Almost a month after my last entry? Sorry, sorry, sorry. I have noted that the journal has been visited 15 times this May. There's really no excuse.I must find time to make entries to this journal. I must. I must. I must.

I have a sore neck. It must be from this TV set which is placed too high in my room. Like many Filipinos these days, I depend on TV to keep track on what's happening in Congress these days. They are supposed to canvass the votes for the President and the Vice President. Instead, our honorable representatives of the people spent the past two days debating on the procedures. Last night, a woman spectator from the gallery sent a note to the filibustering Congressman who, incidentally, lost his bid for Senator to just shut up and start the counting. The honorable wants the whole Senate and Congress to act as committee of one to do the counting instead of having a 14-member committee to do the canvass as it was done before. The honorable congressmen and senators could not agree on which option to take.

Anyway, let us hope, the people will not be too impatient to take matters in their own hands. They may just barge through the barricades of policemen and the Marines to just scream their frustrations about the delay.

Meanwhile, here in Baclayon, more than 200 residents have signed a petition addressed to their political leaders that they support their proposed amendment to the road expansion plan to be implemented soon by the Department of Public Works and Highways and Korea's Hanjin Corporation.

Copies of the petition were also sent to the Office of the Governor, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the Office of the Vice Governor, the Office of the Representative for District 1, Hon. Edgar Chatto. After a week, complete silence.

In a microcosm, you see here the indifference of public officials to the simple request of residents that the expanded highway should not destroy pre-World War II houses and other structures along a two-km. stretch of the town.

I still hope the bureaucracy can act a little faster to respond to this petition.

Meanwhile, life goes on. That means, I have now to go to the showers, dress up, eat breakfast, and rush to the office. Here's another day to live through despite all these distractions or, if you prefer, burning issues...

OK, my apologies. It has taken me a long time to get back to this journal. The usual excuse: lack of time. But if I look back, I could have squeezed in a few minutes before going to bed or upon waking up to drop some lines. Anyway, I am encouraged that some visitors do get to this journal. It must be frustrating or downright disappointing for them if they read the same stuff each visit.

It's for them that I must find precious time to write something on this journal.

Let's start with yesterday... We were in this workshop which is trying to build a research consortium among academic institutions,NGOs and academic institutions in the province. It is being conducted by Dr. Peter Urich of the International Global Change Institute. Yesterday was Day 2 of the workshop. We had the Planning Secretary, Hon. Romulo Neri, as guest. He gave powerpoint presentations on the basics of economics and also on his analysis of the country's political oligarchy. He said the election process is flawed from the start because it is the rich who bankroll political parties and candidates; he calls this group booty capitalists. The financiers naturally would like to get their investments back and for these investments to earn in return.

This is actually the third time I have seen this presentation. I have been hearing the same views from my college days three decades back. The only difference is that if you said these things in the 60s, you would be branded as leftist or a trouble-making radical. Now this is a member of the Cabinet saying the same things for which many of my friends were persecuted in the past. That's proof the democratic space has somewhat widened since the 60s despite persistent efforts of vested interests to capture political power and economic wealth. Many Filipinos will agree with this analysis. The challenge remains: how to address the situation within the framework of existing laws and conventions that an elite-dominated political process has put in place ...

We need to process his input in the context of the workshop's objective to organize a research consortium. In fact, there is a need to see the proposed consortium in the light of the provincial development agenda as reflected in the various development plans.

The Planning Secretary came with Director Romy Escandor of NEDA Region 7 and an old friend, Dr. Severino Cuevas of UP Los Banos. It must have been more than 20 years that I have not seen Seve. I was eager to bring him to dinner home but his schedule is tight this time. We hope to meet him again here in Bohol.

It's 6.37. I have to follow doctor's order, walk and up down this hill every morning. All these things we have to do to survive.

OK, it's the last day of March. The first quarter of the year is gone. Tomorrow, we start a new quarter. So many things to do, so little time. There goes the familiar refrain. But, at this age, let's not fret about time. It's counterproductive. It's just that April is our birth month. And if you are my age, it always feels like time flies so fast.

