CCT programs.

1. Twenty-eight (28) stories were collected, twenty (20) of which were written and packaged into human interest stories. These stories would provide ‘faces” and ‘experiences’ of the effects and ‘results so far’ of project processes and interventions, which could inform DSWD Pantawid NPMO as well as National and Regional Advisory Committees in their integration and scaling-up of gender equality and women’s empowerment strategies in the Program.

The e-publication entitled “Bridging the Gender Gap: Stories of Change in Women’s Lives in the Pantawid Program,“ was submitted to ADB for possible uploading in the ADB and DSWD Pantawid Program website (Please refer to Annex for final draft of collection of Human Interest Stories).

2. The PILIPINA community development officers (CDOs) participated in two (2)

national gatherings organized by the DSWD Pantawid NPMO GAD for discussion on the progress of the project, discussion of issues and concerns as well learning sessions on key topics that have a bearing on the project: the first was the National Feedbacking Forum on the Results of the Nationwide GAD Assessment; and the second, the National Wrap-up Conference on the Implementation of the Municipal Gender Action Plans (GAPs) 2-5 September 2013 held at Ramada Hotel in Binondo, Manila; and 4-6 August 2014 held at Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City. Regular meetings and communications with the Pantawid NPMO GAD as well as with the DSWD-SLP, were undertaken for feedbacking and planning of next steps. This was done until Ms. Riza C.Torrado, the GAD Focal Point, resigned from her post on 31 August 2014. The following policy and program recommendations were adopted by the DSWD Pantawid GAD NPMO, as well as the DSWD-SLP:

3. The priority support extended to grantees in the pilot areas who belong to Set 3 under the Pantawid program (i.e., joined the program in Year 2010). At the onset of TA project, the policy of the DSWD-SLP was to prioritize those who belong to Set 1, who were about to graduate from Pantawid. PILIPINA argued that capacity building interventions towards sustainable livelihood and gainful employment should begin earlier and not wait for the time when the cash grants about to end. As a result, close coordination among the DSWD-SLP personnel at the regional down to the municipal level, the regional GAD focal points, municipal links (MLs) and the PILIPINA CDOs for livelihood support services, was undertaken. DSWD-SLP staff assisted in the scouting of qualified trainers and tapping the services of technical/vocational training institutions. Clear commitments to conduct social preparation activities, as a complement to the livelihood skills training, as well as post-training support were also actualized.

During the review mission conducted in Coron, Palawan on 22-23 September 2014, the DSWD-SLP staff reported that the conduct of social preparatory learning sessions in the pilot barangays were almost completed.

4. The Pantawid NPMO GAD also adopted the suggestion of PILIPINA to include grantees in the second national conference held in Davao City. As a result, one (1) GAD Core Group member from each pilot barangay was invited to participate in the conference, with more participants coming from Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, owing to its proximity to Davao City.

The grantees’ presence in the Conference affected the dynamics of the participants’ interaction in a positive way They openly shared their experience and learnings from the Project activities, as well as the ongoing xhallenges that they face in advocating gender equality and women;s human rights. Many showed marked improvement in assertiveness as well as public speaking. The discussions generated in the conference were also enlivened and enriched with the experiences and perspectives of the grantees.

IV. OVER-ALL ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE A. Impact: The project has shown results in the increased awareness of Pantawid grantees, in particular, the GAD core group members, on gender equality and women’s human rights. They seek to apply this in their family life, especially with regard changing their relationship with their husbands/partners and children. Capacities of GAD core group members in responding to VAWC cases have also been strengthened, with some tapped to handle cases in their respective barangays. Some barangays, particularly those in Sta. Catalina and Dumalinao, are in the process of setting up quick response teams (QRTs) with the GAD Core Group as members.

A total of 1,945 (81 males, 1864 females) participated in the livelihood skills training of their choice, with a few starting to gain some income from practicing what they have learned.

B. Efficiency in Resource Allocation The total amount spent for the conduct of milestone activities, national air travel and land transportation/vehicle hire was US$127,470.58, which comprise 82.6% of total grant amounting to US$154,448.00.

