CONSORTIUM OF CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION FOR RURAL-URBAN DEVELOPMENT (CONCORD, Inc. )
Zone 6, Marfil Subdivision, Barra, Opol, Misamis Oriental
27 August 2008
CONCORD, Inc. Appeals for Peace Process
The Consortium of Christian Organization for Rural-Urban Development (CONCORD, Inc.), a community development arm of protestant churches in Mindanao such as the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church of Southern Philippines and Alliance Church, would like to register our stern condemnation on the recent hostilities against civilians in Cotabato, Maguindanao and Lanao provinces perpetuated and aggravated by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the military and police forces of the Government.
Last August 18, MILF fighters, led by Commander Abdullah Macapaar alyas Bravo, raided Kolambogan and Kauswagan towns of Lanao del Norte killing 28 civilians.
Five UCCP-CONCORD members in Libertad, Kauswagan were looted and killed namely Miguel Daitia, 95 years old, Aldren Tan, 55, Gilbert Labid, 21, Jabez Ganzan, 38, and Ruben Daitia, 27. Their homes were burned down and around Php 500,000.00 are robbed from Aldren Tan.
Christian Young Adult Chairperson of UCCP, Kauswagan, said the military and police elements present during the raid did not fire a single shot to protect the civilians from carnage. He claimed that reported exchanges of fire between MILF raiders and the government forces during the pillage is a great military lie. This same thing happens in Kolambugan. The military was not there to protect the civilian from the looters. The 3 soldiers and one policeman killed at Kolambugan are victims of the raider’s shots.
The number of evacuees is estimated at around ten (10) thousand of which 6, 347 are temporary sheltered at the mosque in Lanao Areas. The rest evacuated to Misamis Occidental Province , particularly at evacuation centers and relatives in Ozamis City , Tangub and Clarin. In Iligan City , the capital of the province, two hotels were bombed.
As of date, Kauswagan and Kolambogan centers remain “ghost towns”- shops, offices, schools are closed. The remaining farmers in Kauswagan and Kolambogan visit their homes, live stocks and farms only during the day but at night they stay at their relatives’ homes near the seashore.
On the other hand, late July until early part of this month, MILF forces, directed by 105th Based Commander Ameril Umbra Kato occupied 15 villages of Aleosan and Pikit municipalities and engaged a military offensive against the Government forces for three weeks before their main force withdraw to Maguidanao areas. Destruction of lives and properties is mounting caused by the MILF occupation and the eventual military take-over. The National Disaster Coordinating Council , Social Welfare Department and Philippine Military reported an initial assessment to 159,123 evacuees in 56 villages sheltered at 53 evacuation centers, and undetermined civilian deaths, burned-out homes and farms .
The Conference Minister of UCCP-Cotabato Annual Conference, Rev. Pablo de la Cruz, Jr. reported that, thousands of CONCORD members are displaced of their homes and livelihood due to the fighting.Reports said these hostilities are caused by the Supreme Court’s decision to stop the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain between the government and the Muslim rebel group.CONCORD, having advocacy on ancestral domain and Christian-Muslim- Indigenous Peoples dialogue and genuine development , call on the Supreme court to lift the Termporary Restraining Order filed and supported by traditional politicians and big land lords in Mindanao such as Pinol, Mar Roxas, Lobregat, and the likes, and allow the process of resolving this issue to go on.
We, particularly call on the Department of Internal and Local Government (DILG) to stop arming civilians for military purposes. CONCORD receives report from Rev. Jemwel Belza of UCCP, Kolambogan, that last August 20, the DILG, headed by Secretary Ronaldo Puno, visited Kolambugan town and distributed shotguns to Christian civilians to fight the MILF. Likewise the MILF are recruiting civilians for military build-up. There are reports that MILF raiders at Lanao areas, who eventually surrendered to the government a day after the incident, are recruits from Higaonon Tribe of Rogongon, Iligan City . One of the raiders is a son of Rogongon Barangay Captain.
The whole citizenry concerned must take measures to prevent the resurrection of dreaded fanatical groups “ILAGA” of the Christians and “Barakoda” of the Muslims. These groups wrecked havoc to lives and properties in the 70’s and 80’s and heightened the religious rift of each adherents.
Seeing the urgency of the situation, we appeal immediate relief assistance from the Government and the MILF for the bereaved families of the deceased and the evacuees.
