Empowering Governance: Insights from DSWD OGP-PAR

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative that promotes transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement through national action plans (NAPs). In line with the 5th NAP, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), with support from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program National Program Management Office (4Ps NPMO), implemented the OGP-Participatory Action Research (OGP-PAR) project from 2019 to 2022. This project focused on addressing critical social issues like child malnutrition and early pregnancy in the Philippines through participatory action research (PAR).

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a flagship social protection program in the Philippines aimed at combating intergenerational poverty through human capital investment. Despite its efforts, the 2018 third-wave impact evaluation study revealed that 4Ps children had higher rates of underweight and stunting compared to non-4Ps children. Malnutrition remains a significant concern, often disproportionately affecting women who are the primary caregivers of children. Additionally, early pregnancy, declared a national social emergency by the Philippine government, poses severe health risks to both mothers and children.

Through PAR, the DSWD aimed to engage communities in developing and implementing solutions to these issues. The OGP-PAR project was successfully implemented in Cabusao, Camarines Sur, and Roxas City, Capiz, involving
partnerships, capacity-building activities, and the integration of co-created solutions into local action plans. The PAR approach empowered community participants to understand and address the issues, leading to transformative
outcomes such as attitudinal and behavioral changes, intellectual empowerment, and increased involvement in decision-making processes.

This evaluation brief presents insights from the OGP-PAR final documentation report, discussing the project’s design, objectives, implementation, outcomes, and recommendations for future research and initiatives within the DSWD.