Table 6: Summary of Funds Utilization

Milestone Activity Expenditure in % of Total Budget PhP US$

1. GAP Validation and CNA Survey 337,960.76 8,077.26 5.00% 2. GST and GAD Core Group

Planning

1,047.862.84

25,043.92

16.00%

3. BuB Orientation 77,566.50 1,853.84 1.00% 4. Revalidation in Haiyan/Yolanda

Affected Areas

41,749.25

997.81

0.60% 5. Dialogue Forum with

Stakeholders/Resource Groups

8,000.00

191.20

0.10% 6. VAWC Forum 308,217.75 7,366.40 5.00% 7. Livelihood Skills Training 3,207,932.00 76,669.58 50.00% 8. Human Interest Stories 187,888.00 4,490.52 3.00% 9. National Air travel 94,563.50 2,260.07 1.50%

10. Land Transportation/Vehicle Hire

21,756.00 520.00 0.40%

11. Unutilized Funds 1,128,762.17 26,977.42 17.40%

TOTAL 6,462,258.77 154,448.00 100.00%

The amount spent was proportional to the number of grantees involved as well as the relevance of the activity in the attainment of key outputs and outcomes. Thus, higher budgets were allocated for capacity-building activities such as the GST and GAD Planning and Forum on VAWC. Furthermore, it is only proper that the biggest allocation was given to the conduct of the livelihood skills training. A major challenge encountered in terms of project funding was its financial arrangement, which required PILIPINA to advance the funds for the conduct of milestone activities. Since it was the first time for PILIPINA to implement a project under the Asian Development Bank (ADB), it was unaware of the modes of contracting arrangement employed by the Bank, until it was about to launch its first milestone activity.

Since PILIPINA only has a minimum amount of disposable assets in cash to advance the payments for the implementation of activities, it had to explore different methods of implementation, such as conducting activities by batches. The most extreme measure it had to undertake was to request for bridge financing from private sources (at commercial rate interest payment). It was fortunate that some DSWD Regional Field Offices, supported the activities, specifically, the BuB fora, which provided respite from the stress of sourcing for available funds. These included RFO VI, RFO VII, RFO IX, RFO XI and RFO Caraga which shouldered the entire cost of the BuB Fora.

The Pantawid GAD NPMO also agreed to shoulder the bulk of the expenses of the Dialogue Forums with Resource Groups. The downside of this, however, was because of the bureaucratic process entailed in the downloading of funds and the procurement of services, there was a set back of three (3) months in the implementation of the activity. Other challenges were also encountered in the course of implementing the activities:

1. During the last quarter of 2013, Project activities were disrupted by major human-made and natural disasters, beginning with the armed attack and siege of Zamboanga City, followed by the 7.2. earthquake in the province of Bohol and, worst of all, the strongest typhoon ever experience in the world, Haiyan/Yolanda, which affected nine (9) administrative regions (Regions IV-A, IV-B,V, VI, VII, VIII, X, XI and Caraga) covering 7,488 barangays in 39 provinces.

Among the worst stricken areas by super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda were three (3) of the ten municipalities covered by the Project, namely: Coron, Palawan; Balete, Aklan and Carles, Iloilo, where almost 90% of the residents, including Pantawid grantees and DSWD personnel, were affected. Needless to say, all GAP implementation activities lined up for November and December had to be postponed in favour of much needed relief and recovery work to address the issues of loss of homes and livelihood.

The other areas, while not directly hit by the crises, were affected, as well. DSWD Regional Field Office IX personnel were mobilized to provide humanitarian services to 119,000 evacuees (24,000 families) who were camped out in evacuation centers. As a result, the GST and GAD Planning in Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur, was postponed to December 2013. DSWD Regional Field Office VII staff were also mobilized to respond to the crisis wrought by the Bohol and Cebu earthquake, as well as supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

Even Caraga regional personnel were deployed to assist in the revalidation of listing of 4Ps grantees affected by the supertyphoon in Region VIII. In fact, on the day that the BuB Forum in Alegria, Surigao del Norte, was to be conducted on 29 November 2013, DSWD staff, including the GAD Focal Person and Alegria municipal links were instructed to travel to Leyte. There was also a heavy downpour of rain on that day and thus, the conduct of the activity was not deemed feasible.

