Notes On The Grm For The Tfbm.docx

NOTES ON THE GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM FOR THE TASK FORCE BANGON MARAWI Background Towards the end of 2017, the DSWD Field Office XII, which took the lead in the Marawi siege response among DSWD regions which include DSWD ARMM and DSWD X, and the LGU of Marawi City, organized teams to manage grievances. The DSWD organized the Self-Help Desk with the following features: (1) Managing calls and text messages from IDPs, (2) Getting the concerns of walk-in clients, and (3) Making in-take of grievance cases, and (4) Doing Referral of grievance cases to concerned stakeholders. On the part of the LGU, a Grievance Committee was set up, originally as a component to support the Kambalingan (the program for the return of IDPs to their homes, involving families living outside of the Most-Affected Areas) in October 2017, with primary task of managing IDP’s concerns as regards their immediate needs as they returned home. The committee would be operational during the last quarter of 2017, but would be eventually shelved in January 2018. From the onset, the LGU grievance redress mechanism was organized for the purpose of ensuring smooth return of families to their homes. Based on this premise alone, there was no purposive plan to sustain this beyond the Kambalingan, which perhaps explains why this was shelved early on this year. The DSWD Self-Help Desk is continuing, but beyond providing, immediate and spontaneous response to grievances, there has been no mechanism in terms of how this is going to be institutionalized, meaning being integrated into the mainstream of the Task Force Bangon Marawi reality. On the part of the TFBM, grievance redress has been simple. It utilizes local radio and TV programs devoted to Marawi to address issues and concerns regarding IDP concerns. Aside from this, the different inter-agency meetings within the TFBM have also been utilized to discuss grievances and to plan remedies. However, beyond these, there, too, has been no purposive mechanism installed. Cognizant of the limitation of current mechanisms, stakeholders including the DSWD, the LGU and the TFBM local secretariat agree that there has to be a Grievance Redress System that will capture existing realities – from IDP welfare to the CRRP implementation and the site development work in the Most-Affected Areas (MAA). From conversations with those involved in the initial grievance redress mechanism at the DSWD and the LGU, and considering that grievances can be diverse and complex, it was also pronounced that such system will have to be developed as a component of the TFBM.

The GRM for Marawi The following are some recommendations that may be considered in the conceptualization, development and installation of the Grievance Redress Mechanism for Marawi based on my experiences with Community-Driven Development and my sensing of the current reality on the ground:

Principles The GRM for Marawi shall need to be guided by the following principles: 

Participation. The system must provide opportunities for stakeholders, specifically those who are affected and are vulnerable, to participate in efforts to rebuild Marawi. Their grievances must be used as inputs to make things better in regard to the entire effort to reconstruct and rebuild Marawi

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Empowerment. That their basic rights to expression and to be heard is recognized provides a sense of empowerment, and develops in stakeholders a sense of commitment to help in the reconstruction and rebuilding efforts. That the GRM involved leading by IDPs reinforces empowerment.

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Accessibility. The system must be brought closer to those who are affected – the IDPs. Accessibility will determine the usefulness of the system and its responsiveness to current realities affecting vulnerable groups

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Transparency. The installation of the GRM allows government service providers, local government and CRRP/MAA implementers to be transparent towards affected stakeholders. Through the GRM, people affected by the Marawi siege must have full access to information. Simplicity. The system must be operated using simple means – like simple text messaging, writing down concerns and dropping them into suggestion boxes.

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Security and Protection. This may also be linked to the idea of anonymity. People expressing grievances under different types and levels must have a sense of security. They have to feel protected from any fear of repercussion. Accountability. The GRM must build social accountability on the part of government stakeholders, and take grievances as opportunity to make things better – delivery of aid, addressing continuing challenges affecting IDPs, fund utilization, etc. Objectivity and Due Process. The system ensures objectivity in grievance redress, allowing a process that is fair and free of conflict of interest. It also implies that parties subjected to grievance are properly heard in the process of resolving issues.

