The BATMAN Project.
In November 1996, the Center for Agrarian Reform Empowerment and Transformation (CARET), the Education for Life Foundation (ELF), the Institute for Popular Democracy (IPD), the Institute of Politics and Governance (IPG), Kaisahan tungo sa Kaunlaran sa Kanayunan at Repormang Agraryo (KAISAHAN), Popular Education for People’s Empowerment (PEPE) and the Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN) developed and put together a Course on the Management and Electoral Training (COMET) to help candidates in the May 1997 Barangay Elections.
After the election, COMET participants seek the help of the NGOs in barangay governance. The seven NGOs, who implemented the COMET, decided to come up with a Barangay Administration Training Manual, thus, the efforts was called, the BATMAN project.
The Birth of BBGC.
On July 30, 1998, the seven NGOs, in a meeting at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, decided to continue the BATMAN project into a consortium. Thus, the popularly known BATMAN Consortium was renamed, the Barangay Bayan Governance Consortium (BBGC), characterized by its dynamic principle-centered non-formal consortium.
Initially, the BBGC project involves capacity building, civic participation in governance, development and democratization. It aims to create as many empowered sustainable communities as possible. These are barangays where people have empowered themselves, secured tangible gains, and are likely to sustain their development processes.
Barangay Governance Trainings were conducted that focuses on how barangay communities may take advantage of the positive provisions of the Local Government Code of 1991. These barangay governance training serves as introduction to participatory planning using participatory rural appraisal, minimum basic needs and technology of participation (TOP) tools.
Regionalizing the Consortium.
In 2001, BBGC members become active in 2,136 barangays, in 110 municipalities, in 25 cities, and in 32 provinces. In the same year, a growing number of BBGC members are also involved in: women in local governance and electoral policy advocacy, active citizenship education, distance education in local governance and community-based paralegal systems development.
Even when funding for the BBGC, through the Institute of Politics and Governance (IPG) formally ended in 2002, the IPG continued to assist locally-based NGO members in accessing funds for area-based local governance work. Until 2005, a Program Development Training Seminar-Workshop–a special Sustainable Integrated Area Development (SIAD) course—was conducted to help BBGC members in developing program concepts and writing proposals for resource generation.
Between 2004-2005, the IPG assisted the Consortium in the formation of the regional BBGC structures and networks particularly in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Regionalizing the Consortium is a strategy to enhance cooperation among members along common geographical, and even cultural ties. It encourages learning and theorizing from below. It also enhances local constituency building on policy advocacy at the national level.
The Second Generation Program
In 2004, the IPG held a series of LGU conferences to facilitate learning exchanges and to develop a network of local government officials who are champions of participatory local governance. Workshops for the review and revision of the BDP-PRA manual and strengthening of the local special bodies were likewise conducted.
In 2005, the Second Generation Program to scale up interventions of member NGOs and POs was adopted by the BBGC. The key Second Generation Barangay-Bayan interventions of the BBGC aimed to develop good practices in participatory municipal and city development planning and resource generation, and, GAD planning and budgeting. Good practices of Solid Waste Management, people-based and managed marine resources management and organic farmin were promoted.
In 2007, IPG, together with the Governance Affairs Committee of AKBAYAN, crafted a framework paper for the BBGC and AKBAYAN. This was approved by the BBGC in 2008. This framework addresses the practical problem of lack of funds for the operations of the BBGC members. The components and strategies include: (1.) organizing and developing State reformists, (2.) interaction of issue-based, gender-sensitive and responsive local struggles and governance projects, and, (3.) anti-patronage route to resources, production and delivery of services.
The BBGC Agenda 2010: Agenda of Hope and Change in Local Politics and Governance.
In 2009-2010, a series of local government units and national government agencies’ dialogues were undertaken to introduce: (1.) employment creation through labor-based public works, (2.) employment creation through the assistance of devolved programs of the national government to livelihood projects, (3.) downloading national government and PHILHEALTH funds for universal health care and capacity building and employment of Barangay Health Workers, (4.) accessing funds for water system projects for waterless communities; and (5.) developing strategies for claiming spaces in the cities for urban poor communities and informal settlers.
The BBGC, prior to the 2010 National and Local Elections, renewed its commitment and approved the BBGC 2010 Agenda of Hope and Change in Local Politics and Governance that includes: (1.) Amendment to the Local Government Code; (2.) New rules and responsibilities for improved national-local fiscal relations; (3.) New rules and responsibilities for improved civil society-local government-national government cooperation and increased people’s participation, (4.) Local Sectoral Representation must be put into law and practice, and (5.) Good governance must be gender-sensitive, fair and responsive.
Every year, BBGC activities are carried out in order that progressive groups and practices constitute relevant components of the political landscape and innovative practices that shape the public discourse on local governance are developed and promoted.
The IPG continues to support the BBGC members by providing capability building seminars, and facilitating linkages with national government agencies, donors and service providers.#