mikocanares Asia, Local Government Units, Open Data, Research Projects

Step Up Managing Consultant Attends India Meeting on Open Data

Michael Canares, with some of the participants in the India Meet. Dr. Michael Gurstein (middle, in green polo) is one of the mentors of the project.
Michael Canares, with some of the participants in the India Meet. Dr. Michael Gurstein (middle, in green polo) is one of the mentors of the project.

Mr. Michael Canares, Managing Consultant of Step Up Consulting Services and Team Leader of the Open LGU Research Project was one of those invited to attend the Regional Project Meeting of the Emerging Impacts of Open Data project funded by IDRC through the World Wide Web Foundation.  The meeting was held at the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, India last 16-19 July 2013 and was attended by more than twenty people from within Asia, and from the UK and Canada. The meeting also coincided with the TERI workshop on Open Government Data and Resources.

The meeting introduced the research project to stakeholders in India. At the same time, the participants were also orientated to the state and condition of open government data in India.  An afternoon project launch on 16th June was done with representatives from different sectors in India – government, civil society, business community, and IT professionals.  India is one of the countries with a right to information act (RTI) that has since empowered citizens to demand from government data to explain, for example, its spending and investment decisions.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for the researchers to discuss different tools used in the study of open government data.  Among those discussed in the forum were stakeholder’s mapping, surveys, follow-the-data, news analysis, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews.  Mr. Canares, in one of the sessions, led the discussion on the use of stakeholders’ mapping to define how stakeholders (e.g. business, civil society, research institutions) interact with government, and use government data for their purposes.  This workshop was attended by one of ODDC project mentors, Michael Gurstein.

Michael Gurstein is one of the leading thinkers in community informatics. Most of his work deals with how information and communications technology empowers and enables communities. In this meeting, Dr. Gurstein contributed significantly to the discussion most especially in unearthing underlying theories informing the methods and in refining analysis frames of the different research methods that the researchers would like to use.

mikocanares Uncategorized

Step Up Launches Open LGU Research in Bohol

ImageThe Open LGU Research Project was formally launched in Bohol on July 23, 2013 at MetroCentre Hotel  and Convention Center in Tagbilaran City. The activity was attended by a vibrant mix of representatives from the civil society organizations, business sector, academe, government, church groups, and media. Invited speakers from the government, namely, Atty. John Titus J. Vistal, CPA of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) and Ms. Mary Ann Aparece-Verga of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) – Bohol presented the situation of open data in the province, while Dr. Emmanuel C. Lallana, Chief Executive of Ideacorp and mentor for the project explained how open data is a tool for citizen participation which brings us to the goal for democracy and citizen empowerment.

The project is a research study entitled “Opening the Gates: Will Open Data Initiatives make Local Governments in the Philippines More Transparent” that will look at how online sharing of governance information is making an impact on local government systems and on how data and information are being accessed and used by civil society and intermediary groups. The funding for this work has been provided through the World Wide Web Foundation ‘Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries’ research project, supported by grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre. The research will be conducted in three provincial sites, as, Bohol for Visayas, Bulacan for Luzon and South Cotabato for Mindanao – these provinces being among those awarded with DILG’s Best Governed Province.

This research study is being done by Step Up Consulting Services, a local social enterprise serving local and international clients, managed by Mr. Michael P. Cañares who is leading the research team. During the launch, Mr. Canares gave a lightning talk on the project. Other experts composing the team are Ms. Mariejoe F. Narca, Ms. Jaremilleta M. Arawiran and Mr. Joseph de Guia. The audience’s interest and appreciation for the project, during the launch, gives the research team the right boost and momentum as it takes further steps for project implementation. Mr. Canares noted in jest that at this stage of the study the team is already getting recommendations even before the findings are presented.

For more information on the project, visit http://www.lguopendata.ph/

mikocanares Associates, Consulting Services, Monitoring and Evaluation, Research Projects, Results-based Management

Step Up Evaluates SWCF Project in Batuan

Mrs Marcela Dapar
Mrs. Marcela Dapar, a beneficiary of the SWCF project. Image courtesy of DISOP.

