My Assets

\"Transparent City.org,\" a digital campaign specializing on localizing transparency, will be the main output of the funding I am hoping to secure from Voices of the Future.

The website will specifically monitor and assess the inclusivity of the allocation and use of gender and development funds (GAD), as well as the budget for disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) in Samar and Eastern Samar, two of the provinces affected by typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

My stories will answer this question: how were marginalized sectors such as the differently-abled, women, the elderly and indigenous had a say on how these funds were allocated?

The media should ascertain if the sectors most vulnerable to disasters are given the chance to exercise their right in participating in the budget-making process, consequently ensuring that LGUs invest on their welfare and safety before, during and after disasters.

Transparent City will come up with its own website, which will use both the English language and the dialect used by women's organizations in the communities affected by typhoon Haiyan in the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar. The rationale for this is that transparency goes beyond just publishing information - people should also be able to understand, analyze and interpret the data and information that they see in the media. This is where localization can be most valuable as well as contextualization.

Transparent City will also have its own twitter and other social media accounts to widen its reach and engage policymakers and national government officials, but the approach of Transparent City will be two-pronged:simply putting up a website will not do the trickas not all the towns affected by Haiyan in the above provinces have internet connection; some areas even do not have a cellphone signal.

This is the strategy of Transparent City: I will conduct capacity-building sessions with women’s organizations to educate them on GAD and DRRM funds and also produce articles on their experience.

This complements Transparent City's formula: transparency+inclusivity = transformation and empowerment.

I believe that the sectors most vulnerable to climate change play a crucial role in the equitable and conscientious use of resources for climate change mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction. My goal is to provide them an educational and communication platform on how they could best maximize this role.

My experience as a journalist will help me implement this campaign. My contacts in Basey and Samar and most importantly, my communication and connection with their women's organizations will help turn this vision into reality.