mikocanares Asia, Associates, Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Facilitation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Non-Government Organizations, Training

Tailored M&E Workshop Equips WTRC for Strategic Program Evaluation

The Wholistic Transformation Resource Center Foundation, Inc. (WTRC) has taken a significant step forward in strengthening its community development work by participating in a customized Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) capacity development and training workshop.

Facilitated by Step Up Consulting Services, the workshop was specifically designed to align with WTRC’s unique programs and long-term goals, focusing on enhancing internal systems for transparency, accountability, and stakeholder engagement. This initiative reflects WTRC’s commitment to using data-driven approaches to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of its interventions.

The training aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of core M&E concepts and frameworks, build their capacity to design and implement effective data collection strategies, and improve their ability to analyze and interpret results accurately. WTRC staff also learned to use various M&E tools—such as logic models, performance indicators, and dashboards—to monitor program success and make informed decisions. A key outcome of the workshop was the development of tailored M&E systems that align with the foundation’s mission and can support long-term monitoring and evaluation practices.

Throughout the training, WTRC staff engaged in intensive sessions covering a broad range of M&E topics, including the Logical Framework, Results-Based M&E, and Theory of Change. Participants were also equipped with practical skills in data collection and analysis using tools such as Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and structured surveys. To ensure high data quality and credibility, the Triangulation Method was introduced alongside modern digital tools like Google Forms, Tableau, and AI-powered platforms for data visualization and analysis.

By embedding strong M&E systems across its operations, WTRC aims to align its efforts more closely with the expectations of donors, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. This capacity-building initiative not only strengthens internal processes but also reinforces WTRC’s dedication to continuous improvement and evidence-based development work. Ultimately, the foundation believes that more effective monitoring and evaluation will lead to deeper, more meaningful, and lasting impacts in the communities it serves.

mikocanares Asia, Associates, Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Facilitation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Non-Government Organizations

Step Up Facilitates End of Project Evaluation of SWCF Initiative in Bilar, Bohol

The Step-Up team has successfully concluded the end-of-project evaluation of the Strengthening Local Stakeholders and Community’s Capacity to Improve Environment Management in Bilar, Bohol Philippines Project. Spanning over three years, this initiative aimed to transform Bilar into a model municipality for sustainable environmental management and conservation.

The project focused on enhancing local stakeholders’ involvement in karst education, landscape management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation. It sought to bolster environmental ethics while ensuring the sustainable use of resources within the community.

Key objectives of the evaluation included assessing the effectiveness of local stakeholders’ management plans for the karst landscape, improvements in local biodiversity, enhanced management of freshwater resources, advancements in solid waste management, reduced agricultural chemical use, and the promotion of eco-tourism.

Moreover, the evaluation examined the progress of partner barangays and communities in making informed environmental management decisions. It also evaluated the implementation and utilization of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) plans, ensuring their functionality and effectiveness.

Particular attention was given to assessing the capacity-building efforts aimed at youths and local stakeholders who are advocating for environmental sustainability. The project aimed to empower the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to champion environmental conservation in their community.

mikocanares Associates, Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Facilitation, Results-based Management, workshops

Step Up Facilitates Annual Review and Planning of the Immaculate Conception Parish

The Step-Up team facilitates the Annual Review and Planning of the Immaculate Conception Parish Pastoral Plan on 15 July 2023.

The sessions aim to reaffirm the vision, mission, and goals, of the parish as articulated in its Parish Pastoral Plan, assess the implementation of the Parish Pastoral Plan for 2022 to 2023 and identify accomplishments, gaps, and opportunities for improvement and plan the activities for 2023-2024.

The workshop was able to determine the importance of collective contributions to shared goals, celebrate the accomplishments, and be inspired to plan for the future and share the joy with parish workers and volunteers in discussing parish priorities in a safe, welcoming, and empowering environment.

Msgr. Harold Anthony S. Parilla, thanked the team for facilitating the workshop and for reviewing the implementation of the plan. He also encouraged parishioners to continue pursuing planned activities to achieve shared goals. 

mikocanares Associates, Business Planning, core expertise, Core services, Financial Management, Local economic development, National Government Agency, Research Projects

Step Up Team Completes the Economic and Financial Analysis for IFAD’s Project ConVERGE in Mindanao Regions

Step Up team conducted the Economic and Financial Analysis (EFA) for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Project Completion Report (PCR), complying with the guidelines and procedures of the National Economic Development Authority.

