1) Advocacy for the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill. The Transparency and Accountability Network actively pushed for the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill. TAN, in support of the Right to Know! Right Now! (R2KRN) Coalition, implemented various advocacy and communication strategies to generate public awareness and raise public pressure for the passage of the FOI Bill. The R2KRN Coalition, to which TAN is an active member, conducted activities such as meetings/dialogues with the legislators, press/media briefings and conferences, Freedom of Information march/rallies, etc. to push for the FOI Bill in Congress.

2) Supreme Court Appointments Watch. TAN, together with Lawyers’ League for Liberty and Alternative Law Groups, monitored the appointment of the Supreme Court Chief Justice in the country. The group actively pushed for the live media coverage of the appointments process for the Chief Justice and Associate Justice vacancies. The Judicial and Bar Council, the body tasked to lead the selection process, granted the request for live media coverage. The group likewise conducted media conference/briefings/forums to raise public awareness on the issue/process. The group also encouraged participation of other civil society organizations in monitoring the selection and appointments process.

3) Improving the Quality and Responsiveness of Public Service Delivery in Poor and Marginalized Municipalities through Localized Procurement Reform. The JSDF Funded “Improving The Quality And Responsiveness Of Public Spending In Poor Communities Through Localized Procurement Reform” aims to further enhance the impacts of participatory approaches by promoting the participation of volunteers from poor communities in the regular activities of barangay and municipal bids and awards committees. Drawing on the transparency provisions of the procurement law, the grant will support the institutionalization of the participatory procurement processes supported by the KALAHI and other local development projects. Community members and local CSOs are expected to be involved in key elements of procurement processes, e.g, public biddings, canvassing, bid award, contract monitoring, reporting, and oversight. The development of an enabling partnership between the community members/CSOs and the local government units for procurement reform is the key innovative feature of this project. In 2012, TAN was able to conduct two (2) Training of Trainers on Community Participation in Procurement, Social Accountability, and Resource Mobilization and partner with academic institutions for the series of trainings in the communities/barangays.

4) Monitoring and Evaluation of the Philippines Government Electronic Procurement System. In 2012, TAN worked with the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) to monitor and evaluate the compliance of government agencies to the transparency requirements of PhilGEPS.

5) Rapid Assessment of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Seal of Good Housekeeping and Performance Challenge Fund. TAN was part of a consortium (with Caucus of Development NGO Networks, La Salle Institute of Governance, and Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas) which monitored the effectiveness and efficiency of the Department of the Interior and Local Government's (DILG) transparency program (DILG’s Seal of Good Housekeeping). The results of the monitoring were presented to DILG and to the public in 2012.

6) Coordination with CSO and Government Partners on participatory audit

7) Networking and coordination with government and other CSO partners (local and international)

The Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG) was founded in 1986 – the year the county saw the toppling down of the Marcos dictatorship. During that tumultuous time, CCAGG chose to give meaning to people power through sustained citizen participation in governance.

The past 25 years have seen CCAGG at the forefront of empowering the citizens of Abra and other parts of Northern Luzon through various activities and programs and by sharing their experiences and lessons learned to other civil society organizations across the country. This group of former NAMFREL volunteers have also been teaching the citizens of their rights to participate in local governance and providing them with tools and support to meaningfully take part in decision making processes.

 

The Government Procurement Policy Board Technical Support Office (GPPB -TSO) is currently looking for a reputable non-government organization that will develop a procurement manual specifically designed to guide CSOs in monitoring local government procurement process. This undertaking is part of the project supported by the Japan Social Development Fund called “Improving The Quality And Responsiveness Of Public Spending In Poor Communities Through Localized Procurement Reform”. A procurement manual for LGUs has been developed by the GPPB to assist local procurement practitioners. This is currently being revised in line with the recent amendments to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the GPRA. In connection to this, a counterpart manual for civil society observers needs to be developed in order to introduce the observer process in public procurement, improve their capacity to monitor government projects, and prepare observer’s reports as required under the GPRA. Specifically, this Project aims to develop a procurement manual that will:

1. orient CSO observers on local government procurement rules and regulations;
2. provide CSOs with critical information and tools that will aid and guide them in implementing the provisions of the GPRA effectively, especially those relating to enhanced transparency and accountability; and
3. build the capacity of local communities and CSOs to participate in and monitor local procurement processes.

For more information about this opportunity, click TOR.CSOManual.Final.doc .

The Transparency and Accountability Network is searching for applicants for Social Accountability and Resource Mobilization Specialists. Deadline of application will be on 30 June 2010. For more information, please click the following links: Resource_Mobilization_Specialist  and Social Accountability Specialist.