This was attended by 31 representatives from the different sectors of the society, including those from the academe, business, civic, military and public safety, professionals, and youth. The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. was represented by two of its COPS Awardees namely: PSupt. Bernabe Balba (PROTECT External Vice President) and PSupt. Felicidad Gido (PROTECT Internal Vice President) and I. It started promptly at 9:00 am with everyone introducing themselves to the group.
This was followed by the opening remarks of Dr. Jesus P. Estanislao where he mentioned that in the Global Summit on Social Responsibility that he attended in Washington D.C., they discussed appreciative inquiry in the context of global challenges. Appreciative inquiry (AI) as he described it is the paradigm that is being adopted by industries these days where leaders stress inquiry and see organizations as center of human relationships. This principle focused on building up and magnifying the strengths of the people and the organization in developing a strategy for improvement. As such, the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) made use of AI paradigm in the conduct of the day’s workshop.
Dr. Estanislao highlighted the fact that the Philippines has quite a number of non-government and civic organizations, however it is still struggling with poverty. He presented two challenges to the group, the first one being the challenge of subsidiarity and the second one, the challenge of solidarity. Subsidiarity, according to him, is the empowerment of the people while solidarity is nation building. Companies are already employing the concept of subsidiarity through its corporate social responsibility programs but there is still a need to transcend it to nation building.
The workshop seeks to answer the following questions:
How to promote subsidiarity?
How to promote association and solidarity?
How to promote association and common good?
How to promote association and the promotion of the dignity of the Filipino people?
WORKSHOP PROPER
The workshop was divided into eight (8) sessions.
Session 1. “High Point Moment” of a Leader
The participants were grouped into three to share experiences in leading / participating in activities that would bring about change. This includes identifying one’s learnings and strengths in facing challenges.
Each group was asked to identify the most interesting story to be presented to the rest of the participants. Out of the six (6) presentors, two cited the stories of the COPS Awardees present. Both PSupt. Balba and PSupt. Gido highlighted their efforts in working with the community to promote the advocacies of the police force. They have initiated information campaign in their communities both in preventing and solving crimes. Participants took particular interest in the story of PSupt. Gido when the one who reported about her mentioned that she has six (6) children, four of which were adopted. These four children came from the families who were involved in the cases she was working on in the last few years.
Session 2. Innovations in Social Responsibility
With the same group, the participants were asked to identify innovations that were done / implemented by their respective associations in order to bring about social change. I was tasked to report on the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) case and the Project Citizen Philippines.
Case 1: Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC)
Ms. Antonieta F. Ibe, Former PRC Chair shared to the group that when she took the position of PRC Chair the situation then in the commission could only be described as chaotic because graft and corruption was so rampant in the institution. Since there are more than 2.5 million professionals and more than 600 would be professionals during her first year, she had to start with identifying priorities on what should be done first. She implemented the Customer Focused Service to raise the standard of the professionals. Her effort resulted to PRC gaining the trust of the different sectors (maritime, academe, etc.). In the end she was able to come up with the “Code of Good Governance” signed by President Gloria Macapacal Arroyo.
Case 2: Project Citizen Philippines
This program is being implemented in 60 different countries all over the world. Building on the idea that democracy is a consensus building, Project Citizen Philippines trains high school students to identify and solve problems in a democratic process. They engage the students into community immersions and ask them to prepare portfolios containing the community’s problem, the existing laws to address the problem and proposed laws. Some of the proposals were elevated to the city council level and were adopted by the councilors. They have prepared text books and manuals for easy replication.
In the following sessions, the two COPS awardees and I were grouped together with the public safety and civic sector, respectively.
Session 3. Visions of Philippines 2030
The group composed of business, civic and public safety sectors envisioned the Philippines in 2030 as a country that has already achieved its nationhood in its truest sense with high pride index and where people continuously build mutual trust and respect.
