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.

My Summer 2013: Definitely ANSAya

by Rona Gie Amaranto

Summer. Beaches. Vacation.

However, a vacation full of novels, mangas and animes is not possible this year. According to our BS Development Communication curriculum in UP Los Baños, we have to take our on-the-job training this summer. Back in March, I thought, “Goodbye fun summer; hello work”. Little did I know I was about to experience one of the best, if not the best, summer vacations I’ve had in my 18 years of existence.

Being a part of the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) Team of ANSA-EAP for more than one month has allowed me to experience things I never thought I would enjoy. On the first day of our internship, we were brought to a meeting for one of the pilot projects of CPA, the performance audit of the CAMANAVA Flood Control Project. There, we met COA directors, auditors, engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other CSO stakeholders from across the country, like the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG). Frankly, I was starstruck to see some of our government’s high ranking officials. And as our internship progressed—after a series of meetings, seminars and workshops—the experience of working with the composite audit team is really unforgettable.

I also experienced fieldwork by accompanying survey enumerators as they interviewed the residents of Barangays Commonwealth, Kaligayahan and Tandang Sora in Quezon City to check the local government’s compliance in the Solid Waste Management Act. We get to meet the residents and talk to them. But the experience did not stop with that; we also got to experience processing survey data. It was my first time doing such a task, and I must say that I had a love-hate relationship with MS Excel during those weeks. I learned how to use pivot tables and conditional cell formatting, which was also an unforgettable experience, not to mention a newfound skill.

Katipunero for One Summer

by Manuel Lester S.Niere

I consider this summer one of the most productive, if not the most productive, summer I’ve had since I started college. This summer made me experience what employed life feels like.

When I applied as an intern at the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA­–EAP), I expected to gain knowledge that will be useful for my individual development and in my pursuits in the field of Development Communication. My expectations were quite high because of the good feedback I got from previous interns of ANSA–EAP.

I was assigned to be part of the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) and the Enhancing Transparency for Impact (ETI) projects. I was supposed to use my writing skills to come up with concept notes and process documentation, my photography skills for photo documentation of the different project activities, and my video editing skills to create audio-visual presentations. However, as I managed to complete these requirements, I was also able to take on some extra tasks that I enjoyed accomplishing. For example, I was asked to consolidate and analyze results of survey questionnaires for Pilot 2 of CPA. I enjoyed it because I suddenly became literate in the many features of Microsoft Excel—in using pivot tables, to be specific. It was tiring to look at the results of survey from more than 400 respondents but it sure was meaningful and interesting.

Budget Transparency and Accountability

 by Shigemi Muramatsu

“Where does our money go??!”This question is often asked by citizens who work hard to pay their taxes while struggling to meet their financial responsibilities such as expenses for food, water, shelter, school and so on. Individuals pay taxes, whether directly and indirectly, to the government. It is a mandatory expense needed to finance the government’s projects. Therefore, citizens who pay taxes expect that in return, these projects should be generally favorable to them.  They also want to be informed on how their money is being spent in a manner that they can easily understand. 
   
The People’s Budget and the Budget ng Bayan website is, therefore, a good start in aiming for transparency and accountability.  With the use of the most available and suitable media nowadays, citizens can get up-to-date information straight from the source.

Based on what I have heard during the launch, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) tries to gather immediate feedback on the media materials, and considers them right away in producing the next issue.  This year’s People’s Budget will be produced in three languages—English, Tagalog, Bisaya—to reach out to more people. On the other hand, the website is a channel for receiving feedback, updates, and requests for the People’s Budget’s copy. It also explains the budget in simpler terms compared to other sites that use very technical language.  In aiming for transparency and citizen engagement, creating a venue for two-way communication and minimizing barriers should be the top consideration.