Institute of Politics and Governance

The Institute for Politics and Governance, Inc. (IPG), a non-stock, non-profit, and non-governmental organization, from 8 February 1994 up to present, has worked for the furtherance of participatory democracy, respect for human dignity, rule of law, gender responsiveness, good governance, local autonomy and transformative politics in the Philippines.

IPG envisions a just Philippine society where ethical governance upholds the human rights of all citizens and responds to their basic needs so that all Filipinos thrive.

Civic and Voter's Education (CVE)

CPF and IPG developed a Civic and Voter’s Education Training Manual. This was piloted in five (5) biggest barangays (village) in Quezon City—District 2: Commonwealth, Payatas, Holy Spirit, Bagong Silangan and Batasan Hills. Topics include human rights, democratic principles, good governance, civic obligations and participation, etc.

PINASAMA

The PINASAMA (Parent Initiative for Social Awareness Mainstreaming Advocacy) is a community-based organisation providing day care and Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) services as an alternative education for children age 3-6 years old. Its history traces back to 1984, taking up the issue of access to child care and education, these women leaders researched, trained and mobilized for the installation of ECCD programs in urban poor villages in Quezon City (initially in Barangay Commonwealth and Batasan Hills). These local initiatives found to be very responsive to the needs of community women, thus it was replicated in thirteen (13) other communities, extending to the neighbouring barangays of Holy Spirit and Payatas.

Urban Poor Support for Collective Actions and Leadership of Women (UPSCALE)

The programme will increase the scale of the community initiatives of the PINASAMA community-based organisation and support them with grants, training and technical support to form a cooperative in order to provide essential services (e.g., day care centres, slum upgrades, income-generation activities, etc.) to more urban poor women in Quezon City—the largest city in Metro Manila, with approximately 3 million people.

Solidarity of Oppressed Filipino People (SOFP)

Formerly Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api Inc. (DAMPA), SOFP is a national federation of people’s organisations (POs) consisting of 68 member organisations that are addressing the most pressing needs of urban and rural poor communities. It was established in December 1995 in response to massive demolitions in the slums surrounding Smokey Mountain—the term coined for a large landfill once located in Tondo, Manila, which contained two million metric tons of waste. The demolitions left hundreds of urban poor families in desperate need for adequate basic services.

Throughout the decades, SOFP has served POs and provided leadership opportunities to community women, men and youth while addressing the communities’ issues and challenges brought about by poverty, gender-based violence, and climate-related disasters—including providing critical community support after the catastrophic destruction of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in the islands of Samar and Leyte.

In 2015, SOFP also mobilised youth advocates forming a chapter of the Safe Cities Youth Theatre Action Group (#SCYTAG), and have continued the programme even after the partnership with UN WOMEN.

SiSTER Programme

Co-designed with SOFP, the Solidarity in Savings and Transformation for Empowerment and Resilience (SiSTER) Programme, forms community savings and loans associations (CSLA) and food banks in urban poor communities through a standardised and guided approach that promotes financial accountability, profitability and the empowerment of all the members.

SiSTER is now in its second phase (2026-2029), building on the pilot that improved the wellbeing of dozens of women and their families by increasing family income and savings; and increasing women’s participation in household decision-making.

From a pilot of 6 village groups that underwent the CSLA Formation Training and Grassroots Business and Entrepreneurship Skills Training (G-BEST), there are now over 100 groups across the Philippines seeking support to form their savings and loans associations and micro-enterprises. CPF and SOFP will also develop a 3rd standardised manual to strengthen women's community activism skills to address violence against women and children (VAWC) and the "growing and hidden" incidence of HIV and AIDS in the communities.

Batang Sidewalk

Batang Sidewalk (which roughly translates as street children in Filipino) is a nonprofit organisation and ministry that is bringing change to every street corner in South Manila and beyond. They support young people together with their family through the Sidewalk Sponsorship Program, which provides financial support for young people from poor families to finish their tertiary education. Currently, they have a total of 65 students. During the hardest times of the pandemic their students who already graduated in college were the ones who provided for their families. They retained good jobs with regular salaries even if their parents had lost their job. They stood strong and became God's provision to their families and communities for such a time as this. The organisation believes that education for our youth is of utmost importance to the development of families and our society.

Women in STEM+ Education (WISE)

The programme provides a scholarship grant to the nonprofit community foundation (Batang Sidewalk) for women to attend college or university courses in STEM, Management, Accounting, etc.