Call For Applications: Program and Research Associate

LSIG Job Opportunities (July 2023) - Program and Research Associate

The La Salle Institute of Governance is looking for four (4) full-time Program and Research Associates who will be engaged in several research and development programs of the Institute.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Provide administrative and logistical support to the Institute in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of the programs, projects, and activities;

• Assist in communicating and coordinating with partners and stakeholders;

• Assist in the preparation of policy briefs, research papers, training modules, technical reports, presentations, and other knowledge products and publications;

• Prepares drafts of correspondence, minutes of the meetings, transcripts, and other documentation of assigned programs, projects, and activities;

• Assist in the management of the website and social media of the Institute, and;

• Report to the Institute’s Director and Program Manage

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in any of the following fields: Political Science, Sociology, Community Development, Communications, Public Administration, Economics,, Psychology, or any other relevant social science disciplines;

• At least six (6) months experience in development work, research, events organizing, project management, or staff work;

• Well-versed in doing both quantitative and qualitative research;

• Excellent communication skills: written and spoken (English and Filipino);

• High level of knowledge and skills in using MS Office, Google Suite, and Zoom;

• Applicants with extensive experience working with civil society and international organizations such as The World Bank, USAID, European Union, ADB, DFAT, etc. are preferred.

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Interested applicants should send their comprehensive CVs, sample written outputs, and letter of interest (addressed to Dr. Ador R. Torneo, Director, La Salle Institute of Governance) to lsig@dlsu.edu.ph on or before 20 July 2023.

Gender Inclusion Promotes Inclusive Democracy” -- Experts, Researchers Say

Manila, Philippines – Held on May 12, 2023, at the Novotel, Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City, the Policy Forum on Gender Equality and Online Political Participation featured policy briefs and research notes, addressing topics on women in Philippine politics, gender influence in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the landscape of digital media as a safe space for political participation in the Philippines.

(From left to right) Ms. Ella Oplas, LSIG Fellow; Ms. Dominique Reario, Researcher at DLSU Department of Political Science and Development Studies; Ms. Paramisuli Aming, Coordinator, Gender and Development Women, Peace, and Security for Manila, Bangsamoro Women Commission, Dr. Ruth Angelie Cruz, Associate Professor at DLSU Andrew L. Tan — Data Science Institute

Attended by various stakeholders, including election administrators, policymakers, civil society organizations, PARTICIPATE coalition, academe, and the media, the activity provided a platform for crucial discussions on gender, online political participation, and democracy.

Misogyny in Politics: A Gendered Fight for the Philippine Presidency 2022

Dr. Ruth Angelie Cruz, Associate Professor at the De La Salle University (DLSU) Andrew Tan - Data Science Institute, presented the findings of the policy brief, Misogyny in Politics: A Gendered Fight for the Philippine Presidency 2022.

Dr. Cruz, Associate Professor at DLSU Andrew L. Tan — Data Science Institute, presents the research, Misogyny in Politics: A Gendered Fight for the Philippine Presidency 2022

"We want to contribute to a deeper understanding of how gender disinformation leverages false narratives on misogyny. We also want to open the discussion on how to counteract online abuse against women in politics," Dr. Cruz said, highlighting the importance of the study.

Results showed that acts of violence targeting women specifically aim to intimidate their activity in politics, discourage their potential participation, and communicate to the public that women should not participate in public life in any capacity.

"What we are trying to prove here is not just misogyny or gender disinformation but showing actual evidence of how women in politics are being treated," Dr. Cruz said, stating the findings of the study.

Part of the policy recommendations includes integrating training for women and vulnerable members of society, implementing uniform institutional policies on harassment and misinformation, and encouraging information literacy and fact-checking initiatives.

Digital Activism and the Safe Spaces Act in the Philippines

"Even though the numbers tell us that the Philippines is doing a fine job (World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap), it doesn’t necessarily translate into reality. Discrimination, sexism, and gender-based violence still persist." Dominique Reario, a researcher at the DLSU Department of Political Science and Development Studies, said about the importance of digital activism and strengthening the Safe Spaces Act.

Ms. Reario, Researcher at DLSU Department of Political Science and Development Studies, presents the research, Digital Activism and the Safe Spaces Act in the Philippines

The study delved into the potential and limitations of digital activism and the role of "netizens" in strengthening the implementation and objectives of the Safe Spaces Act in the Philippines.

During the presentation, Reario emphasized digital activism as a way to use digital space for social media campaigns and advocacy.

"We also have to acknowledge that the digital space provides a good space to come together about causes. A good example is hashtag campaigns. These hashtags...promote or talk about that these experiences happen across the world."

