Tag Archives: Social Protection

[Press Conference] CSOs to ASEAN: inclusion, not exclusion in social protection planning, design and implementation

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CSOs to ASEAN: inclusion, not exclusion in social protection planning, design and implementation

“Social Protection for All!”

Representatives of Civil Society Organizations from various Southeast Asian countries accompanied by a contingent from urban poor communities in Manila walked to the venue of the ASEAN High Level Conference on Social Protection at Sofitel Hotel on 16 August 2017 to handover their statement containing their recommendations and demands concerning social protection measures even as they decry the limited space given to CSOs in the ASEAN process.

Members of DIGNIDAD and the Network for Transformative Social Protection (NTSP) that marched toward the venue of the ASEAN High Level Conference on Social Protection, lamented that the ASEAN Conference on Social Protection on 15-17 August 2017 only invited 5 CSOs, and only as observers who cannot speak from the floor. Among these CSOs are the Network for Transformative Social Protection, Coalition of Services of the Elderly and the Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau, thus they agreed to hold the CSO consultation-workshop to bring together other voices from various people’s organizations, sectors in the region and put these forward at the Conference through the official Conference delegates.

The “CSO Statement to the ASEAN High Level Conference on Social Protection” points out that while the ASEAN Heads of States made a historic act in 2013 by issuing the “ASEAN Declaration on Social Protection” and recognizing for the first time that social protection is a right, there is virtually no mechanism for CSO engagement in crafting social protection measures.

The group, comprising of 30 representatives of civil society, trade unions and people’s organizations from Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and from other regional formations, came together the day before to unite on a set demands to be presented to the ASEAN conference on August 16 and 17 through the statement to be circulated among the conference delegates.

“The ASEAN Declaration on Social Protection deserves to be implemented and budgeted,” said Ana Maria Nemenzo, co-convener of NTSP and Dignidad. She noted that as of the present “there are no clear accountabilities, resource allocations and participatory mechanisms that would ensure each ASEAN state undertakes or improves social protection measures. Due to the ASEAN principle of non-interference, each government is effectively left on its own to operationalize ASEAN’s declared social protection aspirations.”

The CSOs highlighted in their statement to ASEAN the current realities in the region that emphasizes the urgency for social protection. “Nearly sixty per cent (60%) of the workforce in Asia are in the informal economy, enduring precarious working and living conditions. Most of these workers are female who are compelled into this work due to discrimination in the formal economy. On the other hand, workers in the formal sector receive measly wages under unacceptable working environments while being deprived of labor rights such as security of tenure and the right to organize. Discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, age, race, among others, are still rampant. Migrant workers suffer these same sordid realities with the added burden of being unable to access even the limited social protection programs available both in their countries of origin and destination.”

They also pointed out that “the harsh impact of climate change on people’s livelihoods, food and shelter worsen the situation.”

“We call for an expansion in the ASEAN framework on social protection to ensure the progressive realization of a life of dignity for all and which embraces the principles of human rights and social justice,” said Emily Beridico, Executive Director of the Coalition of Services of the Elderly.

“Social protection must move from being targeted to the most vulnerable in the form of a social safety net to being ultimately universal, covering each individual, as a matter of human right to a life of dignity,” added Jelen Paclarin, Executive Director of Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau and chair of the Regional Steering Committee of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum 2017 (ACSC/APF2017).

The statement outlines various specific recommendations that address the rights of everyone as well as demands of the various sectors such as labor, women, LGBTQI, migrant workers, the elderly, persons with disabilities, farmers and fisherfolk.

Undersecretary Flor Villar of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) met the contingent of urban poor and other CSOs outside Sofitel Hotel to receive the statement. She later signed the statement at the premises of the Conference venue. She explained that she will share it with other delegates of the conference from other countries. She also informed the groups that the expected outputs of the conference is just to identify a set of proposed social protection indicators in ASEAN and proposed targets for the implementation of the Regional Framework and Action Plan. The body that will tackle recommendations is the Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development in September this year.

