An awareness-raising campaign of Government Watch (G-Watch) began in 2012, Ako, Ikaw, Tayo, May Pananagutan (AIM-P) is undertaken by its sites and partners to promote the importance of accountability in improving governance and advancing democracy.
Now on its fifth straight year, AIM-P 2023 has the theme “More Pananagutan sa Post-Pandemic Pilipinas,” which aims to create awareness on the importance of strengthening accountability to improve governance in the delivery of basic services, such as education and health, as the country transitions to the new normal.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the key vulnerabilities of governance in the country and the importance of keeping public service effective and responsive amid disasters. Governance inefficiencies and unresponsiveness on basic services affect the most vulnerable and marginalized sectors of the society the most, such as poor women and children, indigenous peoples, homeless, people with disabilities (PWDs), informal workers, and those located in communities that are often affected by disasters. Corruption and abuse of power are the main causes of government inefficiencies and unresponsiveness, which are further worsened during disasters when accountability controls are lowered and de-prioritized. Governments that prioritize security and public order issues also tend to divert resources away from public spending that matters to ordinary citizens, necessitating citizen and civil society groups to promote budget engagement and accountability, along with citizen monitoring of service delivery and program implementation at different levels of decision-making.
To prevent corruption and ensure effective and responsive public services, it is important to assert the role of citizen monitors as accountability frontliners during disasters, just as their role as defenders and advocates of transparency, participation and accountability to improve governance and make public service delivery systems adaptive and responsive in the new normal.
G-Watch sites and partners will be conducting simultaneous awareness-raising activities centering on the theme that reminds the public, especially key policy actors, to prioritize accountability in the governance of basic services as the country transitions to the new normal. G-Watch sites and partners will focus on their specific priority issues, sectors and constituencies. The activities shall aim to reach the broadest audience by engaging the public and mobilizing sectors and communities. Basic briefing on G-Watch shall be provided, which includes the collective recitation of the G-Watcher’s Creed.
In the past, AIM-P has served as a fruitful recruitment ground for new volunteer citizen-monitors and accountability frontliners for G-Watch work. This will be the same aim of AIM-P 2023, which will be more targeted and vigorous as G-Watch prepares to expand and deepen its organizing for education and health rights monitoring and advocacy in the coming years.
For more info, contact G-Watch.
18 Pugad Lawin St., Bahay Toro, Project 8, Quezon City 1100
government_watch [at] yahoo.com | +63-917-186-0298 | +632-7796-9922
Website: www.g-watch.org
Facebook: @gwatch.ph
Twitter: @gwatch_ph