"We hope that people become more aware... and join our advocacy, and hopefully, we will be able to influence the government and push actual reforms", she added.

As part of the government’s effort to push the Safe Space Act, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) is actively promoting it through social media campaigns and collaborating with various stakeholders, especially students, to discuss the law.

Gender and Development in BARMM

In her discussion, Paramisuli Aming, Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) Gender and Development Women, Peace, and Security Coordinator for Manila, shared her experience in gender and development in BARMM.

Ms. Aming, Coordinator, Gender and Development Women, Peace, and Security for Manila, Bangsamoro Women Commission, discusses the Gender and Development in BARMM

She highlighted the progress of the BCW efforts to draft the BARMM GAD code, stressing that the code has stricter penalties for violators.

"It’s a very extensive document; we’ve had challenges in wanting this policy to be passed. It is now part of the priority agenda in the Bangsamoro Parliament." Aming added.

Aming mentioned the status of the BARMM Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (RAP WPS). "We are now on the stage of presenting it to the council, and once it is approved, we hope to launch it by June, somewhere in the second week of June," she said.

The upcoming launch will foster collaboration with civil society organizations (CSO) and Local Government Units (LGUs) to advance women's empowerment throughout the region.

Organized by the La Salle Institute of Governance (LSIG) and PARTICIPATE PH, a non-partisan, pro-democracy coalition, in collaboration with the British Embassy Manila, the policy forum is part of the 2-day PARTICIPATE Democracy Summit on May 11-12,2023.

Local Youth Leaders to Champion Open Government in their Communities

Manila, Philippines – Local youth leaders from seven (7) local government units graduated as Open Government Youth Champions through POGCHAMPS: Project Open Government (Youth) Champions' three-month training program.

LYDO and LYDC from 7 LGUs ( Province of Albay, Province of Northern Samar, City of Manila, Quezon City, Municipality of Balete, Aklan, Municipality of San Mateo, Rizal, and Municipality of Odiongan, Romblon) with DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, DLSU President Br. Bernard Oca FSC, and Galing Pook Foundation Board of Trustees Member Ms. Ma. Gladys Sta. Rita

The training program concluded with a culminating activity last May 10, 2023, at De La Salle University, Malate, Manila. The event showcased Local Government Unit’s (LGUs) Open Government Youth Action Plans and their learning journey throughout the training program.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman stressed that the public’s trust and confidence in the government could be earned through strengthened citizen participation. She also urged the youth leaders to be a beacon of transparency and public participation.

"Remember that as we become more transparent, accountable, and participatory, we gain and regain the trust of our citizens. That is why we need to be open and encourage citizen participation so that together we can take action and catalyze change for the better," Secretary Pangandaman said.

DBM Secretary Pangandaman extends her congratulations to the participants in her welcome message.

On the same occasion, National Youth Commission (NYC) Commissioner Reena Vivienne Pineda congratulated the participants for completing the program. She also extended NYC’s support to the youth leader for their future youth development programs and projects.

"Now I am confident that you will continue to make a positive impact on your communities and that you will be able to use what you have learned to create a better future for all Filipinos," Commissioner Pineda added.

NYC Commissioner Reena Vivienne Pineda lauds the participants in her closing message.
Photo from: National Youth Commission Facebook Page

Building Bridges of Support for Mental Health Advocacy

Representatives from the LGUs of the Province of Albay, Province of Northern Samar, City of Manila, Quezon City, Municipality of Balete, Aklan, Municipality of San Mateo, Rizal, and Municipality of Odiongan, Romblon, presented their Open Government Youth Action Plans and shared their stories throughout the training program.

In their video, the Municipality of Balete, Aklan, laid out their action plan for addressing cases of teenage pregnancy and mental health problems in their locality by establishing the Balete Adolescent and Youth Facility, which aims to provide consultation and counseling services for the youth.

Echoing the same cause, the LYDO of San Mateo, Rizal, also hoped to address mental health issues in their province by implementing a long-term program such as peer mental health respondent.

The LGU also mentioned conducting focused group discussions, collaborating with different stakeholders, and publicizing the initiative’s progress as steps for transparency and engagement.

Meanwhile, the LGU of Quezon City (QC) showed its means of addressing gadget addiction among the youth in their locality by applying the values they learned from the program.

"Ini-encourage po namin sila na gamitin ang pribilehiyo ng isang kabataang QC sa pamamagitan ng pagtangkilik ng mga serbisyo, produkto, at mga lugar na makikita sa QC."( We encourage them to utilize the privilege of being a youth in Quezon City through its good services, products, and places found in the city.) LYDO Reynafelle Cenera said.