The Regional CSO consultation-workshop was organized by the Network for Transformative Social Protection (NTSP), Buhay na may Dignidad para sa Lahat (DIGNIDAD), Coalition of Services of the Elderly-HelpAge, ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, SENTRO and the Working Group on Social ASEAN. Among the national and regional organizations that took part in it were ASEAN Services Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC), Center for Migrant Advocay, HomeNet Southeast Asia (Thailand), TaskForce on ASEAN Migrant Workers, Social Action Center (Cambodia), Confederation of Indonesian People’s Movement (KPRI) (Indonesia), Tuong Lai Center (Vietnam), PhilRights, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Associated Labor Union (Philippines), Cambodian Grassroots Cross-Sector Network, Center for Migrant Advocacy, Civika Asian Development Academy, Empower: Youth for Agricultural Development, Galang Philippines, Think Centre (Singapore), WomanHealth Philippines, and Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau. Most of these organizations are also in the ACSC/APF2017.

NETWORK FOR TRANSFORMATIVE SOCIAL PROTECTION (NTSP)
c/o 85-B Masikap Street Extension, Barangay Central, Diliman, Quezon City | Tel. 7097833/44

Press Release
August 17, 2017
Contact: Maris dela Cruz @ 09173153828

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[Press Release] Health advocates push for the allocation of funds for women andchildren-friendly safety spaces in disaster and conflict areas – ABI HEALTH

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On the week of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW)
Health advocates push for the allocation of funds for women andchildren-friendly safety spaces in disaster and conflict areas
December 13, 2013
ALTERNATIVE BUDGET INITIATIVE (ABI) – HEALTH

Press Release
10 December 2013

On the day of the open Bicameral Conference (BICAM) and on the week of the18-Day Campaign to End VAW, health and women rights advocates pushedlegislators to allocate funds, sourced from the approved PhP100-billionCalamity and Rehabilitation Fund and PhP14.6-billion Supplemental budget, forthe establishment of women and children-friendly safety spaces in disasterand conflict-affected areas.

ABI Health Cluster copy

According to Mercy Fabros of the Alternative Budget Initiative HealthCluster (ABI-Health), “our call today is very timely. As we commemorate the18-Day Campaign to End VAW, our society especially our government shouldvow to protect its women and children against violence and abuse. Sincefunds are available for calamity and rehabilitation, let us allocate a goodportion to build safety spaces for women, children and other vulnerablesectors in disaster-ravaged communities.”

Women and children-friendly spaces are places where these sectors cansafely do their everyday routine, move around, sleep, breastfeed, play andwatch over their children anytime of the day especially at night. It is anaccessible space for the internally-displaced women and girls where theirwelfare is promoted and organized, gender-responsive services are provided.

“This early, we have been hearing stories of sexual abuse and exploitationfrom the ground being experienced by both survivors and caregivers. This isunacceptable! For us, even in emergency situations like this, order,security and protection should never be compromised. In fact, it should bea standard operating procedure integrated in the government’s immediateresponse to disasters and conflicts,” Fabros stressed.

In the lined-up amendments of the Senate for the 2014 National GovernmentBudget, almost a total of PhP144-billion has been identified to be spentfor disaster-related expenses such quick response, disaster risk reductionmanagement (DRRM), relief and reconstruction. “We just hope that there is aplace for women and children in the allocation of these identified funds,not only for infrastructure but also for the protective mechanisms thatcome along with it,” Fabros added.

Lessons and reports from international disasters such as Hurricane Katrina,Haiti earthquake and the Indian Ocean tsunami have shown that rape andsexual violence are not isolated incidents, but are part of a pattern ofbehaviour in disaster situations. While major relief agencies nowacknowledge this, gender-based violence is still generally a marginal issueand remains invisible in the public mind and under-reported by media.

Reports from the ground show that the same trend is happening now inYolanda-stricken areas where almost 75-80% of women and children survivorshave increased vulnerability to sexual exploitation and abuse. If this isnot prevented, about two percent or 61,000 women and girls (15-49 yearsold) will most likely experience such in humanitarian setting.

“At this time when there is a seeming quieting after the chaos, thegovernment might be able to listen well enough to the voices from theground especially that of the vulnerable women and children about theirneeds and plans for the future. To end VAW is everybody’s duty as what thisyear’s theme of the 18-day campaign says. However, the government shouldspearhead this. The allocation of funds for the protection of women andchildren including their long-term preparedness is one big step in theright direction,” Fabros said.

