Did you ever ask how many people are actually living out of the livelihood programs given by the government? I am interested to know but I don't know where to look ... (Image taken from the web)
But do they really LIVE out of it?
I realized from reading disability law to executive orders that the government o f the Philippines is trying to help the poorest of the poor sector in the country. To think that if you talk about money were talking about hundreds of thousands even millions of pesos and I ask how come some of the people I met in this small city is still in dire situation? how come in other places its working?
I also read that there are clamor for livelihood programs and the government responded to it by inventing so many budget lines and acronym such as PDAF, DAF and GPBP to direct help where they think is needed but in spite of those, the lives of most people with disability are still poor, so again I ask what is wrong? does it really get used to it's intended purpose? Does it REALLY?
Where is the problem?
If you ask the people they will say it's politics and the politician ... which somehow I would agree after witnessing how one set of LGU officials bullied the group into believing that they know better how to use the funds intended for the sector and still claim they are doing it for them.
If you ask the politicians the will say its the people and will add because they don't know how to handle money or business ... blaming the victims so to speak. They are not business people in the first place why expect them to be one.
But where is the problem really? is it localized or not?
If you ask me, the problems lies in both the politicians (THE BEARER OF GOODS) and the recipients. Here why?
- In the Government Appropriations Act the congress gave LGU discretionary freedom to use the money. They gave out guidelines on where the money can be spent but there's no clear cut agenda on how to monitor if the money were used according to the guideline. So the LGU can decide who to give it to and how to use the money - the actual request for project is lip service because there's no guarantee they will get the support they requested.
- The Executive Orders, Memo Circular, Administrative Orders etc. are subject to the readers interpretations and if you got "bo-bonic" politicians or those who knows but don't like to acknowledge the facts you will have more fights than real work done. Philippines uses English as medium in government circulars so you will expect everybody would and should understand so why the mis-interpretations? i.e the words "their respective" in the memo from DILG is contested by readers and interpreted as they wish to interpret.
- The 1% IRA intended for PWD are not really used according to it's design because nobody in the LGU consulted PWD themselves or expert in the field to guide them how to use it. But of course others will say but we did ... yeah right I will say! Check out my last blog for more on IRA http://dhidhakjpbandalan.weebly.com/disability/iray-ko-po1
- The consultations with PWD are only at the level of asking them what they want - SKIN DEEP so to speak ... and you know what everyone wants - to have a decent life but how to get there is another matter and that's where the inquisition stops. The NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US slogan is not heard at all.
- The PWD themselves are not empowered enough to get what they deserved as declared by the law simply because they don't know. They are too busy finding ways to get on with their lives that listening to the news and understanding what's told by their politicians becomes a past time (only when they are not busy or too sick to care). Better if working directly with people are strengthened and reported back in a realistic way - no just numbers. And the PWD themselves have to work closely together with each other - there is strength in numbers so to speak!
The list can go on but I like to highlight only few that I think really matters. I know it's easier said than done but I think it's doable, like other province have done it why not in my City. The government have all the nice diagrams to help but still how come there are still people left behind.
Here's my take on how to make it work for you to them?
- It's inter-agency. No one agency can do everything for the sector of disability because the issue as they say in NGO speak is "cross cutting" so unless you work together you will not achieve a holistic progress on fight against poverty and empowerment of the people with disability.
I take one example about fund support from agency 1 - all they will give is money to start a business / livelihood, in millions and it's all materials. The PWD group didn't have time to really sit down and figure out "if we have millions worth of material for the business we like to do for our members how will we use it?" and nobody from agency 1 or the LGU actually worked with them to develop their business plan. Let alone other agencies made available for consultations to help design the business plan.
WHAT BUSINESS PLAN? are they out of their minds? take note the beneficiaries are either undergraduate or never been to school or their families are too busy to fend for a household to even have time to discuss things with the rest of the members so designing one is an "alien idea" for most of them let alone put them in writing in English. On top of that agency 1 threatened to blacklist organization who fail to make the fund worked for them and keep the business going after one year - are they dreaming or they just want to get rid of the money, say in their report they helped people with disability groups and sign it off?
- To guarantee success ... know your beneficiaries and know their needs not just give them something for the sake of giving, accompany them if you know how or if not bring in the others that can help. If you are offering business prepare them to be business minded not charity minded -- if they know that maybe they will take care of the grant you provide and you don't have to repeat the cycle of regret and distrust on the people over and over again.
- Know your limitations. It's not all about money, it's also about what you know about disability and what is the real situation of the lives of the people with disability, their families and that you can already foresee what lies in the future. Unless you know, you will not be able to design a good plan for them -- actually you can't on your own, it has to be with them -- the NGO speak of participative (whatever that means... really?), you can learn more by working with experts in the field, visiting the people to show you really care. Remember you're not alone in managing a city, a barangay or an organization - there are help around.
- Know the facts. A lot of documents have been written both here and in the international arena about disability and how to help the poor get out of the vicious cycle, it's not hard to learn the facts at different level and how it can be applied in your own little City. That way you will not go wrong knowing you're doing what has already been tried and tested but will also give you opportunity to be creative, innovative and a leader that others can emulate.
- Know the people you will help. The PWD are also voters. They also share in the goodies of the government but because most of them are trapped in the cycle of poverty other people see them as burden of the society - but actually they are not only if you know them better.
- Do your programs with the PWD. Who are the best people to work with you on the issue of disability are the people with disabilities themselves. They are capable because they actually LIVE it so there's no going wrong consulting them on where to use the budget of the government.
- The LIVES of people are REAL not LIP SERVICE. Everyday for many of them is a struggle be it health, in school or at work if they have any or just surviving one day at a time ... plus of course we are not only talking of 1 person but one family. It becomes additional burden in a family of minimum wage earner to have a sick person with disability and worst if there's more. So when the government allocate funds to help - let the money do the work for them don't dip your hands in the cookie jars as well.
- Respect the dignity of men. Them being disabled does not mean they are not able - like I said earlier they are ABLE just give them the opportunity to rise above their challenges and I am sure they will be contributing members of the society - taxes or otherwise and they might vote for you if you run again for office.
- Give what is due to them. When you give you don't just give them the money, you can accompany them to be able to use the money well for them. Similar to inter-agency you need to get everybody involved in the process of help to eventually lead to change and to improvement of lives.
- Do not complicate if you want to help - you help! Take away all the bureaucracy and red tape in accessing funds then life would be easy for those that ask them. They ask because they need help and you were given the coffer to look out for it and give it to those in need -- Except from what I heard in the grapevines one document takes over a month for just one signature! goodness do you sitll need to kill a bug to get ink in the pen? Don't let it get too frustrating for both the recipient and the giver ... it's not yours to keep anyway instead it's your responsibility to make sure it gets where it's intended to be so don't complicate the process.
- Be a happy giver. It's not the governments money it's the people's money therefore its not your money so don't keep it to yourself or allocate it to what you want because again IT'S NOT YOUR MONEY! our taxes - THE PEOPLE'S MONEY was collected to make it work for the less privilege and other responsibilities so again ITS NOT OUR MONEY! Be happy you have that money to help your constituents and by doing that it reflects on you because you don't claim the money as yours instead you give it to the rightful owners and be happy with it.
- Corruption is a SIN.
All that said, I hope the group I know from here become successful in their LIVElihood plans.