Sustaining International

Volunteering for National

Development:
The Philippine Experience

Philippine
National
Presented by; Volunteer
Joselito C. De Vera Service
Coordinating
Agency
How it started….

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

1962…International Middle-Level
Manpower Conference

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Presidential Executive Order 134… created the
Philippine National Volunteer Service
Committee on 17 December 1964

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

 On 12 Feb.1966 …1st
Batch of 12 JOCVs
deployed to Mt.
Province
Then 2 years later..
OISCA, ONV &VSO

But prior to these …

USPC 1961
Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)
On the other side …
1972 – 9 Filipinos deployed as UNVs to
Yemen
2000 – VSO Bahaginan

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

VOLUNTEERISM

• Implementing as a Strategy for National

Development and International Cooperation
• Rekindling a Social Value

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Legislative/Policy Framework on
Volunteerism

Republic Act 9418 -

“An Act Institutionalizing A Strategy for Rural
Development, Strengthening Volunteerism and
for Other Purposes, also known as the
“Volunteer Act of 2007”
 Philippine National
Volunteer Service OPIF
Coordinating Agency

Fight Poverty and Build Prosperity for the

Greatest Number of Filipinos

Accelerate Economic Growth and Job Enhance Education and Youth

Improve Delivery of Basic Services
Creation Opportunity

Effective Volunteer Development

Assistance

Volunteer Program Planning

Programming/Monitoring and Evaluation
Services
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROGRAM

Local Volunteer Service Program

• Filipinos volunteering in the Philippines
International Volunteer Service (IVS) Program
• Foreign volunteers assisting development projects
in the Philippines
Volunteer Exchange Program
• Filipinos volunteering overseas

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

 ODA Loans
Bilateral Technical
Cooperation
• Volunteer
Program Grants/
Loans

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

 Volunteer Deployment Cycle
Site Development
Recruitment
Bilateral
Pre- Programming/Assessment
deployment
Pre-service
Orientation/Training
Individual/Project
Evaluation

Exit Interview
Monitoring

Post- In-service Training

Deployment
Deployment Volunteer Sharing
Session

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

International Volunteer Service Program

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Defining the IVS Program Objectives

• Provision of technical Assistance

• Enhancing socio-cultural and
understanding
• Service learning

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Defining Priorities for the IVS Program

• Demand vs. Supply

• Readiness and absorptive capacity
• Cost of volunteering and volunteering
management

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Principles in the Deployment of Volunteers
• Assistance is time-bound, a brief intervention
to project implementation gaps
• Project is on-going
• Complement and/or supplement local
expertise thru technology sharing
• Geared towards project sustainability

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Foreign Volunteer Deployment Framework

POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

EMPOWERED MARGINAL/DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES & INSTITUTIONS

MORE FOCUSED AND ALIGNED VOLUNTEER ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPMENT
PRIORITIES

Accelerate Economic Improve Social Justice Enhance

Environmental
Growth and and Delivery of Education and
Sustainability
Job Creation Social Services Youth Opportunity

Improved productivity Improvement of quality

in agriculture, fisheries
Improved quality
and marketability
of local products
Vocational-technical
manpower skills
development
Strengthening MSMEs
of services to PWDs and Coastal Resource
street children Management
Capacity building of social Improve quality
service institutions/centers of Science, Math,
specially those servicing English and
Waste Management
areas with >30% Information
poverty incidence Technology (IT)
Education in
Psycho-social intervention public schools Development and
for trauma & abuse victims promotion of alternative
energy sources
Peace advocacy
in conflict areas in the
Visayas Mindanao

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Foreign Volunteer Deployment Framework

Geographical Priority
Regions
CAR
IV-B
V
VIII
IX
XIII (CARAGA)
ARMM

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

2008 - 2009 Profile of volunteer placement vis-à-vis
FVPDF

2008 2009

No. % No. %

In priority programs and provinces 268 45

In priority provinces 251 46 329 56

In priority program areas 464 84 499 84

In non-priority programs and 30 5

provinces

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Volunteer Deployment Profile

Total Volunteers in Service

2007: 308
2008: 551 - 18% increase
2009: 592 - 7 % increase

Volunteer Deployment/Arrival
2007: 174
2008: 226 – 13% increase
2009: 260 - 15% increase

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

 Regional Distribution of Foreign Volunteers
In-service 2008 and 2009

100 91
89
90
77 77
80 75 75
69 71
68
70 62
60
50
39
36
40 31
35 35
33
28 28 27 28
30 22
17 19
20 15 14
10 8
10 6
2 0 1 0
0
CAR I II III NCR IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII ARMM

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

 GEOGRAPHILCAL DEPLOYMENT OF VOLUNTEERS
Ilocos Norte – JOCV(1), KOV(1) Apayao – KOV(1)
Ilocos Sur – KOV(1), USPC(1) Benguet – AYAD(4), KOV(1), USPC(4),
La Union – KOV(6), USPC(4) VIDAustralia(1)
Pangasinan – KOV(3), USPC(1) Ifugao – USPC(1)

Metro Manila – AYAD(7), DED(5), JOCV(7), Cagayan- JOCV(2), KOV(4)