And visioning the realization of a long and lasting peace for Mindanao and the whole country, we call on both parties, who have undergone a tedious 110 consultative sessions relative to the MOA, to continue seeking peace on the table instead at the firing line
Urgently Calling,
REV. BELTRAN E. PACATANG (SGD)
General Secretary
CONCORD, Inc.
cc:
President Gloria macapagal-Arroyo
Office of the President, Malakanyang
JESUS G. DUREZA
Office of the Press Secretary
3rd Floor, New Executive BuildingMalacañang, Manila 1005Voice:+63 (2) 734-5259Fax:+63 (2) 735-6167
RONALDO PUNO
Secretary for Interior and Local Government
Francisco Condominium IIEDSA cor. Mapagmahal St.Diliman, Quezon City925-0330; 925-0332 F
DR. ESPERANZA CABRAL
Secretary for Social Welfare & Development
Batasang Pambansa ComplexQuezon City931-7916; 931-8068; 931-8191 F
eicabral@dswd. gov.ph www.dswd.gov.
General Hermogenes Esperon
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
7th Floor Agustin Building IEmerald AvenuePasig City 1605 Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066Fax:+63 (2) 635 9579
NAZRULLAH B. MANZUR
Executive Director A R M M SOCIAL FUND3/F VHW (Land Bank) Bldg., Veterans Ave., Zamboanga City(062) 992-2679; 991-9410 F
GILBERT TEODORO
Secretary for National Defense
Room 301, DND BuildingCamp Aguinaldo , Quezon City911-0488; 911-1746; 911-6213 F
RONALDO PUNO
Secretary for Interior and Local Government
Francisco Condominium IIEDSA cor. Mapagmahal St.Diliman, Quezon City925-0330; 925-0332 F
et al...
JESUS G. DUREZAOffice of the Press Secretary3rd Floor, New Executive BuildingMalacañang, Manila 1005Voice:+63 (2) 734-5259
About Me
About Me
Rev. Beltran Esrame Pacatang
General Secretary
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT: Terms of Reference
CONCORD Evaluation
June 2008
1 of 5
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Consultancy Plan for the Internal Evaluation of the
Consortium of Christian Organizations for Rurban Development
(CONCORD, Inc.)
1. Consultancy Mission Statement
On July 2008, The 18-month phase out period of the Integrated Development
Program for Mindanao (IDPM VI) Project with EED ends. For the Consortium of
Christian Organizations for Rurban Development (CONCORD), the occasion
marks more than 25 solid years of partnership with EED (formerly EZE) and over
15 years of integrated program planning for the 25 Consortium members.
In the Board meeting of December 2007 and the subsequent 38th General
Assembly last February 2008, the need to evaluate the whole Consortium was
identified. The 38th General Assembly called for new directions with renewed
challenges as brought about by the major change in the Consortium’s long
strategic resource partnership with EED.
Essentially, the evaluation-consultancy will be an internal review of the recent
programs operations with emphasis on identifying the institutional, organizational
and governance aspects impinging on the optimum pursuit of the Consortium’s
vision, mission, goals and programs. Such an evaluation has not occurred since
the IDPM III 1998 midterm exercise.
An external person will be commissioned to facilitate the internal evaluation of
CONCORD.
2. Problem Statement
EED phasing out of the partnership is a major juncture in CONCORD’s life as an
organization. It will be an opportune time to review, reflect and seek new
directions. Direction-setting and its pursuit is a function of leadership and
governance. Finding directions is a function of weaving vision and reality.
Emanating from the General Assembly, the Board of Trustees is mandated to
perform the function.
The emergent concern for CONCORD is forging new strategic resource partners
and future learning to deal with a host of donors, which unfortunately the
consortium has not undergone in the last 2 decades as it had a special almost
exclusive relationship with EED.
Another subject of concern is the dilemma of governance. With regards to joint
program such as the IDPM, who governs whom and on what matters? What are
the priorities in the multiplicity of Consortium and member goals? How are
CONCORD Evaluation
June 2008
2 of 5
performance accountabilities defined and distributed? What is the Consortium
Secretariat’s pertinent decision-making span?
As a consortium, it is said to be “congregational in heritage, autonomous in polity
and devolved in operation” (1998 IDPM III Evaluation Report.) In terms of
Consortium leadership and management, this may need to be operationally laid
out.