Step Up Consulting Services was contracted by the Soil and Water Conservation Foundation (SWCF) to conduct the terminal evaluation of a three–year project on income generation, community organization strengthening, and environmental management funded by DISOP and Misereor, two European-based NGOs.  The project, “Employability and Capability Building of Farmes in Selected Barangays of Batuan Bohol” aims, that by the end of 2013, the livelihood and sustainable income of members of the communities in 7 barangays along the Makapiko River and its tributaries in Batuan Municipality of Bohol is secured for the long term.  It also strengthens previously assisted organizations of SWCF in the Eskaya communities in Sierra Bullones, Pilar, Garcia Hernandez, and Guindulman.

All seven barangays directly assisted have people’s organization, mostly in the form of cooperatives and associations. The five of the organizations are considered weak in their structure, have limited membership, and are not very stable as a potential source of income, training, reasonable credit and entrepreneurship development for the community. In most areas there is poor implementation of environment laws that has led to environmental degradation in terms of chemical pollution (pesticide and commercial fertilizer), solid waste pollution, removal of forest cover, biodiversity loss through hunting and collection of flora and fauna and disturbance of local caves and their resources.  All these activities are magnified when done on karst because of the very nature of the geological formation itself.

To respond to these concerns, the project aims to achieve three objectives, to wit;

  1. Associations/NGOs are capacitated to manage their affairs and link among themselves and other stakeholders to create a sustainable and conducive environment for securing their livelihoods.
  2. Agricultural and non- agricultural enterprises for the local residents, especially those who are now below the poverty line are newly created and strengthened.
  3. Project beneficiaries are better capacitated to deal with adverse affects of climate, political and social disturbances as well as able to reverse the environmental degradation of their natural resources.
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Alvin Luis Acuzar, Evaluation Team Leader

Mr. Alvin Luis Acuzar, former associate of Step Up manages the evaluation project.  Alvin is currently the Executive Director of the Bol-anon United Sectors Working for the Advancement of Community Concerns (BUSWACC).  He is joined by Doreen Lerin, Marilou Sale, Lorebien Lagapa, Arlen Salgados-Canares, and Edaline Bolotaulo, all seasoned community researchers of Step Up with more than five years of experience in development evaluation.

This evaluation has three objectives:

  1. To evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and outcomes of the project to the situation of targeted people and groups in the community, with particular focus on farmers and their families.
  2. To evaluate the effectiveness of the projects in view of their objectives and to analyse the sustainability of the project results
  3. To assess the roles and contributions of the different stakeholders in the implementation of the project

Project evaluation is one of the core services of Step Up.  In the past, Step Up has been engaged by Kindernothilfe Germany, World Vision Philippines, Fundacion Ipade (Spain), and SABIC (Belgium), Simag Foundation, Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, and other organizations engaged in development work in the country and elsewhere.

The project evaluation started in July and will end in September this year.

mikocanares Capacity Building, Consulting Services, Facilitation, Financial Management

Step Up Assists Bukidnon Province on PFM

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A training on Fiduciary Risk Assessment on the Use of Financial and Procurement Systems for PRMF Funds was conducted on June 4-7, 2013 at The Gardens, in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.  The training was attended by representatives from the different road-sector related offices of the Provincial Government of Bukidnon, more particulary, the Provincial Engineer’s Office, Provincial General Services Office, Provincial Budget Office, Provincial Treasurer’s Office, Provincial Planning and Development Office, Provincial Internal Audit Services Office, Provincial Accountant’s Office, Provincial Legal Office, the Provincial Human Resource Management and Development Office, and the Bids and Awards Committee Secretariat.

The objective of the engagement is to improve the capacities of the Provincial Government of Bukidnon on risk assessment particularly fiduciary risk and determine measures or treatments that could be implemented to reduce the impact of the fiduciary risks.

Managing Consultant of Step Up Consulting was the resource person for the said training.  The participants expressed high satisfaction of the results of the training.  As customary, evaluation sheets were distributed to participants where they rated their experience in term of three areas – content, process and facilitator. The ratings indicated that the content is applicable to the workplace of the participants, that there is appropriate amount of information discussed in the workshop, and that the knowledge they have learned are new to them.  They also said that they were able to fully participate in the sessions, discuss and form their ideas,  and that they are eager to apply their learning when they go back to their work stations.