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Social Cohesion. The system will have to build on the principle of building confidence, common understanding and unity among different stakeholders.

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Cultural Integrity (???). The GRM must take cognizance of the need to keep Marawi response consistent with Maranaw culture, traditions and sensibilities, and with the image of Marawi City being the Islamic City of the Philippines.

Thematic Coverage The Grievance Redress System captures myriad issues and concerns within the context of the aftermath of the Marawi siege. A few of them are: THEMATIC AREA SPECIFICS COVERAGE General welfare of Condition in home-based evacuation; Condition in tent cities; IDPs Condition in Kambalingan area; Condition in transitory housing sites; Protection issues Government Delivery of aid – cash and non-cash; Issuance DAFAC; Shelter support to IDPs assistance to renters and sharers; Continuing aid to Kambalingan areas; Provision of public utilities in housing sites CRRP Issues regarding planning and execution of plans; Targeting of implementation beneficiaries; Inclusiveness of process and benefits; Matching of interventions and needs MAA Land issues; Potential displacement; Appropriateness of design of reconstruction structures; Reparation of damages and compensation of land affected by site development activities Management of Project accomplishment versus target; Fund utilization and Marawi Response management; Resource utilization; Management processes; (by TFBM, LGU, Compliance with standards (social and environmental) DSWD and other agencies) Types of Grievances Under the GRM, grievances may be categorized in terms of the following: CATEGORY Type A Type B Type C

DESCRIPTION Simple queries requiring immediate answers. Normally, these are clarificatory questions. Grievances regarding violation of rights and non-performance of state duties towards IDPs Grievances regarding violation of established protocols and standards (finance management, fund utilization – basically, involving corruption)

Institutional Requirements To make the Grievance Redress Management system for Marawi work, the following activities may be considered: 1. Developing the GRM Operation Manual. After series of data-gathering and conversations with local stakeholders, and informed by GRMs in similar contexts, the Marawi-specific GRM Manual shall be developed, with clear concepts of types of grievances, implementation mechanisms, and processes 2. Setting up the Grievance Monitoring and Information System (GMIS). Setting up of the GMIS shall involve developing the software and installing the hardware elements of the GRM. 3. Orientation on the GRM. Orientation must be provided to TFBM Secretariat, TFBM Inter-Agency Committee members (composed of all sub-committes), CSOs, development partners, the Academe represented by MSU and IDP leaders. 4. Organization of the Grievance Teams and Committees. IDP leaders convene IDPs in their areas, and facilitate selection of Grievance Team Members, and the organization of the IDP-Led Grievance Committee. LGU and TFBM to do selection of members of their respective grievance committees. 5. Installation of suggestion boxes. This depends on what the operation manual says. 6. Establishment of online and SMS grievance channels. This depends on what the operation manual says. 7. Capacity-Building. Capacity-building activities shall include training MIS people on the operation of the GMIS, training of IDP Grievance Teams and Grievance Committee, and training of TFBM and LGU Grievance Committees.

GRM proposed structure

National TFBM Chairperson

TBFM National Grievance Committee

TFBM Secretary General

TFBM Field Manager

M&E/MIS Secretariat

TFBM Field Grievance Committee

TFBM Sub-Committees (Reconstruction; Peace and Order; Health and Social Welfare; Business and Livelihood; Land Resource Management)

Sultans and Ulamas

LGU-Marawi InterAgency Committee

LGU Grievance Committee

Academe (MSU) Media MIS Secretariat Development Partners (CSOs, MHT)

