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Step Up Consulting services was contracted by the Hugpong sa Kalambuan-Dabaw (HKDI) and World Vision to conduct an end-of-program evaluation of the area development program implemented in 12 communities in Davao City.  Michael Canares served as the chair of the 6-member field evaluation team. He was assisted by research associate Jean Celeste Paredes, also of Step Up.

The presentation of evaluation results was done at Regency Hotel in Davao City last 16 August 2011 and was attended by board of trustees, barangay leaders and HKDI partners.

HKDI is a community based organization established almost 13 years ago that envisions a developed and peaceful community wherein families freely exercise their faith and live in accordance with the will of God/Allah/Magbabaya. It also desires to help build communities that model the values of social justice, respect the rights and dignity of people, take care of the environment, and actively involve in building a government that is responsive to the genuine needs and aspirations of the people.

The Provincial Internal Audit Service Office of the Province of Bukidnon conducted a training on (internal) audit report writing last 11-13 August 2011 at Loiza’s Pavillion in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.  Step Up Consulting Services head Michael Canares was invited as a resource person for the said activity.

Ms. Gemma Borreros, Provincial Coordinator of the Provincial Roads Management Facility (PRMF) in Bukidnon invited Mr. Canares.  It can be noted that Step Up also was hired by PRMF in Bohol to assist the Provincial Internal Audit Office (PIAO) to capacitate the newly created PIAO in the conduct of risk assessments, and the formulation of the internal audit manual and annual audit plan.

The participants were very appreciative of the said activity because the methods employed by Mr. Canares were very relevant to the current condition of the province. Mr. Canares used actual case studies as a learning platform to discuss theories and principles in internal audit.  Ms. Marilou Bueno, PIASO head together with her team were appreciative of the training methodology that they will be inviting Mr. Canares again in the October this year.

Step Up recently signed a new contract with Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) for the financial monitoring and evaluation of two of its grant holders based in Cebu City.  The engagement intends to evaluate loan restructuring proposals of the two organizations as a basis for a course of action on the part of PEF.

Peace and Equity Foundation has been a long time client of Step Up Consulting Services dating way back 2004.  Step Up has undertaken several consulting contracts with the organization, most noteworthy were the assistance provided to water user associations in managing their water systems, the development of a training module for bookeepers of people’s organizations and community-based associations, and a manual for restricted grants.

As part of its evaluation contract with World Vision Philippines, Step Up conducted a training on data analysis for four evaluation teams from different parts of the country last July 26-29, 2011.

The training was held at Golden Peak Hotel in Cebu City and was attended by roughly 25 members of evaluation teams from Surigao, Davao, Cagayan/Isabela, and Cavite.

The training was facilitated by managing consultant Michael Canares with associate consultant Marijoe Narca and research associate Jean Celeste Paredes.  It covered sessions on quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, use of technology for data consolidation and analysis, interpretation, and report writing.

Michael Canares was invited by the Indonesia Social Justice Network to attend the conference on Climate Change, Disaster Management and Social Justice Response” held at Jogjakarta Plaza Hotel in July 12-15, 2011. Mr. Canares was also one of the presenters in the panel session on Climate Change and Policy with his paper “The Sudden Shift: what prompts greater local government response to climate change challenge in the Philippines?”.

At the end of the conference, Mr. Canares headed the team to formulate the end-of-conference statement which was presented to Indonesian media. He sits at a panel together with Mary Zurbuchen, director for IFP Asia and Russia in the press conference and presented the “Unified Statement for Social Justice in and Era of Climate Change”.

Step Up conducts the midterm assessment workshop of the European Union-funded project “Empowering Indigenous Communities for Inclusive Development”. The project is implemented by the Ilog Kinderhome Foundation, Inc. in the province of Antique benefitting 1000 members of the Ati and Bukidon communities.

Step Up managing consultant Michael Canares facilitated the workshop attended by more than 40 participants representing local governments units, national government agencies, and indigenous communities held at Westown Hotel in Iloilo last July 3-6, 2011.

Step Up Managing consultant Michael Canares was one of the 45 scholars invited to attend a 21-day intensive training on Development and Inequality in June 2011, and the only scholar from the Philippines to attend the institute. Another Filipino, Mr. Roderrick Galam was in the institute but is currently based in the UK pursuing his doctoral studies in Sociology. The fellowship was made possible with the generous support from Sovereign Bank, Banco Santander and Brown University. The scholars were trained at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, with prominent authors Patrick Heller, Richard Snyder, Daniel Smith, and Gianpaoulo Baiocchi as convenors. Speakers from the World Bank, Harvard University, School of Oriental and African Studies, and coming from different disciplines as economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, among others, lectured at the institute.

In 2010, Step Up Consulting Services was hired by Fundacion Ipade to conduct a midterm evaluation of its project, the Asian Convenion in three countries in Southeast Asia – Cambodia, Philippines, and Vietnam. This month, Step Up concludes the engagement with the approval of the evaluation report by Fundacion Ipade’s management in Madrid.

The team of Step Up is composed of Managing Consultant Michael Canares (Philippines), Dr. Karen Lawrence as team leader (UK), and Rowena Soriaga (Philippines).

Michael Canares, managing consultant of Step Up Consulting Services, facilitated the learning session on monitoring and evaluation for GREAT Women Project sites in the province of Bohol last 26-27 May 2011 at Alona Kew Beach Resort in Panglao.

The training was attended by 34 participants coming from the provincial government of Bohol and the municipalities of Jagna, Balilihan, and Buenavista.  The activity aimed at capacitating the local government units in setting up a monitoring and evaluation system for their respective LGUs.  Ms. Liza Quirog, provincial Board Member Freda Tirol graced the affair.

The activity was sponsored by the Philippine Commission on Women and the Provincial Government of Bohol with funding support from the Canadian International Development Agency.

Step Up Consulting Services facilitated a three-day workshop for the Provincial Treasurer’s Office of Bohol. The workshop was a review of revenue collection practices of the province of Bohol to aid the PTO in crafting a strategic action plan to achieve collection targets in 2012.

Michael Canares, manager of Step Up facilitated the workshop held last 18-20 May 2011 at La Roca Hotel, Tagbilaran City. Around 30 employees from the PTO attended the activity. Jean Celeste Paredes, research associate of Step Up was the documenter for the activity.  The workshop was supported by the Provincial Roads Management Facility of the Australian Agency for International Development.