2. The turn-over of Regional GAD Focal Persons as well as Municipal Links (MLs) in four (4) project areas, namely: Sta. Maria, Isabela; Coron, Palawan; Kiblawan, Davao del Sur and Alegria, Surigao del Norte, also affected the implementation of the project, since the CDOs had to reorient and readjust to different working styles.

A grave concern, however, is in the DSWD RFO II, where the position of Regional GAD Focal Person, was never filled up.

Another cause for concern is the absence of a permanent GAD Focal Person of the Pantawid NPMO, the position which has been left vacant since the resignation of Ms. Riza Torrado last September 2014. PILIPINA sees the importance of a strong and capable GAD advocate who will see through the sustainability of the efforts initiated by the GAP project and pursue the policy and program recommendations. A recent positive development was the hiring a replacement for Ms. Torrado. Even as the Project has ended, PILIPINA is still committed for the conduct of an exit interview with the NPMO GAD for proper turn-over of steps to be undertaken to ensure the sustainability of project outputs and outcomes.

C. Sustainability Grantees who have undergone livelihood skills training have started to organize themselves for more collective bargaining power as well as prepare themselves for credit assistance. Linkages with other resource groups, such as PhilSSA in Coron, Palawan as well programs and projects that they were able to propose in the BuB process will continue to be a source of support in their GAP implementation. Follow-up with the DSWD-SLP and the Department of Agriculture (DA) need to be undertaken to follow-through where the TA projects ends, in terms of providing the much-needed and anticipated livelihood skills training, post-training support such as accessing the capital needed for the start-up of their micro-enterprise and referring them to possible employment opportunities. V. LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The following lessons and recommendations could be gleaned from the Project:

1. The Project has generated support from other stakeholders, in particular, the

DSWD-SLP, DSWD Regional Field Offices (RFOs), other government agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs). LGU officials, even among those who are openly critical of the DSWD Pantawid Program, such as the Mayors of Coron and Balete, played a facilitative role in the implementation of the key activities and showed their support by their presence or sending representatives to the activities. Some LGUs lent their facilities for the assemblies and the livelihood skills trainings, as well as vehicles for use by the CDOs and/or the participants assemblies

and the livelihood skills trainings, as well as vehicles for use by the CDOs and/or the participants.

Some LGUs shelled out funds from its GAD budget to support a particular milestone activity. The Municipal Government of Alegria supported the forum on VAWC, as part of its Women’s Month celebration in March 2014; while the Municipal Government of Sta. Catalina supported the one-day livelihood skills training.

These convergence of resource groups and institutions that have been initially tapped by the Project need to be harnessed to ensure that commitments to: a) implement the skills training for the remaining number of grantees; and, b) post-training support are followed-through.

2. The personal journey towards deepening of gender awareness is a lifelong and continuing process. While the Project has succeeded in the initial formation of consciousness of gender equality and women’s rights, this needs to be reinforced, not necessarily in the form of seminars and trainings, but through collective action where women-grantees can come together for mutual sharing and learning from their experiences. Male role models who champion gender equality and respect women’s human rights need to be formed. The women subjects in the Human Interest stories have expressed the need for their husbands to undergo gender sensitivity training (GST) so that they could better appreciate the principles of valuing women’s work and shared breadwinning and household work. DSWD and/or even LGU GAD budgets could be tapped for this purpose.

3. Lastly, noting that Project implementation has been disrupted by natural calamities and human-made crisis situations, women’s rights need to be asserted in these situations, as well. The sharing by the PILIPINA CDOs to the typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda on the relevant provisions of the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) on women’s rights in crisis situations proved to be a learning experience for them. Orientation on these relevant provisions should be integrated in family development sessions (FDSs) on disaster-preparedness. For municipalities affected by armed conflicts, such as Alegria, Surigao del Norte and Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, an orientation on the Philippine National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security (which also use the Magna Carta of Women as legal basis), can be undertaken.

Documents

Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report key stakeholders were oriented on the salient provisions of the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (R.A. 9262). The concept