On February 24, 2025, Government Watch (G-Watch) and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig signed a Memorandum of Agreement formalizing their joint endeavor for good governance in the City of Pasig.
Among the esteemed signatories include Ms. Joy Aceron, Convenor-Director of G-Watch and, Dean Michelle E. Flores of the PLP College of Nursing, witnessed by Dr. Glicerio Maningas, President of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig and Mr. Rechie Tugawin, Executive Assistant V of the City Mayor, PLP’s Community Extension Office, staff of the PLP College of Nursing, and two of the program’s student leaders.
Enabling a democratic civil society for TPA
This partnership continues a good streak from G-Watch and local academic institutions, which began with the College of Maasin in Southern Leyte for its NSTP program last 2023.
Dr. Maningas wholeheartedly welcomed G-Watch and expressed excitement over the newly formed collaboration. He shared that the academe must fulfill their role in participating in activities that will contribute to the betterment of their community, which they believe is well-synced to G-Watch’s advocacy.
Ms. Aceron also underscored the timeliness of the MOA signing, especially with G-Watch’s celebration of its 25th year anniversary. She emphasized that since its localization efforts in 2010, G-Watch has always engaged and received from the youth. Ms. Aceron asserted that young people have the power in propelling change and providing hope for the country. She also pointed out that schools are the best training ground for budding leaders where they can be exposed to both socio-political realities and take part in groups pushing for reform.
It has been a dream of G-Watch to support good governance in Pasig, especially now that board members Mayor Vico Sotto and Mr. Tugawin are now active in the city government. Ms. Aceron sees that sustaining reforms is crucial when politics remain fickle. The changes experienced in the city may vanish if ways are not found to sustain it. Therefore, embedding that sustainability through the institutionalization of G-Watch and PLP’s partnership is strategic and effective.
Lastly, Ms. Aceron also pointed out that this partnership can serve as a beacon of hope for G-Watch and the rest of its network around the country, especially now that the work for change is confronting so many challenges.
Alignment of priorities and a demonstration of results
Mr. Tugawin added as well that the collaboration was fitting given that the academe’s strong suit are education and health, perfectly aligning with G-Watch’s initiatives Multiply-Ed and PRO-Health respectively. He hopes that through this, students will be inspired to become leaders and champions of progressive change.
In the case of the College of Nursing Program, Dean Flores underscored that she saw the need for the formulation and signing of a Memorandum of Agreement to enable the continuous development of their students. After seeing that G-Watch has made a significant impact on their students who volunteered before in the PRO-Health monitoring, she knew students’ involvement in G-Watch is meaningful. She saw the students’ commitment to change grew stronger and how they became more empowered to take on leadership roles. She even noted that the students who joined PRO-Health wanted to continue being involved even beyond the facilitation of the school.
Most importantly, Dean Flores emphasized that through the MOA, students, even from other programs, will have more opportunities to be involved in pushing for and sustaining good local governance in the City of Pasig, through transparency, participation, and accountability.
A Step Forward
More activities are expected to take place after the MOA signing, starting with the university’s iteration of Making Elections an Accountability Platform—G-Watch’s voter awareness campaign. This serves as an inaugural step forward, bringing hope for more students to not only learn about TPA and G-Watch but be more active in participating in their city’s governance work. Further talks will commence to plan for future monitoring and engagement activities for the year.
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