 Population 120,883 (NSO2010)  30 Barangays (communities)  Internal Revenue Allotment is Php550M from Philippine Government in 2015  Known as The City of Gentle People  Also known as The University Town - Silliman University, First private America Protestant University in Asia founded in other Private Universities, 1 State University & 5 Private Colleges

 Male-headed locality  Predominantly male in the legislature (8 men/ 2 women)  More women sitting as Department Heads in major frontline agencies such as health, social welfare & development planning.

 Gender and Development Code  Children’s Code  Comprehensive Women’s Health Care Policy - Reproductive Health - Care for pregnant women, women in prostitution & counseling

 Presence in Local Special Bodies ( Local Health Board, Council, Peace and Order, Local School Board, Local HIV/AIDS Council) Pro-people Policy known as the People’s Council Ordinance Creation of the Joint Citizen & Government Monitoring Team known as G-Watch in 2011

Government o Office of the Mayor(F) o City Planning (F) o City Health (F) o City Engineering(M) o General Services & Procurement(M) o (2) Barangay Officials(M) Civil Society o Negros Oriental NGO Network (M) o Tuburan for Rural Women & Development(F) o Visayan Forum Foundation Inc.(F) o Social Action Center(F)

 Participate in designing easy-to-use monitoring tools with Ateneo School of Government using their Social Accountability & Good Governance Model  Implements ASOGs G-Watch Localization Project  Conducts joint citizen-government monitoring activities  Participate in National, Regional and Local forums on the State of CSO participation in Governance.

 Awareness-raising campaign - know the forms of corrupt practices - assert your right to know in the spirit of transparency - exact accountability from public officials

 Participate in the formulation Women’s Legislative Agenda  Women in Nation-building Act in the Philippines has provided women the following benefits: - women’s participation in planning and implementing and monitoring programs and not merely as beneficiaries - access to credit

 Right to own properties ( e.g. certificates of land title under a woman’s name)  Increased access to livelihood programs  Mandatory allocation of Gender and Development (GAD)Fund to address women’s issues and alleviate the socio- economic, political and social well- being of women

 Limited access to financial resources from government and private agencies for monitoring.  Commitment from local volunteers to monitor government projects.  Organizational limitations – no fulltime staff, not yet registered by the Securities & Exchange Commission or SEC  Sustainability

 Build on Organizational Capacity  Expand network (local, national and international)  Continues learning with Ateneo School of Government  Lobby to government and private agencies to mobilize resources for monitoring  Showcase G-Watch as a mechanism to combat corruption.

International Women’s Day Celebration in the Municipality of San Miguel, Province of Bohol.

Engaging Local Officials in National or International Observances. Photo taken with Mayor Claudio Bu ńor, Vice-Mayor and Councilors mostly men.

Full-circle meeting of G-Watch Core Team in preparation for the Infrastructure Monitoring activity. The city administrator is proactively engaging himself with this noble undertaking with CSO partners.

Transparency is also being practiced even by women’s group in remote areas of the Negros Province.

Empowered women community leaders know how to carve their own development agenda and exercise assertion in matters which have direct effect in there lives.

Dance is an art of self-expression. Women in San Miguel Bohol grooved to the music of the 70s in affirmation and recognition of their rights during the International Women’s Day Celebration last March 8, 2015.

Thank you.