KOV(6), NUNV(3), UNV(2), VIDA(1), Isabela – JOCV(1)
VIDAustralia(2), VSO(8) Nueva Vizcaya – USPC(2)
Batangas – KOV(1), USPC(1)
Cavite – KOV(1), USPC(2), VIDAustralia(1) Bataan – USPC(2)
Laguna – AVI(1), JOCV(4), KOV(3), USPC(4) Bulacan – KOV(1), USPC(1)
Quezon – JOCV(2) Nueva Ecija – KOV(3),
Rizal – USPC(1) Pampanga – DED(1), USPC(2),
VIDAustralia(1)
Marinduque- USPC(1) Zambales – USPC(2)
Oriental Mindoro – KOV(3), USPC(1), VIDA(1),
VIDAustralia(2) Albay – AYAD(1), USPC(4)
Palawan –KOV(2), USPC(5) Camarines Norte – USPC(1)
Romblon – USPC(1) Camarines Sur – AYAD(1), KOV(1), USPC(5)
Sorsogon – USPC(3)
Aklan – JOCV(2), KOV(3)
Antique – DED(1), KOV(1)
Eastern Samar – DED(12), VIDA(3), VSO(7)
Capiz – JOCV(3)
Leyte – DED(2), JOCV(2), KOV (1), USPC(1)
Guimaras – VIDA(1)
Northern Samar – USPC(1)
Iloilo – AYAD(1), JOCV(4), KOV(7)
Samar – JOCV(2), KOV(1), VIDA(3)
Negros Occidental –AYAD(3), DED(4), Pax
Southern Leyte – USPC(1), VIDA(1)
Christi(1)

Bohol – JOCV(2), USPC(2) Agusan del Norte – KOV(3), VIDA(4)

Cebu – DED(2), JOCV(9), KOV(1), USPC(4), Agusan del Sur – VSO(5)
VIDA(1), VSO(4) Surigao del Norte – KOV(5), VIDA(2)
Negros Oriental – AYAD(2), DED(1), KOV(1), Surigao del Sur – DED(1), KOV(4), VSO(1)
USPC(4)
Siquijor – USPC(4)
Davao del Norte – DED(1), VIDA(1)
Zamboanga del Norte – VIDA(1) Davao del Sur – KOV(4), NUNV(1), VDA(2),
Zamboanga del Sur - VIDA(1) VSO(1)
Davao Oriental- VIDA(1)
Lanao del Sur-VIDA(5),VSO(1)
Maguindanao-DED(1) Bukidnon – VIDA(2)
North Cotabato
Lanao del Norte – DED(1), VIDA(8), VSO(6)
-UNV(1)
Misamis Occidental- VIDA(1)
Misamis Oriental – KOV(1), VIDA(3)
Volunteer Deployment

Sector Distribution
Distribution of Local Partner Organization 2008 and 2009

150
160
140 121 127
120
120 106
100 81
80 62
2008
60 45
2009
40
20
0
Academic Local National Non-
Institutions Government Government Government
Units Agency Organizations

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Facing the Challenges…

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Site Identification/Recruitment:
• Site identification limited by security
restriction including identified priority areas
• Recruitment of volunteers constrained by
interest on the Philippines as a
priority/preference of volunteer applicants

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Project:
• Mismatch of project needs vs. volunteer’s
skills
• Volunteer’s lack of experience to do the job
• Local Partner Organization’s high expectation

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

 Local Partner Organization:
• No active project and work is just “surface”
activity and does not really have proper
structure
• Main interested is getting donation/financial
from FVO and not technical skills sharing
• Lack of guidance and direction to the
volunteer.
• Lack of interest appreciation on the part of the
LPO

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Counterpart Worker/s:
• No counterpart worker & co-workers do not
know the role of the volunteer in the
organization
• Counterpart worker has other work to do
• Unmotivated/uncooperative counterpart
worker

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Personal:
• Language/communication difficulty and
barriers esp., in expressing in English and in
local dialect
• Some concerns on local peace and order
including petty crimes e.g., incidence of
burglary
• Isolation at site – very limited opportunity for
socialization
Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)
WAY FORWARD…
Some Do’s & Don’ts

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

• Enhance and improve orientation to
prospective LPOs for them to understand the
role of the volunteer and ensure realistic job
description for the volunteer;
• Project objectives vs. capacities of volunteers
should be reviewed more thoroughly to avoid
misconceptions and over expectations from
LPOs & beneficiaries;
• De-emphasize financial assistance that
volunteers can facilitate;
Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)
• Devise review mechanism and methodology to
ensure better matching of volunteer’s
expertise and project needs;
• Improve recruitment of more qualified
volunteers esp., those with experience to
effect better technical sharing;
• More defined, specific and up to date project
description to help volunteers prepare for
their assignment;

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

• Revisit needs and capacities of LPOs –
e.g., poor schools/organizations vs. rich
colleges/universities or organizations;
• Continuing orientation and training of
volunteers on language, culture and even
attitude - with proper advice on
site/placement realities;

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

• Conduct site monitoring of volunteers
projects and make sure responsibilities are
being fulfilled by both, on regular basis
• Providing venue for FVO and volunteer
sharing and interaction
• Clustering of volunteers esp., in rural areas
for better support system among volunteers

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

Volunteering and the volunteering –
Human Face of International Cooperation

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

 Philippine
National
Volunteer
Service
THANK YOU Coordinating
Agency