An academic experience

By Adelle Chua

Political science teacher Anthony Badilla of Palawan  State University was in the process of organizing a half-day activity among his students. While surfing the Web, he had read about a new program called Citizen Participatory Audit, spearheaded by the Commission on Audit through partnership with a civil society organization. He thought it was a great, novel way of involving citizens in running the government.

He had wanted to create an opportunity for his students to translate what they were learning to more tangible action beyond the walls of the university.

In early December, however, Mr. Badilla received an invitation to attend a geotagging workshop organized by, of all agencies, the CoA. Imagine thus his surprise when he discovered that the workshop was an activity of the same CPA that he had been reading about and wanted to share to his students.

And so the half-day activity no longer had to be organized -- for now.

An engineer’s opinion

By Adelle Chua

Engr. Erlinda Go

Seventy-seven year old Erlinda Go only heard about Citizen Participatory Audit on the morning of the workshop in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, when the president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers - Palawan chapter asked her to attend it on his behalf.

Before the morning ended, she was completely sold. “Napakaganda ng programa (the program is very worthy),” she said. “I have very high expectations.”

Because of this, Mrs. Go will do more than report back to her president what went on in that initial meeting on November 20. Instead, she will try to be part of one of the audit teams, composed of auditors from the Commission on Audit and of representatives of civil society, which would look into whether farm-to-market roads in Palawan towns had been constructed according to specification.

Why Philippines wins in OGP

By Dondon Parafina

The Philippines has two internationally recognised programs in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and both fall under the "Citizen Participation" commitment. These are the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA), which won the Bright Spots prize in London last 2013, and the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting (GPB), which bagged third gold award in New York this year. I realized the Philippines' global strength and contribution in citizen participation while preparing a presentation for an OGP regional event in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last October 16. I joined this event on the invitation of Indonesian organizers-- Indonesia is taking leadership in the region-wide mobilization of East Asia and Pacific countries to join OGP since the conclusion of its OGP chairmanship.

From eight member countries in 2011, the OGP now has 65. This is the collective body that has bestowed honors on the innovative governance ideas from the Philippines in two consecutive years.

From Discernment to Empowerment

by Patricia Membrebe

As a self-confessed worrywart, I have always been in a quandary over which path I would wholeheartedly take after graduation. With the desire to get a head start in my career discernment, I decided that this summer would be the perfect time for me to get involved and work as a volunteer for any sector that is dedicated to development and passionate for public service. After weeks of searching for the best avenue to dedicate all the passion that I have for the development sector, I stumbled upon ANSA-EAP's website. I have to admit that I couldn't stop reading the articles published on the site. I was so amazed by how creative, dynamic and relevant the network's projects and advocacies are. Without hesitation, I decided to send my resume. I was just so excited to meet the people behind the network, especially the great minds behind the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA). CPA was one of ANSA-EAP's projects that really piqued my interest. Initially, I thought of CPA as a brilliant way to ensure that the government is doing its job. Eventually, I found out that there is so much more to the project than just testing the government's efficiency.

Albeit nearing its conclusion, the current phase of CPA still had a place for people like me who are willing to volunteer. Looking back to my interview, I remember one question that really struck me. I was asked about what I think of the government in general. Even though I was really embarrassed to tell the truth, I admitted that I have always been afraid of working for the government. To me, it has always been a sort of high-walled entity; therefore, ordinary people like me would find it very difficult to find their "way in" to see what is really going on in there. Having said that, I was certain that I still felt hopeful that maybe someday, something will change my problematic notion. The question bothered me for weeks, even in my time as a volunteer. But it became my motivation, my 'why' as I looked forward to proving myself wrong.