What we do

By Adelle Chua   John Magbanua has been working at the Provincial Government of South Cotabato (in Mindanao, Southern Philippines) for 25 years, and with the Bids and Awards Committee for 19 of those 25 years. He thought he had seen it all. He had observed the changes brought about by the passage of Republic […]

By Adelle Chua   When indigenous peoples (IPs) have no information on the mining activity going on in their community, they are unable to hold others accountable for the use of their resources. They are denied the benefits of the mining activity even as they face major disruptions to their way of life and their […]

“Pangan Bijak! Lokal, sehat, adil, lestari!” Ratusan warga bersama Asosiasi Pendamping Perempuan Usaha Kecil atau ASPPUK melakukan deklarasi yang menyebutkan empat prinsip utama kampanye Pangan Bijak tersebut pada perayaan Hari Perempuan Internasional di Kendari, Sulawesi Tenggara pada bulan Maret. ASPPUK menyelenggarakan women’s march atau pawai perempuan untuk memperingati hari peringatan sedunia ini sekaligus mempromosikan pangan […]

“Pangan Bijak! Lokal, sehat, adil, lestari!” or Wise Foodways! Local, healthy, fair and sustainable! Hundreds of people repeatedly declared these four main principles of the Wise Foodways campaign during the International Women’s Day celebration in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi in March. This year, one of Hivos partners in Sustainable Diets for All program, the Association for […]

By: M. Rianto Utama (Tommy)   Gastronomy – a practice or art of choosing, cooking and consuming good food – is not the domain of only chefs or foodies anymore. Around 100 students from two state primary schools in Bandung: SDN 200 Leuwipanjang and SDN 033 ASMI have proven their participation in gastronomic movement. They […]

By Adelle Chua   At a venue of a workshop on mining royalties, organized by Hivos’ Open Up Contracting partner Bantay Kita, male participants from an indigenous community in Narra municipality, Palawan, Philippines quickly fill up the meeting room. Meanwhile, a handful of women stand on the corridor, carrying their small children. They are curious […]

By Adelle Chua   The provision of free medicines to the people is central to the health program of any local government. In turn, there is no better way to test the effectiveness of such programs than through the participation of the people themselves. With support from Hivos Southeast Asia, the Affiliated Network for Social […]

By: M. Rianto Utama (Tommy)   Gastronomi – praktek atau seni memilih, memasak, dan mengkonsumsi makanan yang baik – bukan dominasi para chef atau penikmat kuliner (foodies) lagi. Sekitar 100 pelajar dari Sekolah Dasar Negeri (SDN) 200 Luewipanjang dan SDN 033 ASMI di Kota Bandung telah membuktikan bahwa mereka juga bisa menjadi pelaku gastronomi. Dimulai […]

By Adelle Chua   Gaining access to contracting documents is a challenge in itself, but once you get your hands on them, how do you even know what to look for? At a recent investigative journalism conference called Muckraking for the Public Good, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) senior reporter Karol Ilagan talked […]

By Adelle Chua   In a series of stories published August 2019, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism reported that aside from the publicly acknowledged mishaps during elections that previous May – the 3,414 vote counting machines (VCMs) that had malfunctioned, the 4,067 SD memory cards that had been found defective, and the countless marking […]

By Adelle Chua   Imagine you are a business owner in a city south of Manila. The thought of doing business with the local government has crossed your mind, but many reasons have somehow prevented you from doing so. You could be operating on the notion that doing business with government is a hassle – […]

By Adelle Chua Legazpi City, the capital of Albay province, is relatively open and progressive compared to other local government units in the country. It is a hall of fame awardee for the Seal of Local Governance. It has been named Most Business Friendly City and has been recognized both for its competitiveness and climate […]