Approaches, Values and Players: The Role of the State and Civil Society Players in Social Protection

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Approaches, Values and Players The Role of the
State and Civil Society Players in Social
Protection The Philippines Experience

• Dr. Jaime Z. Galvez Tan M.D., M.P.H.
• Vice Chancellor for Research, University of the
  Philippines Manila
• Executive Director, National Institutes of Health
  -Philippines

Solidarity and Social Protection in Developing
Countries, Turin, Italy, April 23-25, 2003
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The Philippines and Asia

• A lower middle income country
• Population 83 Million (est. Yr, 2003)
• Urban pop. 60
• GNP per capita income US1,200
• Poverty incidence 39.4 (Yr 2000) or 32 million
  Filipinos

Solidarity and Social Protection in Developing
Countries, Turin, Italy, April 23-25, 2003
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The Philippines Disparities in Poverty

• Rural poverty 46.9 Urban poverty 19.9
• Poverty across regions
• Mindanao 47.1
• Visayas 41.7
• Luzon 31.1 M. Manila 8.2
• Across provinces range of 20.2 to 63.7

Solidarity and Social Protection in Developing
Countries, Turin, Italy, April 23-25, 2003
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The Philippines State of Workers in the Informal
Economy

• 70 of the total employment population or 19
  million workers (Yr. 2003 estimates)
• 44 of the Gross Domestic Product comes from the
  informal economy.
• Informal sector 42 in agriculture 30 in
  services 17 in industry 11 others

Solidarity and Social Protection in Developing
Countries, Turin, Italy, April 23-25, 2003
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Problems Confronting the State Players Re
Social Protection

• Lack of synergy of efforts by different
  government agencies
• Vague and weak statistics and data base
• Legal and policy environment not responsive to
  the informal sector
• Need for more institutional systems mechanisms
  friendly to the informal sector

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Problems Confronting the Informal Sector Re
Social Protection

• Limited access to social security, social health
  insurance, occupational health safety legal
  services productive resources
• Little of no access to programs that promote
  decent work living
• With very low annual incomes, they are most
  disadvantaged

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The 26 Philippine State Players in Social
Protection

• Dept. of Labor Employment
• Dept.of Trade and Industry
• Department of Health
• Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
  (PhilHealth)
• Social Security System
• Dept. of Social Welfare Devpt
• Dept. of Science Technology
• Commission on Indigenous Peoples
• National Statistics Office
• National Statistics Coordination Board
• Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor
• Employees Compensation Com.
• Dept, of Interior Local Govt.

• National Economic and Development Authority
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Agrarian Reform
• National Anti Poverty Commission
• Technical Education Skills Development
  Authority
• Occupational Safety Health Center
• Cooperative Development Authority
• Land Bank of the Philippines
• Development Bank of the Phil.
• Commission on Human Rights
• Department of Justice
• Department of Finance
• Department of Budget Mgt.

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5 Challenges to the State Players on Social
Protection

• Can they get their act together on social
  protection mechanisms?
• Can they agree on a common definition of the
  informal sector?
• Can they be led and coordinated by one of them?
• Can they have a consensus on a national policy
  agenda on the informal sector?
• Will they be open for a dialogue with the
  informal sector?

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Civil Society Players in Social Protection in the
Philippines

• Informal sector organizations and federations of
  market vendors, street hawkers, small transport
  workers, home-based industry workers, small
  construction workers,small farmers, small
  fisherfolks
• Non-government organizations e.g Health Futures
  Foundation, Punla (Seedling). CAPWIP, BBCP, NATCO
• 17 city/municipality based informal sector
  organizations in Metro Manila
• Trade unions e.g. TUCP, FFW, FFF
• Academe University of the Philippines Law Center

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5 Challenges to Civil Society Players esp.
Informal Sector

• Need for more organized groups of the informal
  sector
• Greater awareness and action on social protection
• Greater capacity building in organizational
  development, management and leadership and
  resource mobilization
• Will they be able to trust and dialogue with
  government again?
• Are they open to achieve a win-win situation with
  the state?

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Values Utilized in the Dialogue Between State and
Civil Society Players

• Participation and Empowerment
• Cooperation and Partnerships
• Shared Ownership of Goals Objectives
• Human Rights
• Gender sensitivity

• Recognition/Visibility of the Informal Sector
• Universal Access to Social Protection
• Effective Governance
• Environmental Protection
• Sustainability and Institutionalization

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Approaches Used to Ensure a State-Civil Society
Dialogue

• Conduct of a series of monthly multi-sectoral
  consultations (regional and local levels)
• Establishment of a multi-agency cooperation
  coordination network
• Achieving a common understanding of the
  rights-based approach to social protection
• Capacity building of local government units
• Self-organizing of the informal sector

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More Approaches Used for State-Civil Society
Dialogue

• Learning from existing good and best practices on
  social protection
• Initiation of prototypes of informal
  sector-friendly schemes mechanisms
• Systematic review of current laws and policies
  affecting the informal sector
• Community participation involvement
• Moral, technical and financial assistance from
  ILO and UNDP.

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RESULTS!!! 1

• The Philippine Government officially (Nov. 02)
  accepted a definition of the informal sector
  The informal sector consists of units engaged in
  the production of goods and services with the
  primary objective of generating employment and
  incomes to the persons concerned. It consists of
  household unincorporated enterprises that are
  market and non-market producers of goods as well
  as market producers of services.

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RESULTS!!! 2

• The Philippine Government approved A National
  Informal Sector Development Programme (Feb.
  2003) The Philippine programme consists of (1)
  policy formulation and monitoring of
  implementation (2) access to productive
  resources (3) access to social protection (4)
  capacity building of the informal sector
  organizations and local government units and (5)
  resource mobilization and advocacy.

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RESULTS!!! 3

• The National Economic Development Authority,
  (which formulates the Philippine 5 Year Medium
  Term Development Plan) created a Sub-Committee
  on the Informal Sector as part of its National
  Social Development Committee.
• This will further institutionalize the
  organizational mechanisms and the networking and
  dialogue among state agencies and civil society
  organizations.

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RESULTS!!!4

• 17 Cities and Municipalities of Metro Manila
  finalized their 3 Year Informal Section Action
  Plan with funds from their own budgets.(Dec. 02)
  Each city and municipality now have their own
  Informal Sector Committee with participation of
  the local informal sector organizations.

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RESULTS!!! 5

• State Agencies directly in social protection
  (Social Security System. Philippine Health
  Insurance Corporation PhilHealth)
• Have started developing and implementing Informal
  Sector-Friendly mechanisms towards universal
  coverage
• Have become more open to recognizing
  community-based health insurance and social
  security programs initiated by non-government
  organizations, womens groups and peoples
  organizations.
• Have invited informal sector leaders to decision
  making bodies and consultative committees .

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Conclusions

• To ensure universal coverage of social
  protection, it has been realized that the
  Philippine Government cannot do it alone.
• Solidarity with all stakeholders in social
  protection is essential.
• Government can act more as a facilitator and
  coordinator in social protection
• Civil society organizations must continue to have
  constructive engagements with both national and
  local governments

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Thank You Very Much! Merci!!! Grazie!!!

• Jaime Z. Galvez Tan MD, MPH
• University of the Philippines
• Manila