In the 6-month engagement, the team actively facilitated stakeholders’ workshops across three regions – Region IX, X and XII in Mindanao, conducted actual site visits to 11 ARC communities to document project highlights, and conducted one-on-one sessions with the local teams, customizing each analysis per identified crop and collaborating with stakeholders to validate findings, fostering inclusive participation and consensus-building.  Results presented include financial internal rate of return, economic internal rate of return, net present value, and benefit-cost ratio for the 14 enterprises at the project level. A sensitivity analysis was also done at the project level.

The team is composed of Jean Celeste “Hedz” Paredes as research lead, Engr. Mark Russell Guatno as the data specialist, and Mary Therese “Tet” Pepito as the data validation expert. Team members actively contributed to facilitating stakeholders’ workshops across the three regions. These workshops involved consolidating and validating needed data and information, collaborating with stakeholders to validate the findings, ensuring robust and inclusive discussions, and presenting the EFA results to stakeholders and the IFAD mission team.

The Project ConVERGE is executed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to support the Philippine Government’s poverty reduction efforts in 11 Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) clusters located in 10 provinces of Regions IX, X, and XIII.  The project was designed to promote sustainable livelihoods for 300,000 farmers producing rice, corn, rubber, coffee, abaca, coconut, cassava and muscovado/coco sugar. The project’s targeted beneficiaries were expected to include agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs, 40 000 farmers) and 260,000 other rural workers.  CONVERGE comprised of three components: (i) participatory value-chain analysis and planning to link smallholder farmers to existing value-chain systems; (ii) integrated smallholders agricultural and rural enterprise development; and (iii) subdivision of collective certificates of landownership award (CLOA) to facilitate the transfer of land.

mikocanares Associates, Consulting Services, core expertise, Research Projects

Hedz Paredes is Step Up’s New Managing Consultant

Jean Celeste “Hedz” Paredes is Step Up’s new managing consultant, succeeding Arlen Salgados-Canares. Ms. Paredes will lead Step Up Consulting from 15 June 2022 and onwards. Prior to this role, Ms. Paredes was the firm’s research lead.

Ms. Paredes is a graduate of Master in Public Management majoring in Rural Development from the Ateneo School of Government and the Development Academy of the Philippines. She also finished her Bachelor of Political Science from the University of the Philippines.

Ms. Paredes has worked on several research and development projects in the past. These include the following

  • Terminal Evaluation – Strengthening the Capacity of Farmers Federation and their Communities to Address Climate Change in Bohol, Philippines
  • Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Vulnerable Areas Toward Effective Governance and Resilient Communities in the Municipalities of Loay, Loboc and Sevilla, Bohol Province, Philippines
  • Analysing Social Media Use and Preferences of Young People in Mindanao
  • Stakeholders Mapping for the Public Utility Vehicles Modernization Program (PUVMP)
  • Philippines Financial and Market Inclusion
  • Feasibility Study for the Establishment of a Cultural Hub in the Central Visayas Region
  • Bohol Institute of Living Tradition: A Feasibility Study
  • Teenage Clicks: Can Teens Protect their Privacy on Social Media
  • Aquatic Biodiversity in Rice-Based Ecosystems , Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • Case Studies – Danajon Reef Communities Impact Assessment
  • Feasibility Study: Agro-Ecological Production and Business Model Development for the Island Residents of Sicogon Island, Carles, Iloilo towards the Development of Resilient and Self-sustaining Communities
  • Performance Monitoring and Assessment – MEADA Rabrong, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in TYM-Mutual Assistance Fund, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • World Vision Philippines in the end-of-phase program evaluation of 4 area development programs (ADP) across the country
  • Scaling-up Demand and Supply for Rural Sanitation and Hygiene, United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)

mikocanares Associates, Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Governance, Monitoring and Evaluation, project management, Results-based Management, road asset management

Step Up Strategy Advisor is M&E Advisor for Vanuatu Roads Project

Image courtesy of Adam Smith International

Michael Canares, Strategy Advisor at Step Up Consulting is part of the implementation team of the Roads for Development Program Phase 2 (R4D2) currently implemented in Vanuatu by Adam Smith International, with funding support by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

R4D2 will support the Government of Vanuatu’s Public Works Department (PWD) under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (MIPU).  The program commenced in June 2019 and will run to the end of June 2022, with an option to extend by two years, subject to DFAT approval. The program aims to contribute to the achievement of the Government of Vanuatu’s (GoV) National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030 (NSDP) goals, more particularly the following:

  • A dynamic public sector with good governance principles and strong institutions delivering support and services to all citizens of Vanuatu
  • Sustainable and well-maintained infrastructure and services for all, through inclusive and effective partnerships

Mr. Canares is R4D2’s short-term Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser.

mikocanares Associates, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Open Data, Research Projects, Uncategorized

Mr. Canjura Joins Step Up

Mr. JoseJCanjura-profile Canjura is one of the latest addition to Step Up’s roster of consultants. He joins Step Up this year as one of the researchers of the project on open data and governance funded by the Southeast Asia Technology and Transparency Initiative implemented by Hivos .

