CSOs INITIAL ASESSMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE BOHOL AND YOLANDA RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM

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1 Member Networks Association of Foundations (AF) Coalition for Bicol Development (CBD) Cordillera Network of Development NGOs and POs (CORDNET) Central Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (CenVISNET) Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (EVNet) Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE) National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) National Council of Social Development Foundation of the Philippines (NCSD) Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies (PHILSSA) Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) Western Visayas Network of Social Development NGOs (WEVNet) CSOs INITIAL ASESSMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE BOHOL AND YOLANDA RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM The Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) is the country s biggest coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) working for social development, with its 6 national and 6 regional member networks representing more than 2,000 development NGOs, people s organizations (POs) and cooperatives nationwide. CODE-NGO was established in 1991, with a mission to be a trusted national voice of civil society and to advance the capacities of CSOs to exercise transformative leadership. CODE-NGO and its member networks have various projects and efforts on responding to Typhoon Yolanda and other disasters, as well as on raising the knowledge and capacities of our members in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation (DRRM-CCA) in our programs and advocacies with local and national government agencies. As part of these initiatives, our member-networks operating in the Yolanda corridor have started conducting consultations and dialogues with their member organizations, partner affected communities, local government units and other groups they work with to identify lessons from Yolanda and ways forward, and to put forth recommendations to support rehabilitation and recovery efforts for affected communities. The results of these consultations were presented at the national conference entitled Yolanda, a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery last November 3-4, 2014 at the Ateneo De Manila University in Quezon City. The conference aimed to provide an avenue for information and learning exchange about our ongoing rehabilitation efforts for affected communities, to consolidate the CSO recommendations coming from these local consultations, to form a constituency that is committed to support related ongoing efforts of various sectors and to monitor the progress of these efforts, and to present our recommendations on the local and national government plans for Yolanda rehabilitation and recovery. Our member networks, especially those operating in the Yolanda corridor - Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies (PHILSSA), Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (EVNET), Central Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (CENVISNET), and Western Visayas Network of Social Development NGOs (WEVNET) - discussed their assessments of their respective LGUs Yolanda rehabilitation and recovery plans, particularly in the provinces of Palawan, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol (for post-earthquake rehabilitation), Iloilo and Capiz. We also quickly reviewed the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP) prepared by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR). Considering the recommendations coming from our local consultations and the plans already laid out in CRRP, we put forward the following general and specific recommendations to OPARR and to relevant government agencies based on assessments to date by our members and partners from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao: Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), 69 Esteban Abada Street, Loyola Heights, 1108 Quezon City, Philippines Tel. Nos.: , , Address: caucus@code-ngo.org Web Address:

2 We call for the integration of the following general principles in the implementation of the plans as laid down in the CRRP in order to ensure that the planned programs and projects are inclusive and responsive to the needs of the local communities affected by Typhoon Yolanda: a) Meaningful participation of affected communities/ beneficiary groups and of civil society organizations in the planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of CRRP projects and activities. b) Transparency and clarity in the implementation guidelines and in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes of the Yolanda recovery and rehabilitation programs, particularly in the following areas: Fund status and utilization, not only of government s but also those of aid agencies and private sector contributions, Criteria and processes for selecting beneficiaries for the social services, resettlement and livelihood programs identified in the CRRP, Standards for determining and distributing the packages of support under the social services, livelihood and resettlement programs for affected families, consistent with humanitarian principles and with due care for protecting and upholding survivors dignity and human rights. c) Promotion of the integrity of the environment, including watershed areas and coastal greenbelts, in providing disaster and climate risk-sensitive interventions. d) Ensuring the feasibility and sustainability of the planned projects and activities, especially for the livelihood cluster, being true to the CRRP s build back better principle of not only recovering to the pre-yolanda conditions of affected poor communities, but also building more resilient conditions that could withstand future environmental, socio-economic and political shocks. e) Prioritizing/considering the special realities and requirements of the most vulnerable groups/sectors or those with special needs among the affected communities, particularly the elderly, women and children, persons with disabilities (PWDs), indigenous peoples (IPs), informal settler families (ISFs), internally displaced persons (IDPs) in conflict or insurgency areas, and communities that are in the small islands or geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA). f) Strengthening the capacities of and empowering LGUs, especially at the municipal and barangay levels, in managing recovery efforts so as not to cause too much dependence on external humanitarian aid. g) Contextualization and integration of CRRP strategies and projects with local land use, development and investment plans to ensure coherence and harmonization of different government, private sector and civil society initiatives. Page 2 of 8