Session 4. Role of Your Anchor Group / Association in Bringing About Philippines 2030
To attain the vision of Philippines 2030, the group agreed that each of their associations should contribute to the strengthening of family ties, formation of fundamental values and promotion of balance approach to life where all facets of ones life is at work and is strengthened.
Session 5. Association / Anchor Group’s Contributions and Impact
In this part, the facilitator asked for the smallest and the boldest contribution one can make towards the attainment of the Philippines 2030 vision. The group agreed that for the smallest contribution, one must be able to “start where he can and where he must”. The change must be internal to be effective but one must believe that it can be done. For the boldest contribution, one must consider integrated development where all sectors will work accordingly to achieve the necessary change.
Session 6. Association / Anchor Group Services and Innovations and Session 7. Assessment of the Association / Anchor Group
The group identified Filipino people as their constituents. Being involved in the key sectors of the society, members of the group offered different services that they can offer to their countrymen, two of these were: strengthening family ties through the projects of the civic sector and protection of the community and the country from criminality and terrorism. The group also agreed that credibility, transparency, and fortitude are three of the strengths that can lead people towards nation building.
Session 8. Association Response to its Key Constituents and the Needs of the Nation
The group recognized capability building as the priority action program that should be adopted by the different sectors of the society.
Session 9. Social and National Responsibility of Anchor Group or Association
For the definition of social responsibility, the group was fortunate enough to be joined by Dr. Estanislao himself to give his definition of it. According to him:
“Social responsibility is the operative commitment to enhancing the personal dignity of every Filipino by contributing to the common good on the basis of subsidiarity and solidarity.”
The core principles involved are the following: respect for common good, for subsidiarity, for solidarity, and for personal dignity.
The best practices that associations can share with other groups are their:
· governance improvement pathways
· learn and share cascading initiatives
· personal governance score cards in every sector / area possible.
To be able to share the concept of social responsibility to the different sectors of the society, the associations should:
a. get the different anchors group to work with other sectors
b. have regular forums to highlight achievements
c. build bridges among the different groups to gain respect and network.
INSIGHTS FROM THE WORKSHOP
Overall this one-day workshop seeks to identify the sector’s strengths and level of involvement in nation building. The workshop was attended by key personalities of key sectors of society. Their inputs were based on their own experiences in doing projects and activities for the improvement of their sectors. Their efforts underwent rejection, revision, improvement, and afterwards adoption. The principles discussed in the workshop can be adopted by the newly established COPS Alumni organization, PROTECT to be able to establish itself in a sturdy foundation. Some recommendations are:
· Capability training. One cannot share what one does not have. In order for the officers and members of PROTECT to be involved in projects on education or even information dissemination, they should be properly equipped with knowledge on the subject that they are going to share to others. They should be trained properly as well on how they are going to carry out the trainings. These can be done by exposing themselves to different seminars and trainings on their subjects of interests.
· Documentation. Compared to other recognition programs in PNP, COPS is considered as the first one to organize all its awardees to form an association called PROTECT. This can be considered as a feat on its own and documentation of all its efforts, including its failures, may be helpful to others in the public safety sector should they decide to organize an organization with the same mission/vision.
· Conduct of fora to highlight individual and group achievements. One word of affirmation can speak thousands of words of encouragement. Recognition of best practices can be done through the PROTECT annual meetings as well as though the COPS yahoogroups. Updates are needed for members to know where their fellow members are at the moment. This can also be used as feedback channel for member’s improvement in their craft.
· Partnership with LGUs and NGOs. Partnership with local government officials and non-government is needed to expand the network of PROTECT. Their support as well as their involvement is needed to ensure that all sides are heard and considered.
· Have a strategic plan that would lead towards nation building. In a meeting with the ISA, it was mentioned that doing good on its own will not make a person a responsible citizen. In order to practice responsible citizenship, one must be able to influence other people to do good as well. The same principle should be adopted by the PROTECT organization. They should act as mobilizers of change in the society. This can be done by instilling the goal of nation building in all the projects of the organization.