G-Watch’s �Accountability Basics

www.g-watch.org

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What comes to mind when you hear the word ACCOUNTABILITY?

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Anong una mong naiisip kung naririnig mo ang salitang ACCOUNTABILITY?

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Accountability

Process and outcome where those in power are made

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1. to answer for their decisions, actions and inaction,
2. to perform their obligations and mandates set in laws and norms
3. to respond to citizen demands and voice. 

Central questions to accountability

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• Who is considered accountable?
• To whom are they accountable?
• To what standards or values are they accountable?
• By what means are they made accountable?

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• Access to useful/ quality information
• Transparency measures

• Monitoring and accountability processes and mechanisms
• Feedback mechanism

• Response and action of government to monitoring findings, performance assessments, feedback from citizens

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• Capacity of citizens to monitor and generate response

Elements of Accountability

Program/ Unit Level

• Access to information
• Transparency measures
• Research and information management

• Checks-and-balances
• Monitoring and audit systems
• Accountability institutions (OMB, CHR)
• Merit-based bureaucracy
• Local participatory bodies

• Electoral outcomes
• Appointments/ hiring
• Information-/ Research-based Policy-making/ planning
• Response/ actions on monitoring and assessment reports
• administration of justice

• scale and clout in citizen TPA actions
• programmatic political parties with strong links to citizens
• human development

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Elements of Accountability ‘Ecosystem’

National/ State Level

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Why is citizen action for ACCOUNTABILITY important?

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Bakit importante ang pagkilos ng mga mamamayan para sa ACCOUNTABILITY?

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Why should citizens act on accountability?

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• To fight the condition of impunity and injustice.
• State accountability mechanisms are weak/ ineffective/ insufficient.
• Citizens are the ones immediately affected by the performance (non-performance) of government.
• Accountability is proven to make government more responsive and effective.
• It prevents/ curbs corruption and inefficiencies.
• Citizens have the right to know and participate in governance.

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Covered as high as 85% of 5,000 delivery points nationwide

through partnership with about

47 national and local CSOs

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EXAMPLE

of citizen action for accountability that worked

G-Watch coordinated Textbook Count (02-07):

Results and Coverage

PRICE

From Php 80-120 to

Php 30-45 per textbook

TIME

From 24 months to an average of 12 months

PARTICIPANTS

47 CSOs nationwide, thousands of volunteers

PUBLIC TRUST

One of the most trusted agencies in 2006

• procurement of textbooks done with civil society orgs’ (CSO) observers

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• textbooks cheaper and are procured in a shorter period of time

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• mobilized many CSOs

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• higher public trust rating for DepEd

EXAMPLE

of citizen action for accountability that worked

Features that made Textbook Count an effective citizen action for accountability

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• All levels of decision-making were covered avoiding ‘squeezing the balloon,’ i.e., tendencies of government officials to blame others in the government
• It mobilized broad array of citizens at national down to school level
• It utilized a variety of approaches and tactics
• It had an autonomous organizing and capacity-building civil society
• It was able to demand support from government

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* It was “vertically-integrated.”

* It enabled both the demand and supply side of good governance

Supply-Demand Side of Governance

• Supply-side: political checks and balances, administrative rules and procedures, auditing requirements, formal law enforcements, independent pro-accountability agencies like vigilance commissions and ombudsman, Freedom of Information law, proactive disclosure

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• Demand side: strengthening the voice and capacity of citizens to demand greater accountability and responsiveness from public officials and service providers

TPA – transparency, participation & accountability

participation

accountability

transparency

How open is government

How accessible are information

To make governance accountable and responsive, it should be open and transparent and citizens must be empowered to participate and demand accountability

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TPA are inter-related. There are certain kinds of transparency measures and types of citizen participation that enable accountability

Ability of citizens to organize themselves and participate effectively

Answerability of public officials, improvement of performance, responsiveness

• Created in 2000 in response to the widespread reports of corruption
• Specialized in expenditure monitoring/ program implementation monitoring from 2000-2007
• Expanded its work, linking service delivery monitoring at local to broader policy and institutional reforms at the national level
• an action research organization that aims to deepen democracy through citizen empowerment and scaling of accountability

www.g-watch.org

Disaster Relief Goods (DSWD)

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G-Watch Ateneo School of Government

joint government-citizen action for good governance

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Region XI

Region III

Medicines Procurement Monitoring

COMELEC Budget Watch

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Tracking and documentation of the COMELEC Budget system to identify ways of incorporating transparency and accountability mechanisms.

The COMELEC Budget Watch 2.0 aims to contribute in enhancing the link between performance targets and budgeting; and in protecting and promoting the independence of COMELEC in the budget process .

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Covered as high as 85% of 5,000 delivery points nationwide

through partnership with about

47 national and local CSOs

​

G-Watch coordinated Textbook Count (02-07):

Results and Coverage

PRICE

From Php 80-120 to

Php 30-45 per textbook

TIME

From 24 months to an average of 12 months

PARTICIPANTS

47 CSOs nationwide, thousands of volunteers

PUBLIC TRUST

One of the most trusted agencies in 2006

• procurement of textbooks done with civil society orgs’ (CSO) observers

​

• textbooks cheaper and are procured in a shorter period of time

​

• mobilized many CSOs

​

• higher public trust rating for DepEd

G-Watch Monitoring Approach 2.0 (pilot)

Voice and demand

Capacitating citizens with system and process

Effective in generating response

Empowerment and sustainability

Objective advocacy tool

G-Watch Monitoring Process 2.0

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not necessarily linear | there can be changes depending on context | some activities are repetitive and need to be taken into account from the beginning

Identify indicators & issues

Organize monitoring team

Learn the monitoring process and plan

Monitor and engage

Coordinate with government

Generate govt action & response

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Actions to Sustain

A G-Watcher’s Creed

As a G-Watcher…

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1. I believe that the power entrusted to government officials must only be used for the benefit of the people.
2. I believe that the exercise of power has corresponding accountability.
3. I understand that there are four elements of accountability: (1) access to information, (2) accountability mechanisms, (3) response from duty-bearers, and (4) effective citizen action.
4. I am a citizen-monitor. I check government performance and ensure that power is used accordingly.
5. As a citizen-monitor, I am fair, truthful and credible, with due respect for others.

A G-Watcher’s Creed

As a G-Watcher…

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6. I am a defender of citizens’ rights to accountable and responsive governance that I help advance through transparency, participation and innovation.

7. I believe in the power of collective citizens' voice and action to deepen democracy.

8. I am a learner in action. I harness the power that is ingrained in knowledge.

9. I am a change agent. I aim to embody the positive change that the world needs to see.

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For more info:

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Check www.g-watch.org