3 h) Ensuring close inter-cluster coordination of agencies involved in the implementation of programs and projects identified in the CRRP to make sure that a comprehensive and responsive package of assistance on social services, livelihood and resettlement are provided to each of the identified beneficiary family. In addition, CODE-NGO and its member-networks recommend the following specific recommendations to the different clusters: A. For the Social Services Cluster 1. Ensure sustainability of social services interventions through integration of budget innovations and entrepreneurial approaches, e.g. minimal fees for the maintenance and use of equipment and facilities (DSWD, DOH, DTI) Maximize government budgeting processes, both national and local, including the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process (GPBP), and other budget innovations. Engage local communities as co-owners/managers of social service facilities and services (e.g. health centers, livelihood facilities) and not just as beneficiaries and clients. 2. Clarify the educational assistance program and integrate DRR-CCA in school curriculum (DepEd, CHED, DOST) Provide clear and transparent criteria and other guidelines for selecting beneficiaries and the process by which beneficiaries can avail of educational assistance and opportunities, e.g. scholarship assistance (DepEd, CHED). Complete school facilities for IP communities and those in small islands or GIDAs, where many still have no elementary schools (or if there are, up to Grade 4 only) and secondary schools to date (DepEd). Promote expansion of climate field schools, which is being piloted successfully in some areas where farmers integrate climate management for agriculture (DepEd, CHED, DA, DOST). Integrate disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) (e.g. climate-smart agriculture, ridge-to-reef approach) concepts in the school curriculum. Organize an annual DRR-CCA Month or widely promote E.O. 137, s providing for the observance of the National Disaster Consciousness Month every July in schools, to expand awareness about disaster preparedness and to involve students in disaster preparedness activities as part of practical application of what they would learn in DRR-CCA curriculum/lessons. 3. Make use of science-based and participatory methodologies in preserving the environment as enabling provider of livelihood and social services. (DOST, DENR, DTI) Page 3 of 8

4 Protect greenbelts and ensure that mangrove and beach forest rehabilitation activities are done only after scientific and multi-sectoral assessments. Equip, capacitate, strengthen, and ensure the welfare of and benefits for those who safeguard the environment - e.g. Bantay Dagat, Bantay Gubat, people s organizations (POs) participating in the community-based forest management agreements (CBFMA) - as they rehabilitate and restore marine and wildlife protected areas (DENR). 4. Provide funding support for the access to Insurance Premium Subsidy program/ Accident insurance and other risk transfer mechanisms for farmers and fisherfolk. (DA) This item is included in the CRRP but marked as unfunded intervention. Government should provide funding for this, particularly for the poor farmers and fishers. 5. Engage civil society organizations in providing and mainstreaming continuous psychosocial support to affected families and volunteers (DSWD) In the cluster plan on health, treatment is identified only for patients with acute mental health. While this needs to be prioritized, psychosocial interventions also need to be continued for affected families, especially for children, and even for volunteers and responders. B. For the Livelihood Cluster 1. Ensure that livelihood considerations are integrated in the plans for resettlement and in the utilization of the 40-meter easement area (DTI, NHA) In planning resettlement projects and utilization of the 40-meter easement area, ensure that food security and respect for traditional livelihoods are taken into account, especially in small islands and indigenous people communities. 2. Clarify criteria and process in providing livelihood support/grants that is directly given to communities (DSWD, DTI) Provide strategic, community-driven livelihood interventions factoring in the socioeconomic and cultural contexts of identified beneficiary communities. (An example for this is the reported over-provision of fishing boats in several municipalities and provinces, citing instances where one family has received two fishing boats (without the net and fishing gears), or where farmers have gone fishing because they received boats instead of farming inputs and tools, and consequently, dwindling catch because of overfishing in the already stressed and damaged ecosystem brought by the typhoon). 3. Provide appropriate livelihood for small landholders and displaced landless agricultural workers (DTI, DAR) Page 4 of 8