Pushing Towards Youth Economic Empowerment

Albay Local Youth Development Officer (LYDO) Rhondon Ricafort emphasized their priority to expand school youth's economic empowerment through youth employment projects.

"We wanted to focus on our youth's employment, especially sa out of school youth. That is why ito yung inuna naming ipakita, and we make it sure na… the office has the funds to support especially dun sa basic na gagamitin ng aming out-of-school youth." (We wanted to focus on our youth's employment, especially for out-of-school youth. That is why we presented it first, and we made sure that the office has the funds to support it, especially for the basic needs of our out-of-school youth.) he said.

The Municipality of Odiongan, Romblon presented their action plan to primarily deal with the increase in school dropout cases in their locality. Among the initiatives are implementing educational assistance programs and community learning hubs for youth.

Odiongan, Romblon LYDO officer, Engr. Reden Escarilla, also mentioned collaborating with various agencies to conduct livelihood programs. "Sa pakikiisa ng pamahalaang bayan ng Odiongan, pangarap namin na maiangat ang antas ng kabataan at walang iwanan.” (Through the support of Municipal Government of Odiongan, it is our dream to uplift the level of youth and leave no one behind.) he said.

Applying Principles and Practices of Good Governance

Jhon Mel Rebenito, Balete, Aklan LYDO shared that identifying the root cause of the problem, consulting with community stakeholders, planning financial management, and advocating for transparency are the key takeaways to strengthening community participation and accountability.

"Through this program na-enlighten kami. Although we have a different set leadership training na pinagdaanan, additional na leadership style and naibigay ng De La Salle University (La Salle Institute of Governance)," Rebenito added. (Through this program, we were enlightened. Although we underwent a different set of leadership training, the De La Salle University (La Salle Institute of Governance) provided additional leadership styles.)

Meanwhile, the training program brought the Manila City Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) team closer to the various communities they reached out to, emphasizing the importance of openness to changes and differences for the betterment of the programs and projects.

Jaycee Del Rosario, member of the Manila City LYDC, shared budgeting process is crucial in obtaining accountability. He added that "discussions with my local development youth officer opened my consciousness to how tedious the budgeting process is on the LGU level. Civic education, driven mechanisms, and funding accountability are some of the options the youth can do in attaining accountability through public service."

Northern Samar LYDO Representative Jhon Allen Berbon, compared their training experience to the journey of the disciples to Emmaus. "We have been journeying with these OGP values even before La Salle Institute of Governance has mentored us... However, just like the disciples, we have been completely opening our eyes that...there is so much more work to do."

It is also highlighted in their presentation that accountability, public oversight, and consistent practice of democracy are the key elements of open government.

San Mateo, Rizal LYDC Representative Elijah Ermita pointed out that public trust is public office. "Wala ang opisina ng gobyerno at wala mismo ang gobyerno kung wala ang tiwala ng taumbayan satin.” (The government office and the government itself would not exist without the trust of the people in us.)

He also underscored accountability, transparency, and citizen participation as important elements of gaining public trust.

Organized by the La Salle Institute of Governance, in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute, the Galing Pook Foundation, and the National Youth Commission, the POGCHAMPS: Project Open Government (Youth) Champions training program served as a platform to empower young leaders and equip them with the necessary skills to foster open government practices and youth development in their respective localities.

The culminating activity was supported by the Philippine Open Government Partnership as part of the celebration of Open Government Week 2023.

Participants with LSIG Director Dr. Ador Torneo, and Galing Pook Foundation Board of Trustees Member Ms. Ma. Gladys Sta. Rita

Comm and Media Advocates Shape Their Advocacy Comm Skills Through LSIG’s 2-Day Training

Manila, Philippines -- Various government agencies and civil society groups see effective advocacy communication as a step towards increasing participation in political reforms and strengthening democracy.

Held on March 25–26, 2023, at the Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle, Malate, Manila, Making Your Messages Matter: Training on Effective Advocacy Communication in the New Media Landscape aimed to amplify the advocacy communication skills of the 25 participants.

Organized by the La Salle Institute of Governance (LSIG) in partnership with PARTICIPATE, the event featured prominent speakers who shared their expertise and insights on various topics. 

Developing Advocacy Messages and Good Visual Storytelling

DLSU Communication Lecturer Carlo Figueroa gave a talk on media advocacy and truth-telling. He emphasized that the media helps organizations create a reliable and consistent stream of publicity for their issues and other activities, which can lead to more responsive public policies.

"You’re writing as the voice of the organization," he added, highlighting the importance of writing as the voice of the organization.

Figueroa also stressed the importance of having good writing skills to effectively convey advocacy messages to the media and journalists.