Capacity building is one of the strongest areas of Step Up’s services.  As expected, the participants commented that the learning facilitator managed the learning process and time well, that he relayed the knowledge to participants in an understandable and clear manner. Mr. Canares was also seen as very responsive to participants questions and flexible enough to adapt to the learning temperament of participants.

 

mikocanares Uncategorized

Step Up Managing Consultant Presents Paper in UN Conference

UNRISD ILO conference
Mr. Canares (far right), with Jose Luis Corragio of the Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento (far left), keynote speaker of the conference and Anita Amorim, Senior Affairs and South-South Specialist of the UN-ILO.

Michael Canares, Step Up managing consultant, presents his paper in an international conference convened by the United Nations Research Institute for Sustainable Development (UNRISD) last 6-8 May 2013 at the International Labour Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.  Mr. Canares’ paper was one of the 44 selected presentations in the conference out of a total of 560 submissions.

The conference presentations revolve around the theme “The Potential and Limits of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE)” organized by both UNRISD and ILO.  It was attended by delegates from more than 70 countries.  Mr. Canares’ work entitled “Scaling Up:  Interactions, Challenges, and Opportunities of Social and Solidarity Economy in the Philippines” was part of the panel on SSE and Local Development chaired by UNDP Director Petra Lantz.  It was the only paper coming from Southeast Asia and the only presentation tackling SSE in the Philippines and in the region.

“I was fortunate to be one of those selected to present in the conference, with a generous grant from the South-South Cooperation Office of the ILO”, Mr. Canares said.    The paper received substantial comments from his researcher friends prior to its submission to UNRISD.  Very recently, UNRISD communicated with Mr. Canares regarding future publication plans of the paper which is currently available in its draft form at the UNRISD website.

Social and solidarity economy is regaining interest in academic circles and policy debates because of the failure of neo-classical economics to promote equitable and sustainable growth as evidenced by recent financial crisis in the US and in Europe.  It was also brought back into the agenda after the Rio+20 Meeting a year back in Brazil to press for country commitments to challenge current models of development that are just mere expansions of the capitalist model.

The UNRISD and ILO conference in Geneva is an effort of both agencies to rethink development models and present Social and Solidarity Economy as an alternative. SSE involves several forms of business organizations, cooperatives, self-help groups, and community-based enterprises, the subject of Mr. Canares’ paper.

mikocanares Local Government Units, Research Projects

Step Up Represented in ODDC Meeting in London

MPC with Tim Berners LeeMichael Canares, Team Leader of the Open LGU Research Project attended the first network meeting of the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries (ODDC Project)  Research Project in London.  In this photo, Michael Canares is with Tim Berners-Lee and the researchers from De La Salle University, Manila, who are also part of the ODDC project.  Tim Berners Lee invented the world wide web in 1989 and is the founding director of the World Wide Web Foundation, the implementer of the ODDC project.

The network meeting was held at the Open Data Institute in London, United Kingdom last 24-25 April, 2013.  It was an an opportunity for project leaders of the 17 projects to get to know each other, and to explore shared research issues in understanding emerging impacts of open data.

 

The participants also attended an evening reception prior to the meeting at the Lancaster House co-hosted by the Open Government Partnership steering committee.  At this reception, Web Foundation founder, and Web inventor, Sir Tim Berner-­Lee formally launched the ODDC project and expressed the importance and potential contribution of the research to the work of the Open Government partnership, more particularly in exploring issues related to the use of open government data across the globe.

While in London, Mr. Canares also took the opportunity to attend the symposium on Data Driven Public Services hosted by Future Gov and sponsored by Capita. In this symposium, examples of how data can be effectively used to deliver services on the part of governments, or demand for better service delivery, on the part of citizens and neighborhoods.

 

 

mikocanares Capacity Building, Facilitation, Gender and Development, Local Government Units

Step Up Trains LGU GST Facilitators

Buenavista TOT TrainingStep Up Consulting Services trained 14 representatives of LGU Buenavista on how to conduct gender-sensitivity trainings as part of the assistance of the GREAT Women Project to the municipality.  The training was conducted in 20-23 March 2013 at Galilea Center for Education and Development and was attended by representatives from the local government unit of Buenavista, the Department of Education, and the local community college.