This evaluation is being initiated in order to help the Board to find new courses of
action not only in program goal terms but to include the development and
maintenance of the consortium-building function itself. The evaluation exercise
should help the Board define and address leadership and management issues in
a consortium such as CONCORD.
3. Boundaries
a. The evaluation engagement will focus the Consortium Secretariat and
Board and pertinent program-functional relationships with the Member
Agencies as defined in General Assembly terms.
b. The review will neither examine nor analyze the operations of individual
member agencies, which are not covered by prior agreements. They will
be dealt with as clusters or aggregate.
c. The engagement will provide a periodic feedback and report of the
process and recommendations to the General Secretary and/ or the
Internal Evaluation Project Committee.
d. The engagement will not examine nor analyze the financial operations of
the Consortium.
e. The proposed structure & policy changes arising from engagement is
recommendatory and subject to approval by the appropriate decisionmaking
bodies and authorities.
4. Specific Issues to be Addressed
The evaluation will:
a. With the IDPM as platform, analyze the strengths and weaknesses, the
facilitating and hindering factors that influence the degree of
consortium joint programming, its implementation and delivery
b. Identify the issues related to management and implementation
processes of the consortium (institution) building programs
CONCORD Evaluation
June 2008
3 of 5
c. Identify the good practices and the lessons learned from selected
consortium intervention and approaches.
d. Analyse and list the requirements and demands of the memberagencies
and various stakeholders to be defined in consultation with
the Secretariat.
e. Analyse and list the requirements of policies generating from the Board
members and the General Assembly
f. Consult with allied NGOs and agencies who can help provide advice
and assistance on the social issues and contexts CONCORD wishes
to address.
g. Analyse the existing organizational strategic resource levels to
ascertain if institutional resources are at optimum to conform to the
relevant future consortium goals.
h. Ascertain the demands placed on the Secretariat to guide the Board in
their governance and support function.
i. Prepare and submit report to the General Secretary and or the
Evaluation Project Committee.
5. Methodology
The proposed evaluation shall use a combination of methods as follows:
a. Review of Documents
• Review of literature: proposals, reports, program conceptual and
planning papers, feasibility studies, evaluation reports and other
relevant documents.
• Review of Existing Performance Information Sources. Identify the
existence and availability of relevant performance information sources,
such as performance monitoring systems and/or previous evaluation
reports. A summary of the types of data available, the time frames, and
an indication of their quality and reliability will be requested by the
evaluation research team to build on what is already available.
b. Key Informant Interviews
• Interviews will be conducted with persons who have direct participation
in program management and implementation. This includes trainerCONCORD
Evaluation
June 2008
4 of 5
resource persons, board members, members as well as former
executives who can provide pertinent information for the evaluation.
c. Focus Group Discussions
• FGDs will be conducted among representatives of the member
agencies in clusters, participants, staff, local church and community
leaders that have participated in the program. These will be held one
each for each of the four clusters.
d. Survey of Service Delivery and Member agency perceptions.
6. Evaluation Work Plan
Activities Week
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Proposed
Dates
Finalization of Contract x June
Start-up & review of project documents x June
Field work to conduct interview & focus
group discussions, survey
x x x x June 10-30*
(Staggered)
Cluster 1
Cluster 2
Cluster 3
Cluster 4
Feedback & Initial Analysis x July 7/8
Write-up of draft report
Validation meeting with core staff and
Board or representatives
July 28
Final Report Submission x August 1
* Specific dates/itinerary to be worked out
CONCORD Evaluation
June 2008
5 of 5
7. The Cost of the Engagement
For the above services, we will charge a professional fee in the amount of three
hundred thousand pesos (P300,000.00). We request for a down payment of 50%
of the amount upon signing of the agreement, 30% upon the submission of the
draft report and the payment of the balance upon the submission of the Final
Report. Out of pocket expenses such as required travel to sites will be billed as
incurred or at the end of the engagement.
If the terms of this proposal are acceptable to you, please signify your
concurrence by signing on the space provided on the two copies of this letter and
returning the duplicate copy to us at a convenient time.
We thank you for this opportunity to offer our services to you and we look forward
to working with you on this engagement.
Truly yours,
CONFORME:
Delfin Teodulo A. Borrero II Rev. Beltran Pacatang
Evaluation Team Leader General Secretary
CONCORD
No comments:
Post a Comment