5 Provide technical assistance and access to credit for small landowners who don t have the capacity to make land productive. Many of the affected communities are landless farmers and fishers. Clarify tenure and resource-use rights, equitable benefit-sharing and viable livelihoods. 4. Support and strengthen the existing community cooperatives by tapping them for the management or implementation of livelihood opportunities (DTI, DSWD) There are observations about the untapped potentials of local cooperatives which are capable of delivering livelihood and financial services to identified beneficiaries of CRRP support programs. Government should partner with successful and credible local cooperatives which can manage or implement livelihood interventions, cash transfers and risk transfer or insurance mechanisms for livelihood and social protection. 5. Strengthen capacities/tap potentials of people s organizations as consolidators of mass-produced products (DTI) Ensure that producer-farmer and fisher people s organizations (POs) are capacitated to participate in the market value chain as consolidators to ensure that the delivery of and benefit from livelihood interventions go to them directly and that disadvantageous middleman transaction system is minimized. C. For Resettlement Cluster 1. Review and clarify policy and guidelines on no-build zones, balancing legal provisions with science-based assessments and protecting the rights to livelihood, shelter and culture of affected communities. Review and clarify the policy and guidelines on 40-meter easement from the shorelines or define safe zones, unsafe zones and controlled areas, balancing scientific assessments for safety of affected communities and for maintaining ecological balance, while ensuring food security and considering the communities access to traditional livelihood and culture. This was of particular concern among small island communities. (The confusion over government s previous pronouncements about the no-build and later on no-dwelling zones brings concern about removing communities from the identified areas but accommodating tourism and other commercial interests, and even opening the areas to land-grabbing opportunities. The guidelines for determining safe, unsafe zones and controlled areas should therefore be immediately defined). 2. Conduct multi-stakeholder consultation on the acceptability of the proposed resettlement interventions (NHA, HUDCC, NICP) Ensure inclusive and participatory consultations involving different stakeholders (LGUs, local CSOs, private sector) regarding the 40-meter easement concern and the selection of beneficiaries for the resettlement program to come up with clear policy, guidelines and Page 5 of 8

6 plans. Conduct people s planning processes to ensure acceptability and appropriateness of housing designs, integrating technical standards and social considerations. Ensure inclusion and participation of NGOs/ POs in the local inter-agency committees (LIACs) and other planning, implementing and monitoring mechanisms. 3. Fast-track land titling process for lands deemed suitable for resettlement (DENR) Clarify policies and processes to fast-track the use of untitled lands deemed suitable for resettlement and without any apparent adverse claims. 4. Integrate/contextualize resettlement plans with land use and other development plans (HLURB, DILG) Ensure that DRR-CCA is mainstreamed in local government plans (e.g. Comprehensive Land Use Plan) and consider hazard vulnerability assessments in identifying sites for resettlement. Support LGUs and strengthen their capacities in developing science-based and participatory resettlement and other development plans. 5. Improve communication/ information dissemination on selection criteria and processes for availing emergency shelter assistance to affected communities. (DSWD) Publicize the process, criteria, and modalities for shelter assistance in order to guide the beneficiaries on the types of assistance they could access and how to access them. D. For Infrastructure Cluster 1. Strengthen CSO participation in identifying infrastructural priorities and monitoring of projects (DPWH, DILG) Clarify/set standards for technical and other specifications for infrastructure facilities such as classrooms, shelters, hospitals and clinics, considering not only resilience to hazards and safety for their end-users, but also local or cultural appropriateness (e.g. preference of IPs, fishing or other communities for singledetached instead of row houses, use of indigenous technologies or designs, etc.) Engage CSOs and affected communities in assessing immediate needs for infrastructural priorities since they have local knowledge of specific interventions needed by communities, as well as in monitoring the implementation of infrastructure projects. E. For Budget and Support Cluster 1. Assure transparency and accountability in the implementation of YRR plans and the utilization of funds for these (DBM) The government s transparency efforts in creating the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAITH) immediately after typhoon Yolanda is commendable. However, the publicized Page 6 of 8