The ABI-Health Cluster is composed of 62 member organizations advocatingfor Universal Health Care. It is one of the clusters of ABI along withEducation, Agriculture, Social Protection, Environment and Persons withDisabilities Clusters. It is attached to Social Watch Philippines (SWP), anetwork of a hundred nongovernment organizations that, for eight years, hasbeen successfully pushing for increases in the national budgets for socialdevelopment, called for the realignment of P25 Billion allotted to theunconstitutional Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to nationalgovernment agencies’ programs to help victims of disasters and prevent moretragedies caused by super typhoons and other calamities. #30#

Quotes from this PR were used for the Dec 12 Editorial of the Manila Standard Today
<http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/12/12/help-for-the-vulnerable/&gt;

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[Press Release] Health advocates welcome victory over PDAF’s unconstitutionality -ABI-Health

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Health advocates welcome victory over PDAF’s unconstitutionality

Finally, the health of the Filipino people seizes to become just another target for political patronage of traditional politicians. This came as a result of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that the Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) is unconstitutional. With this latest development, health advocates have welcomed this as a hard-won gain of the mass movement’s continuing struggle.

ABI Health Cluster copy

Public finance in health is one of the critical issues in the people’s fight against the pork barrel system. PDAF is only 5.5 percent of the Special Purpose Fund (SPF), one of the presidential pork barrel funds. Therefore, the fight to scrap the other lump sum, discretionary funds continues.

Medical assistance for service patients, along with scholarships, has always been the justifications of politicians on why PDAF should stay. However, the recent review of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) of PDAF showed that these items got morsels from the billions of pesos spent for pork, only PhP3 billion or six to eight percent of the total pork released from July 2010 to June 2013.

According to Mercy Fabros, ABI-Health Cluster Coordinator, “for the longest time, poor people knock on the offices of congress representatives and senators like beggars begging alms for medical assistance; Because their mindset has been clouded by the assistance their receiving, the people do not fully understand that PDAF is sourced from their own money (taxes). It is their right to access health services and the obligation of the government to provide them. The evil of the system of patronage lies in the fact that it imprisons people constantly in a morally-degrading relationship with politicians.”

About PhP25.2 billion funds will be freed-up in the 2014 National Government Budget, which can be used to finance programs that would genuinely contribute to the achievement of Universal Health Care (UHC). The Department of Health (DoH) could use this opportunity to make its budget a real leap forward by adopting ABI Health Cluster’s proposed alternative budget.

Now the rendering of PDAF as unconstitutional and forwarding of funds instead to frontline agencies such as the DOH insulates health services from politics.

“For the 2013 additional, PDAF-sourced funds, while we understand the need still for medical assistance through the set-up voucher’s system, DoH could also use the funds to restore basic health systems at least in the Yolanda-stricken areas that could provide more health services for the survivors,” Fabros added.

Access to health services is a right and it is the state’s obligation to do so. Traditional politicians have no business using need for medical assistance as a ticket to buy votes and make people dependent on their bleeding hearts. Clearly, the fight against PDAF is a battle half-won for health advocates because the biggest chunk of the pork barrel remains intact. Because it has opened more spaces for meaningful participation, this is now the best time to influence public health policy and budgeting.

The ABI-Health Cluster is composed of 62 member organizations advocating for Universal Health Care. It is one of the clusters of ABI along with Education, Agriculture, Social Protection, Environment and Persons with Disabilities Clusters. It is attached to Social Watch Philippines (SWP), a network of a hundred nongovernment organizations that, for eight years, has been successfully pushing for increases in the national budgets for social development, called for the realignment of P25 Billion allotted to the unconstitutional Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to national government agencies’ programs to help victims of disasters and prevent more tragedies caused by super typhoons and other calamities.

ALTERNATIVE BUDGET INITIATIVE (ABI) – HEALTH

Press Release
25 November 2013

Contact Persons:
Jofti Villena, Sarilaya, +63949.525.3494 (Media Liaison)
ABI Health Cluster: (632) 9273319, abihealth@gmail.com

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