The Charter Facilitation Team in the Philippines

The Charter Facilitation Team was set up in the Philippines in June 2006. The members include Flora A. Santos, Prof. Aleli B. Bawagan, Ma. Corazon (Cowa) G. Gratuito, Merlyn Tabada-Martinez, Marilou (Marcy) B. Cerilla and Fleur de Lys (Pinky) Castelo-Cupino as the Coordinator.

This team brings together people from the three organizations who were involved in the Charter process for the past three years – the Organization for Training, Research and Development Foundation (OTRADEV), which is an organization of social development professionals engaged in rural development advocacy, SANLAKAS, a national multi-sectoral confederation struggling for democracy, nationalism, justice and people’s welfare, and Center for Positive Futures, an educational institution for the economically disadvantaged.
Aleli, Cowa, Merlyn, Marcy and Pinky are members of OTRADEV, Flora is an officer of SANLAKAS and Pinky also used to be an officer of SANLAKAS. Pinky is with the Center for Positive Futures, and Merlyn also used to be with this institution.

Flora A. Santos is a social worker who has been involved in the urban poor movement for the past 37 years. She is an officer of SANLAKAS. She has spearheaded struggles of urban poor peoples for their land and for housing, starting with her involvement in the Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO) in the 1970s. Prior to her involvement with SANLAKAS, Flora was a community organizer connected with the Maryknoll College Social Action Center and the Sapat Sambayanan, Inc.

Prof. Aleli Bawagan is connected with the Department of Community Development, College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines. She is currently taking doctoral studies in Education Anthropology, doing a dissertation on the cultural identity of the Mangyan indigenous peoples group in the same university. Prior to joining the academe, Aleli was an Executive Director of OTRADEV and has long been involved in community development work since she shifted careers from being a Chemical Engineer.

Ma. Corazon Gratuito is a Philippine Studies graduate from the University of the Philippines who has been involved in wildlife preservation. Cowa spent some time in Turtle Island in the South of the Philippines as part of her work for the World Wide Fund for Nature - Philippines. Her development portfolio also includes working among the Mangyan indigenous peoples in the island of Mindoro.

Merlyn Tabada-Martinez is a family life and child development specialist. She is completing her thesis on her way to receive her masteral degree at the University of the Philippines. Merlyn has been involved in both rural and urban poor communities. She was involved in the urban poor confederation TOMANA in Metro Manila. Her rural exposure includes involvement in a health program in the island-province of Romblon, and attending to fisherfolks concerns and integrated area development in Southern Leyte and Laguna de Bay.

Marilou Cerilla is a social work graduate at the University of the Philippines currently completing her masteral studies in Regional Planning in the same University. Marcy is a seasoned freelance development researcher, and has worked on integrated development programs in Mindoro, Laguna de Bay and Romblon.

Pinky Castelo-Cupino has been connected with the Alliance for a Responsible, Plural and United World since attending the World Inhabitants’ Conference in Mexico in 2000. She participated in the World Citizens’ Assembly in Lille in 2001 wherein the Charter for Human Responsibilities was approved. Pinky is a social development worker, a founding member of OTRADEV 27 years ago, used to be with the multi-sectoral organization SANLAKAS, and is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Positive Futures. Last year, she received her masteral degree on Women and Development in the University of the Philippines.

The first project of the Charter Facilitation Team in the Philippines is holding the Youth Festival 2006 that was participated in by 80 young people from all around the Philippines. Held in Taytay, Rizal, the event carried the theme: “Weaving Responsibilities to Confront the Challenges of the Times”.