Mr. Canjura is a Canadian urban planner and governance specialist. Since his arrival in the Philippines Mr. Canjura has worked extensively in local governance, with a focus on building mechanisms and tools that foster greater local economic development and a more competitive business enabling environment. He recently completed a study on the human resource and organizational development interventions that lead to greater local competitiveness, and collaborated in an assessment of Local Economic and Investment Promotion Officer (LEIPO) competencies. Prior to his involvement in this project, Mr. Canjura also worked on several other open government initiatives: he conducted a study on the state of advocacy for budget transparency; and worked on an assessment on open contracting data in the Philippines. Mr. Canjura holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Strategic Planning from Dalhousie University in Canada; a Diploma in Project Management and an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Geography, both from the University of British Columbia, Canada.

 

mikocanares Associates, Uncategorized

Step Up’s Strategy Advisor Attends Training in South Africa

sout africa trainingOn 27-31 July 2015, Step Up’s Strategy Advisor, Mr. Michael Canares, joined seventy other scholars from around the world to attend the Social and Solidarity Economy at the International Development Corporation in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The theme of the academy was Social Innovation in the World of Work and is the 5th edition of the academy since it started in 2011. The academy is sponsored by the International Labour Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Mr. Canares’ participation was sponsored by the ILO.

mikocanares Associates, Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Financial Management, Non-Government Organizations

Step Up Conducts Risk Management Training

Risk Management Training for BUSWACC
Risk Management Training for BUSWACC

Step Up Consulting was contracted by the Bohol United Sectors Working for the Advancement of Community Concerns (BUSWACC) to conduct a risk management training for its assisted entrepreneurs and entrepreneur groups last 28-29 November 2014. The training was conducted at the FCB Foundation Training in Tagbilaran City and was attended by more than 20 participants coming from different organizations and from different parts of Bohol.

Risk management is one of the key expertise of Step Up’s financial management division.  As a process to ensure achievement of company objectives, risk management is about the identification and evaluation of company risks with the intention of avoiding these risks or managing them to minimize impact. In recent years, risk management is at the core of management function and has been used also in  ensuring better internal audit and internal control.

The training was conducted by Arlen Salgados-Canares, Step Up’s lead consultant for financial services.

mikocanares Associates, conference presentations, Governance, Research Projects

Step Up Managing Consultant speaks at GDI Conference

GDI DIE Green and Social
Canares, Loewe, Perch, and Schafer in the panel on Effects of Poverty-Oriented Policies on the Environment

Michael Canares, managing consultant of Step Up Consulting, was one of the few invited speakers in the recently concluded conference on Green and Social: Managing Synergies and Trade-offs at the Deutsche Well, Bonn, Germany last 12-14 March 2014.  The conference, jointly sponsored by the German Development Institute and the Poverty Reduction, Equity, and Growth Network (PEGNet), aims to bridge the gap between environmental and social perspectives on development. Mr. Canares represented the HNU Center for Research and Publication as editor of its academic journal, the Lumina.

Mr. Canares presented his paper entitled “Making Conditional Cash Transfers Green:  Opportunities for a Welfare and Environmental Agenda in the Philippines.” It looks at the potential and trade-offs of adding environmental conditions to the Philippine government’s cash conditional transfer program – the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, otherwise known as 4Ps.

He was in the same panel as Leisa Perch of the World Center for Sustainable Development in Brazil.  The panel was moderated by Markus Loewe of the German Development Institute while George Schafer of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) was the panel discussant.   According to one of the organizers of the conference, Carmen Richerzhagen, there were a total of 90 paper submissions received, and only 14 were accepted for presentation at the conference.

The conference was attended by roughly 200 people from all over the globe.  Marianne Fay, chief economist for sustainable development and climate change at the World Bank, and Ernst Ulrich Von Weizsacker of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) were the keynote speakers.