The GREAT Women project aimed to enhance the enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment (WEE)resulting in sustainable livelihoods for women. It sought to contribute to a gender-responsive environment for the economic empowerment of women, particularly women in microenterprises. In Bohol, the GREAT Women project is implemented in the municipalities of Buenavista, Balilihan, and Jagna.

Step Up managing consultant, Michael Canares, has been assisting the GREAT Women Project (GWP)  not only in Bohol, but also nationally.  In 2010, Mr. Canares facilitated the re-scoping workshop of GWP after its midterm evaluation. Besides Bohol, Mr. Canares also assisted the Metro Naga and Iloilo.

The participants of the training were very thankful to GWP and to the facilitator because they learned significantly from the sessions.  They did not only learn how to facilitate GST sessions, but also how to design participatory events on GST.

mikocanares Associates, Local Government Units, Research Projects

Step Up Implements Open LGU Research Project.

logoStep Up Consulting Services is one of the implementers of a global research project “Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries”.  The project is a “multi-country, multi-year study led by the World Wide Web Foundation to understand how open data is being put to use in different countries and contexts across the developing world.”

Step Up’s proposal was one of the 17 research projects conducted across the world, and the second in the Philippines. The research project is entitled “Opening the Gates: Will Open Data Initiatives Make Local Governments in the Philippines More Transparent?” or otherwise known as the “Open LGU Research Project” looks at how the sharing of governance information online has impacted on local government systems, and how the information and data has been accessed and used by civil society representatives and intermediary groups. The project will identify policies and processes that could support the Philippines to more fully realise an open government data agenda for local government, and will identify challenges currently faced in the supply and use of local government data.

The project expects to contribute to the Department of Interior and Local Government’s efforts regarding the Full Disclosure Policy (FDP), as this would be the first time that a study of this scale will be conducted to know how local government compliance to the FDP has impacted on local governance, more particularly in three provinces across the country.

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mikocanares Uncategorized

Step Up Assists Bangsamoro Development Agency

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Step Up Consulting Services assisted the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) in improving their financial management systems through the conduct of a financial management training course.  The course was held in Davao City in February 2013.

Managing Consultant Michael Canares was engaged by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) as faculty on financial management.  The DAP and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is implementing a Management Development Program (MDP) for BDA. The MDP for BDA is a broad modular program with four main courses: Personal Efficacy and Leadership; Managing a High-Performing Organization; Strategic Public Management; and, Governance and Development. 

Mr. Canares was joined by Mr. Gilbert Lumantao of DAP as resource person for internal audit and internal control while he handled the sessions on financial management basics, planning and budgeting, reading and analysing financial statements. Participants of BDA were very thankful for the sessions. The president of the Board of Directors expressed that this was the first time that they were taught how to read and analyse financial statements. They also said that after the training they will be more cautious in signing financial reports prepared by their accountants and bookkeepers, as they now understand them.

mikocanares Capacity Building, Facilitation, Monitoring and Evaluation, National Government Agency, Results-based Management

Step Up Assists AECID-assisted project on gender mainstreaming

SAM_0333Step Up Consulting Services assisted an AECID project implemented in partnership with the Philippine Commission on Women in firming up its results chain and project formulacion.

The “Institutional Strengthening of National and Local Governance on Human Rights and Economic Empowerment with a Gender Focus: Implementation of the Magna Carta of Women,” is a project partnership between the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). AECID supports PCW’s mandate under the Magna Carta of Women as the over-all monitoring and oversight agency in ensuring the implementation of the law. The project will also provide assistance to oversight national government agencies and selected local government units in performing their roles relative to the realization of their mandates under MCW.

Step Up facilitated the workshop held at Lima Park Hotel. It was attended by key personnel of the project last January 2012. An indepth review of the draft PCW-AECID Project Implementation Plan, Project Formulation Document and draft Performance Measurement Frameworks of LGUs was done to serve as basis in the revision of the results chain and the corresponding measurement indicators.