The CCAGG (Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government) was formed in 1986 to monitor elections and government projects in Abra, Philippines. CCAGG grew from mobilizing communities at the municipal level to conducting third-party monitoring of infrastructure projects funded by the Community Employment Development Program. This involved training members, monitoring project implementation, and filing administrative charges for falsified completion reports. CCAGG's efforts helped mainstream transparency and accountability in Abra and expanded their monitoring to other sectors. Over time, CCAGG also broadened their reach to influence policies and programs at the regional, national, and international levels.
2. The Beginnings
• 1986 Presidential Snap Election I NAMFREL Abra
• Birth of the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good
Government (CCAGG)
• CCAGG Movement Mobilization – community
meetings to form municipal chapters (parish as
base) – have reached almost all 27 municipalities
4. Capacity-building as ‘WATCHDOGS’
• The Tripartite Memorandum of
Agreement between CCAGG, NEDA and
DBM
• CCAGG Trainings for monitoring
government infrastructure projects by
NEDA
• Monitoring of CEDP projects by the
CCAGG (roads, irrigation systems,
domestic water systems, bridges, public
buildings, etc.)
5. Process of Monitoring
• Community Meeting – what projects to monitor in the area,
how to monitor, who will monitor, what materials and tools
needed
• Courtesy Visit – mayor, barangay captain (present letter and
MOA)
• Projects monitoring with local CCAGG members– activities
accomplished and not accomplished as per Program of Work
(interview with contractor, implementing agency, with people
in the area), design, project timeframe, labor (interview with
workers)
• Meeting (post-monitoring) – status of project and findings,
what to write in the monitoring report, to whom to give the
report, who sign it, who will make follow-up, etc.
6. Public Dissemination of CEDP
projects implementation
• Meetings / Dialogues with implementing
agencies covered by media (radio and
print)
• ‘Allangugan’ radio program
• Abra Today weekly newspaper – The
“Monitor”
BUILDING UP PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS TO TALK
AND PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
BREAKING THE CULTURE OF SILENCE
8. The Administrative Charge
• CCAGG Letter Complaint to DWPH
Secretary
• DPWH Central Office sent a composite
inspection team with ‘proven integrity’
• Results of inspection as bases for filing
administrative charge with CCAGG as
witnesses and Abra-COA
9. The Decision
• 11 engineers of DPWH-Abra, mostly unit
heads, were punished for falsifying
certificates of project completion -
suspended from office for 4 to 9 months
without pay
•Breaking the CULTURE OF SILENCE
(threats)
§The support from the ground upwards
16. Empowering the Poor …
(Guarding the Integrity of the Conditional Cash
Transfer Program)
o Constructive engagement – among DSWD (in
different levels), LGUs (municipal, barangay), Local
CSOs, service providers (DepEd, RHU, BHS), Parent
Leaders & 4Ps Members in different phases of 4Ps
implementation
o Enhanced FDS Modules (eFDS) – where the concept
of social accountability (SAcc) and use of SAcc tools
are integrated into the FDS system
o Empowering LCSOs – to conduct third party
monitoring (thru CSC and interface meeting with
Service Providers) and monitor beneficiaries to
engage is self-monitoring with use of the Beneficiary
Monitoring (BM) tool
17. Empowering the Poor …
o Transformation of Parent Leaders to
Community Facilitators and Monitors;
o Social Contract – establishing strong support link
between LGU and 4Ps members , through Parent
Leaders and LCSO, to pursue enhancement of
4Ps implementation and achievement of the
members’ community development vision;
o Enhanced GRS – that maximizes the resolution
of grievances and issues at the community level
with strengthened resolution mechanisms at
the MAC level