7 information to date only provides information on which foreign aid agencies committed viz actually released aid to government and their corresponding amount. It has not provided a good picture as to what projects, in what areas and who benefited from these aid to date. We expect that the government s plan for the Electronic Management Platform: Transparency Hub for Yolanda (EMPATHY) will respond to this, not only covering government s programs and fund sources but also those coming from other sectors such as foreign aid, international NGOs and private sector. Publicizing these information in accessible and analyzable forms is important, so that the public, CSOs and media can effectively and meaningfully monitor YRR program implementation and use of funds. 2. Review and reform procurement policies during emergencies (DBM, COA) Streamline procurement processes and guidelines during emergencies, identifying list of flexibilities to ensure that effective acquisition planning and implementation of humanitarian emergency activities are made without delay, but without compromising the proper documentation of these processes and laws governing procurement. Some examples could be getting oral solicitations (instead of written), allowing processes other than full and open bidding/competition under some conditions (e.g. there is only one responsible source, unusual and compelling urgency exists, etc.) and others. Review the Government Procurement Policy Board Resolution No which allowed negotiated and other alternative methods of procurement for government agencies involved in Yolanda emergency cases, and further detail the flexibilities that could be allowed under this guideline, even for future application. 3. Strengthen/ institutionalize GPB/BUB process and strengthen CSO participation (DBM) Institutionalize GPB and other means for people s participation in the budgeting process beyond 2016 to ensure that responsive long-term rehabilitation programs are supported in the successor Philippine Development Plan, as envisioned in the livelihood cluster plan of the CRRP. submitted by the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) website caucus@code-ngo.org, tel November 10, 2014 References: Aksyon sa Kahandaan sa Kalamidad at Klima (AKKMA) Palawan. Pagninilay sa Bagyong Yolanda Matapos ang Isang Taon: Northern Palawan. Presentation to the CODE-NGO Yolanda a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery Forum, November 3, 2014, Quezon City. Page 7 of 8

8 Bohol Alliance of NGOs (BANGON). Bohol Provincial Situationer. Presentation to the CODE-NGO Yolanda a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery Forum, November 3, 2014, Quezon City. Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO). Forum documentation and proceedings. Yolanda a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery Forum, November 3 and 4, 2014, Quezon City. Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET). Cebu Provincial Situationer. Presentation to the CODE-NGO Yolanda a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery Forum, November 3, 2014, Quezon City. Comprehensive Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan (CRRP). Social Services, Infrastructure, Resettlement and Livelihood Cluster Plans. Eastern Samar Social Development Organizations (ESSDOG). Rehabilitation and Recovery Program Experience in Eastern Samar After a Year. Presentation to the CODE-NGO Yolanda a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery Forum, November 3, 2014, Quezon City. Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (EVNET). Road to Recovery. Presentation to the CODE-NGO Yolanda a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery Forum, November 3, 2014, Quezon City. Foreign Aid Transparency Hub. Government Procurement Policy Board. Resolution No : Granting All Concerned Government Procurement Entities the Authority to Resort to Negotiated Procurement Under Section 53.2 (Emergency Cases) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of R.A November 14, 2013, Manila. Memorandum on Emergency Acquisitions Guide. Office of Management and Budget, Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Washington DC: USA. January NGOs for Fisheries Reform (NFR). A Year After Yolanda: Missed Opportunities, Regained Hope. November 2014, Quezon City. Pambansang Kilusan ng Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA). Concepts for a Recovery and Resiliency Program for Typhoon-Affected Uplands. Quezon City: University of the Philippines in the Visayas Tacloban College. The Tacloban Declaration. Mapping Yolanda s Impacts on Philippine Mangroves II: Workshop for National Government Agencies, LGUs, NGOs and POs. Tacloban City: May 14, Western Visayas Network of Social Development NGOs (WEVNET). ACED Yolanda, A Year After: Iloilo-Capiz CSO Experience on DRR-CCA Response. Presentation to the CODE- NGO Yolanda a Year After: Clearing the Road to Rehabilitation and Recovery Forum, November 3, 2014, Quezon City. Page 8 of 8