IDP-Led Grievance Committee

HomeBased IDPs Grievance Team

Kambalingan Area Grievance Team

Evacuation Center-based IDPs Grievance Team

Sagonsongan Transitory Housing Sites Grievance Team

GRM Roles and Functions GRM STAKEHOLDER IDP-Led Grievance Committee

LGU Grievance Committee

COMPOSITION

ROLES AND FUNCTION

 Each of the IDP group shall  Ensures that the GRM is used in organize a Grievance Team, areas where IDPs are (Suggestion which means that there shall be Boxes are in place; Intake Forms are four teams to organize – for the available; Grievance Teams regularly Homes-Based IDPs, for the ECmeet to discuss IDP issues, concerns based IDPs, for the and needs; GRM is included during Kambalingan group and for meetings and discussions) those based in the Sagonsongan  Recording and consolidation of Transitory Housing Site grievance cases using prescribed  Each team shall select a Team intake forms. Grievances may be Leader, and all Team Leaders generated through the suggestion shall compose the IDP-Led box, from meetings and assemblies, Grievance Committee through text messages and facebook  Where necessary, conduct verification of grievances through fact finding activities  Coordinate with Camp Managers as regards cases that can already be directly addressed within the level of the IDPs  Facilitates resolution of grievances within their means to resolve  Raise grievances to the level of the LGU Grievance Committee where necessary  Submits regular grievance report to TFBM – both the intake documentation and the consolidate report.  Monitoring of status of grievances based on actions done  From among select members of  Ensures that the GRM is accessible the LGU-Marawi City Interto all target users Barangay Committee, which is  Recording and consolidation of normally composed of heads of grievance cases brought to its offices, CSO representatives, attention using prescribed forms and which is chaired by the and enter data into the database mayor, the LGU Grievance using the Grievance Monitoring and Committee shall be organized. Information System (GMIS) However, there is apprehension  MIS secretariat to provide regular the LGU can maintain this consolidated grievance status report considering issues of to the LGU Grievance Committee competency (basically involving  LGU Grievance Committee to

accountability) 

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   Task Force Grievance Committee

There are 2 options here: 1. To organize the Committee from among members of the Task Force Inter-Agency Committee. However, the catch is: the members of the subcommittees acting as Grievance Committee at the same time may not be a good idea if one wants to ensure partiality and objectivity in grievance redress considering that the same members are involved in direct implementation of programs for Marawi. Conflict of interest may ensue if same members are put at the receiving end of grievances. 2. For the TFBM to organize an independent body to act as Grievance Committee. This may be representative of the Civil Society, the Academe, the Ulamas and the development partners.

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conduct verification of grievances through fact finding activities where necessary LGU Grievance Committee to discuss grievance cases, and refer them for action to the LGU there necessary and where these cases fall within the LGU’s capacity to address Coordinate with local units (DSWD, City Engineers, MHO, etc) responses to existing needs raised in grievance reports Raise grievances to the level of the TFBM where necessary Regularly submit consolidated grievance report to TFBM using the GMIS Monitoring of status of grievances based on actions done Ensures that the GRM is accessible to all target users Consolidation of all grievance cases using prescribed forms and enter data into the database using the Grievance Monitoring and Information System (GMIS) TFBM MIS secretariat to provide regular consolidated grievance status report to the LGU Grievance Committee TFBM Grievance Committee to conduct verification of grievances through fact finding activities where necessary TFBM Grievance Committee to present consolidated grievance cases including status of action during TFBM Inter-Agency Meetings and during TFBM Sub-Committee Meetings Make immediate referral of grievance cases to concerned entities (TFBM Sub-Committees, National Agencies, AFP, etc) Raise grievances to the level of the National Secretariat where necessary

National TFBM Grievance Committee

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May be composed of people from HUDCC, and chaired by the TFBM Secretary General

 Regularly submit consolidated grievance report to TFBM National Secretariat using GMIS  Monitoring of status of grievances based on actions done  Acts on cases that are beyond the capacity of the local TFBM to address  Provides regular updates to President and the Cabinet

Additional Notes 

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The GRM for Marawi may be developed as an integral part of the design and implementation management of the BMCRRP. In the context of Marawi, it is very important that proper management of affected people’s questions, misgivings and sentiments be given premium in the implementation of efforts to rebuild and reconstruct the city The assumption for the TFBM is it will evolve into a Project Management Office once the BMCRRP implementation takes off the ground. One of the components necessary is the Monitoring and Evaluation component, under which the GRM may be operated.