We're busy on this research about micro-enterprises. Atty. Cambangay says it's important we come up with a program framework on sustainable livelihoods. We will start with this study on micro-enterprises. I have to finish the design for this rapid survey or assessment. We have to find out what the agencies and NGOs, as well as LGUs, are doing to support micro-entrepreneurs. Probably it will take us more than a month to do this province-wide survey.

Then we can talk about preparing that framework later.

Today, we had an interesting workshop, actually a baseline survey on the performance of the DILG-GTZ WSSPMO (Water Supply and Sanitation Project Management Office). A three-member DAP staff Center for Knowledge Management led by Vice President Elizabeth Manugue facilitated the activity. Good design, good time management.

Around 20 participants attended, including several Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (MPDCs). There was even a participant from the Ilaw ng Buhay Water User Association of Guindulman municipality. He is Felix Licong. There was a loud applause. It warmed the heart to know the Ilaw ng Buhay is still alive in a few places despite the center being closed for more than 10 years.

This made my day. Guindulman Vice Mayor Eleno Laga called up. He's running for Mayor. He used to be an outstanding trainer and fieldworker of the UNICEF-assisted Ilaw ng Buhay (Light of Life) program of long ago. Hope he gets that post now in his town.

Memories are creeping in. I should stop now. It has been a long day as usual.

Good night to all.

Ms. Sylvia Clemente, FAO/UN Consultant, visited our office this morning. She was accompanied by Ms. Corazon Estocado of the Department of Agrarian Reform. Atty. Cambangay, the head of our office, the Provincial Planning and Development Office, invited me to join him in answering questions from the mission.

She was actually the 6th consultant from DAR to visit us since last year here at the Capitol. I remember one lady consultant who borrowed the CD version of the Poverty Reduction framework She said she would just copy it in her laptop back in the hotel. That was the last time we heard of her. Like all the hordes of consultants and researchers from all sorts of agencies before her, she did not give us even a draft copy of her report.

All the previous 5 consultants working on agrarian reform practically asked the same question: how do we integrate the ARC plans with the LGU planning process? It gets so taxing, for me at least, to answer the same question each time that a DAR consultant comes around, particularly if it's already phase 3 of the project. Don't they ever compare notes?

These consultants and researchers (from DAR Manila and other agencies) just appear here and we extend to them all the cooperation we can muster. We spend an average of two to three hours per visit of consultants and researchers to our office. In most instances, we even arrange their appointments with other agencies. Not that we are complaining; it's just that they should at least give us a summary of what they have found out here and their recommendations. We don't even bother to ask them about their TOR and credentials. Everything's taken in good faith. But it looks like they do not regard us as their equal; they do not even bother to tell us about the results of their mission.

All we want is for them to be fair with us. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from their reports. Let's see if Ms. Clemente will be different from the rest of them.

There, I finally managed to say it. It has been bugging me for a long time, this unpleasant feeling that we are just being used by some people.

By next week, the third month of the year is gone. We have been busy with a lot of things lately. But this is not an excuse to neglect this journal thing. It's a question of finding the time, or is it a matter of will? Surely being busy is not an excuse. I must find the time to write, reflect ... It warms the heart to know 101 visited the journal this month. And to think I had only one entry!

What were we busy about in March? Let's see. First week, I went back to an old action item that I had really to dispose of. That was revising the draft Medium term development plan 2004-2009 of Bohol province. I had to put in the poverty reduction focus in each of the sectors. Well, I was able to do the revisions in five days' time.The ball is now with the sector heads. They are also awfully busy with a lot of things, but I hope they will be able to come up with the final draft by early next month.

The AusAID education sector mission came. We had to rush some references for them. We also gave the mission a copy of the proposal we drafted a year ago for the retrieval of school dropouts. This case of so many unemployed youth, in addition to school dropouts (6-14 yrs old), really needs to be addressed. Someone will have to match the abundant idle land with this phenomenon of having unemployed youth in the hundreds joining the labor force each year but finding no job at all.

