i-budget.mo Project Proposal Development Continues; Unveils New Project Schedule

Caloocan City, Metro Manila— 15 citizen leaders from all over Barangay 176 Bagong Silang participated in the continuation of the project proposal development Monday, 14 July 2014, held at the Barangay Hall. A number of volunteers continuously corresponded with the IBM Team all throughout the week, and ten more citizen leaders also attended Friday, 18 July 2014, totalling to more than 30 active citizens working together to spearhead project proposal development in Bagong Silang.

Participants were given two weeks  to develop individual project proposals, cluster and consolidate project proposals, and clarify necessary information and components of a project proposal, all under the guidance of the IBM Team and the available assistance of CSOs and government agencies. The final week was planned to be daily interaction between the community, its local government leaders and the IBM Team, but due to Typhoon Glenda, which hit the Philippine Area of Responsibility 16 July 2014, Wednesday, the schedule had to be adjusted.

“Mas naging priority ng mga tao yun personal lives nila, yun safety ng pamilya nila, kaysa sa mga pambarangay na layunin. Pero after ng bagyo, noong napanatag na sila na umalis ng bagyo, yun mga tao nagparticipate pa rin, umattend pa rin sila ng Friday,” Christine Cruz, IBM Communications Associate, recounts. “[Because of the storm], the priority of the citizens shifted from the activities in the barangay to their personal lives and the safety of their families. But after the storm, when they felt safe from the chaos of the typhoon, they still participated, and even attended the event on Friday.”

Community members, representatives and leaders served as the primary participants for the Project Proposal Development. IBM Team attendees to project proposal development on Monday include Gladys Selosa, Jalton Taguibao, Roy Choco, Ebony Kangleon and Christine Cruz. The Friday continuation was spearheaded by Chad Osorio and Ebony Kangleon, which also included a photowalk in the barangay, wherein the Team took pictures of problem areas, as well as suggested solutions and interventions.

These various activities helped give a clearer picture of the proposed projects and programs to be supported by the local government after having gone through the IBM process.

“Excited ako dahil gusto kong makita at malaman yun reaction ng mga purok leaders pag nakita na nila yun mga proposals nila sa gallery, at kung anong gagawin nila para mangampanya sa kanilang mga proyekto,” Budget Advocacy Officer Gladys Selosa states. “I’m excited because I want to see the reaction of the citizen leaders when they see their proposals in the gallery, and also what they will do to campaign for the success of their project proposals.”

i-budget.mo (IBM) is a participatory budgeting initiative involving the use of information and communication technology to promote budget transparency and literacy. It broadens citizen participation in generating project ideas, facilitates voting on proposed projects, and provides a platform for subsequent citizen monitoring of funded PB projects.
It focuses on constructive engagement and citizen monitoring of the local government budget by creating a dual online-offline platform for community feedback and government response to ensure effective and efficient implementation of PB projects.

The project proposal development aims to help develop the individual project proposals by the citizen leaders, then consolidated and submitted to the concerned LGU. The Community Proposal Fiesta will be on 21 July, Monday, and will kick-start the project votation proper where proponents of the project proposals will get a chance to present their projects to the community in a gallery-style setting. Online and offline voting methods will be introduced and facilitated throughout the Fiesta, with online stations set-up in the venue and ballots for the offline voters. The offline voting will be available from 21-24 July. The closing ceremony on 25 July, Friday, will determine the prioritized list of proposals which will be submitted to the barangay.

“There are many unforeseen hurdles that the project has faced, especially the unpredictable weather, that has forced us to reschedule,” IBM Project Manager Chad Osorio said. “It teaches us that we have to be flexible, without sacrificing the quality of our interaction with the citizens and government partners, and our advocacy for social accountability.”

Stay tuned for more IBM activities at Caloocan City! The i-budget.mo Project is funded by Hivos through the Southeast Asia Technology and Transparency Initiative (SEATTI). For more details, check out www.ibudgetmo.org or email us at info@ibudgetmo.org.