"Think like a journalist, including the traditional 5 Ws and 1 H. Practice, and follow the acceptable style and standard that professional news outlets do," he said. 

ABS-CBN News Chief Reporter Jeff Canoy shared tips and reminders on developing effective advocacy messages from a journalist's perspective. He highlighted a good visual story, timeliness, visuals, providing opportunities, scheduling, and accessibility as key elements to incorporate in writing advocacy messages.

Canoy also pointed out the value of putting context when writing a good story. "The difference is we put context on everything because things don’t happen just because they happen. There’s always a reason behind it, and it’s for the journalist to figure out what that reason is."

In developing compelling visual storytelling, Canoy emphasized the show, don’t tell rule. "It’s more effective if you put images side-by-side rather than just me telling you in one paragraph or one text. The composition is always important; essentially it’s like a song…you don't think about those (technical) things."

Jimmy Domingo, Chairperson of the Photojournalists Center of the Philippines, also talked about applying visual communication to shaping advocacy messages from a photojournalist’s perspective.

"Framing, composition, design, and perspective. Visuals are constructs... It implies that a picture shows a thousand words. With the aid of captions, the message of the photo can be explained easily." He added, mentioning the visual composition and caption as vital elements in photography.

Maximizing Social Media for Advocacy and Fact-Checking

In the discussion about the disinformation landscape and the basics of fact-checking, DLSU Communication lecturer Jake Soriano pointed out the proliferation of information disorder in social media.

"Social media is a big part of our lives. And with that, is a problem of mis and disinformation because social media sort of amplifies these problems."

He also explained the consequences of online disinformation. " They harm our health, they shape our politics, and they have impacts on democracy in the Philippines."

Figueroa also added during the discussion the need to look at the platform’s accountability with online disinformation.

"We should not depend fully on fact-checking. So, we should look at platform accountability as well. Everything is hyper-advertising, and they’re not very forthright in how they tell us, in how they bump algorithms, and in how they use platform accountability," he said.

On maximizing social media platforms for communicating advocacy, Multimedia production start-up Lyf Solutions President Voltaire Tupaz stressed the need to utilize the presence of the latest technologies to share advocacies.

Tupaz mentioned the changes in the framework of advocacy campaigns and the roles of advocates with the rise of social media. "Advocates today are becoming storytellers and digital citizens. You have to adjust your content plan depending on people’s internet use, " he said.

           In terms of strengthening the NGO’s social media presence, he emphasized the importance of social media auditing. "Through it (auditing), we can measure the effectivity (of the campaign), we can also monitor the social media insights and engagement, and new opportunities to grow and engage your audience."

In the end, Tupaz encouraged the participants to share and discuss their opinions and find like-minded communities and reminded them to think as content creators in leveraging their advocacies.

Participants gained valuable insights and skills to help them communicate their advocacy messages more effectively in the new media landscape.

Women Combatants in BARMM Call for Equal and Inclusive Opportunities in Peace Process

The women combatants of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) seek inclusive and equal opportunities to be involved as reformers in the peace process in BARMM.

De La Salle University—Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance (DLSU-JRIG) Senior Fellow Dr. Socorro Reyes stressed during her lecture on "Women’s Voices in the Liberation Forces of Muslim Mindanao" held on March 23, 2023, in celebration of Women’s Month

“Women play an important role in the normalization process not only as peacebuilders but as change makers.”, she added.

Dr. Reyes presented the findings of her study, which revealed that women combatants continuously pushed for their economic empowerment and seats in the government as they actively participated alongside men during the war and peace process in Mindanao.

Through conversations and interviews with 37 women combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) from Maguindanao, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu, Dr. Reyes used gender as a perspective to probe the socio-economic, political, and women's rights dimensions of their lives.

The study found gender disparities at the socio-economic level, with women combatants not being as economically independent as men. Hence, the call for the government to provide job opportunities, healthcare, and education to improve their livelihoods is needed. 

From a political perspective, encouraging women's participation in discussions on electoral and local governance codes is crucial.  It is also vital to strengthen Bangsamoro Women's Commission's presence as a significant institution to advance gender and development initiatives at all levels of the government decision-making process.

Moreover, gender equality and women's rights advocacy should be amplified at grassroots levels, as domestic violence, re-marriage, and early marriages are still prevalent among MILF and MNLF women and children in the island provinces.

Her study aimed to determine the extent to which the lives of women combatants of MILF and MNLF have changed with the BARMM, look into their representation and participation in decision-making bodies and formulation of legal frameworks, and learn their attitudes towards gender equality and women's rights.

Funded by the Center for Women, Peace and Security of the London School of Economics and Political Science, the project is part of regional research on, “Gender and Governance in Conflict-Affected Countries”.