Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) The Philippine Experience

1. Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) The Philippine Experience

2. The Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) The Beginnings… ABI is a crusade for a participatory, transparent and accountable budget system It started about 4 years ago (early 2006) when NGOs working on social development and economic justice worked together to collectively engage in the budget process. Social Watch have long been involved in the advocacy on financing for development. It is an active and leading campaigner at the global level. The breakthrough in the local budget advocacy started when allied legislators and Social Watchagreed to have a joint initiative to present an alternative budget. Objective  present a concrete alternative to the budget presented by the President.

3. The Framework and Areas of Concern • ABI adopted the MDG Framework in its budget analysis and advocacy. • This provided broad support among the grassroots and the general public, as well as among legislators, various government agencies and the UN family. • ABI focuses on 5 major concerns: • Education • Health • Environment • Food and Agriculture • Macroeconomic and Debt • ABI aims to reclaim the budget as the “People’s Purse’

4. ABI Composition and Partners ABI is composed initially of 22 NGOs (networks, institutions and people’s organizations) and eventually expanding to 60 . They are involved and active in various concerns: health, education, children, women, environment, rural development, food, fair trade, debt, poverty, youth, students, teachers and indigenous peoples. ABI cooperators also include a group of legislators who work with the rest in Technical Working Groups (TWG) that conduct research and prepare the alternative budget.

5. The ABI Strategy Researchon sectoral situation, performance, problems and key issues Capacity buildingon the budget system, legislative lobby, advocacy techniques and communications strategy Organizing ABI Clusters/ Constituency building Crafting the Alternative Budget Partnering with Legislatorsworking together and identifying champions are key to effective budget advocacy Engaging the Media reaching out to the public is important to add pressure raise level of budget debate

6. ABI in ACTION Budget literacy Workshop Education Budget Analysis and Simulation Exercise

7. ABI in ACTION Organizing the ABI into Clusters to focus on specific concerns

8. ABI in ACTION Setting budget priorities Budget simulation exercise

9. ABI in ACTION Crafting the “Alternative” Budget Proposal Briefing legislators

10. ABI in ACTION Crafting the “Alternative” Budget Proposal CSOs & legislators meet and finalize the alternative budget.

11. ABI in ACTION Crafting the “Alternative” Budget Proposal P The Output Documents

12. Budget Item NEP 2009 ABI Proposal 2009 Variance (ABI Proposal less NEP) Department of Education Office of the Secretary 1. Funding requirement for the creation of new teaching positions in 2009 (III. e. 17.1.2) 1,596,642,000 6,446,642,000 4,850,000,000 2. Human Resources Training and Development including Teacher's Training, Scholarship and Fellowship Grants (III. 1,040,000,000 1,540,000,000 500,000,000 3. Medical/Dental and Optical Health and Nursing Services 40,952,000 1,160,952,000 1,120,000,000 4. Provision for accumulated benefits for Teachers under the Magna Carta 8,000,000,000 8,000,000,000 Basic Education The Concrete Budget Proposals

13. Budget Item NEP 2009 ABI Proposal 2009 Variance (ABI Proposal less NEP) 5. Additional School's Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) for Elementary and Secondary Schools 2,800,000,000 2,800,000,000 6. National EFA Committee fund for EFA monitoring and mobilization 16,000,000 16,000,000 7. Alternative Learning Programs - Field operations of Alternative Learning Systems including Implementation of Accreditation and Equivalency System (III.a.1) 240,420,000 1,651,420,000 1,411,000,000 DEPED OSEC TOTAL 18,697,000,000 Basic Education The Concrete Budget Proposals

14. Partnering and Engaging the Legislature on the Alternative Budget • Briefings – individual MPs, political parties and caucuses • Preparation & distribution of Budget Briefs • Attending budget hearings/feeding questions/coaching • Formal presentations in budget committees • Mass actions inside and outside parliament • Public forums and press conferences

15. ABI forms partnership with policy makers and legislators • Briefing sessions with legislators (MPs) in budget analysis and formulation of alternative budget

16. Pushing the alternative budget proposals to the Lower House and Senate

17. ABI people maintain their vigilance and watch budget deliberations in plenary, ready to provide briefings to legislators supporting the alternative budget

18. Protecting the gains After both chambers passed the budget, ABI defends its gains against the veto power of the President and calls for immediate approval and implementation of the Bicam approved budget.

19. Media advocacy

20. Media is needed PCIJ posted the Exec Sum of the 2007 Alternative budget in their website inQ7net also picks up press releases

22. Please help to improve the Budget Advocacy! Questions to reflect on? What activities/strategies were effective? For next year’s budget season, what other things can you suggest to have greater impact on the budget?

23. The Outcome from the Advocacy Experience

24. Postscript… Budget Tracking Institutionalizing people’s participation in the budget process Advocacy for Budget reforms But did the people really benefit from our budget gains? Is the initiative sustainable? Any strategic gains from the engagement?

25. What ABI Achieved? Some highlights… More NGOs joined/joining(from 22 in 2006 to 60 by end 2008; more sectors engaged ABI and its members are now recognized as serious and important players in the budgeting process Moving towards institutionalization of CSO participation in the budget process… “Breaking traditions and achieving historic milestones” More legislators supporting the ABI; having key champions Improved capacity - more ABI people/members capable doing budget analysis & advocacy

26. What ABI Achieved? Some highlights… Improved capacity - more ABI people/members capable doing budget analysis & advocacy Better public awareness and discourse on the budget through active media engagement Broader partnership with other groups doing parallel actions For 2007, gained modest increase in the budget through ABI intervention P5.3 billion For 2008 budget P6.3 billion For 2009 budget P7.2 billion

27. What ABI achieved? ALTERNATIVE BUDGET 2008 Attaining the MDGs and Sustainable Growth with Equity Global Impact… Information on the Philippine ABI is well circulated globally and now part of the literature in participatory budgeting. • presented as a case study in World Social Forum in Brazil. • presented as best practice in Asian regional workshop in Cambodia with 10 countries.

28. Lessons in the Budget Advocacy Engagement • (Strategies that Worked) • Advocacy Message must be Clear and Sound • Concrete Budget Proposals needed with good basis (evidenced based) • Must have credibility, capability, with constituency &machinery • Visibility is important • Maintain Active Engagement (consistency, substantive, persistent with flexibility/various options) • Briefing notes, short statements, tables, graphs and pictures are important advocacy tools; always referred to by policymaker • Readiness to participate at any time, any given platform • Invest in Research and Capacity Building • Intimate knowledge of the situation and budget issues • Media work is essential and must be done systematically • Invest in Partnership and Coalition work (Amplifies Message, creates space for engagement, added dimension in advocacy) • Must have a deep BENCH • With Champions/Allies among policy makers

29. Thank you! And all the best for 2010