Then I had to rush an accomplishment report for the unit and a proposal for availing volunteers from the Korea Overseas Volunteers program. I found time to direct the work being done on the formulation of a staff development plan for the 15 provincial agencies. This involves establishing the database for all of more than 600 regular employees of the Provincial Government. If we can have the plan and implement it in a 12-year period to coincide with the time frame for the poverty reduction framework, it can motivate employees to work harder; their career path will be clearer.

Lito de Vera came to attend a national conference of DED (German Development Cooperation) volunteers held here in Bohol. He dropped by in the office with a colleague. I know this guy from way back during our brief stint with NEDA. Our posting there was paid for by UNICEF.

On 07 March, Tony Irving, Arnold Seloterio and I met with the Purok Development Volunteers of our village. It was a Sunday, but all the volunteers turned up. The PDVs do not receive any honorarium. It's a great thing they come even on a Sunday. We usually meet with the 12 volunteers from the six puroks on a Sunday. That was their choice.

I found time to act as judge for an essay writing contest among first year high school students in Tagbilaran City.

For the month, I am back to the routine of riding in the van that brings children to school as early as 7.00 a.m. I know the doctor will again complain since I have had no time for my usual brisk walking up and down the hill. Still, I found no time to write on this journal regularly.

I hope I can do better next time...

Still too busy to get into this journal thing. Still waiting for AusAID PACAP to formally approve the LGU strengthening project in 17 municipalities here in Bohol. Still trying make head or tail of the new projects coming up as part of the poverty reduction efforts. Still wondering why donors seem not interested to monitor their projects here. Still trying to figure out what can be good motivating points so government employees will work hard from day to day. Still getting drowned by all these charges and countercharges among the politicians in this busy season. Still pretesting the survey methodology in Laya. Still. Still. Still...

0832. First journal entry for this year. Too busy with a lot of things as last year ended. Then there was this two-week training (12 – 24 Jan) held in Cebu for the MPDCs (Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators) of 17 municipalities in Bohol proposed for the implementation of the AusAID-assisted Strengthening Local Governance Project.

I attended the live-in training at Days Hotel in Mactan as one of three participants from the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO). The other PPDO representatives were: Atty. Nitz Cambangay, the provincial planning and development coordinator, and Roger Alegado, head of the Project Development and Monitoring Unit (PDMU) of the PPDO.

That was actually Component 1 of the AusAID-funded training on Strengthening Local Governance for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development. The province requested for the training as start-up activity for poverty reduction project to be implemented with AusAID assistance in 17 municipalities in Bohol.

Component 2 is what we are having here now at the MetroCentre Hotel in Tagbilaran City. The MPDCs were joined by 5 other members of the Municipal Poverty Reduction Action Teams (MPRATs).

The total number of participants who attended reached 102 out of the expected 105. That was around noon time yesterday. Those who were not able to come for one reason or another (sick; on official business to Cebu, etc.) sent replacements. Unfortunately, the ten or so replacements could only be classified as observers.

Gov. Erico B. Aumentado welcomed the participants and trainers during yesterday’s opening program. He said the MPRAT members are the front-liners in the fight against poverty. The Governor challenged the MPRATs to work wholeheartedly in achieving poverty reduction targets.

Dr. Benjie Gonzales-Flor of AusAID-Phil-Australia Short-Term Training Facility (PASTTF) also came for the opening program yesterday. She opened her talk by saying she believes that as a woman, she can do anything. Good opening! It got the attention of the audience. She also cited the characteristics of more developed countries: ethics; integrity; respect for laws; responsibility; punctuality, etc.

Dr. Vicky A. Bautista, director of the Center for Leadership, Citizenship and Democracy, UP National College of Public Administration and Governance, discussed key issues and concepts related to understanding poverty. She talked about innovative strategies which have been so far tried by the national government.

This is starting to sound like a news story and not a journal. Now I have to focus on the input. This is quite a big group. Fortunately, the audio system is excellent. Still, there is no way of knowing if they get the messages fully. Perhaps, in the future, we have to think in repeating inputs in small groups and minimize lectures in big groups.

We know this from way back, but we are victims of circumstances. The time frame is too short to have all these inputs.