My experiences and insights from the Australian Leadership Award Fellowship on Policy Development, Implementation, Advocacy and Monitoring and Evaluation of Disability Inclusive Programs and Legislations in the Philippines in 2011 equipped me with fresh skills and knowledge as I assumed my new position as Planning Officer III upon my return to work in the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA).
Foremost of my initiatives was my crafting of the Philippine’s National Disability Agreement among the NCDA member agencies. This will ensure generating support to cascade Disability Inclusive Development (DID) to Make the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Real nationwide. This is also in sync with the passage of Proclamation No. 688 “Declaring the Period of 2012-2022 as the Philippine Decade of Make the Rights Real for Persons with Disabilities in Support of the 3rd Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities”. The work is in progress and to be finalized as soon as the commitments of concerned duty bearers in the “Results Based Monitoring and Evaluation Framework” which I have been monitoring, is approved.
As an effective leader, I took active participation as coach and coordinator-member of the Philippine Team in the 2011 International Abilympics held in South Korea. The “Spider Web Analysis” on NCDA (Secretariat) Consultation Level (Internal and External Consultation/Collaboration) which I initiated gave impetus to transform the NCDA Secretariat’s weaknesses/challenges into strengths. It is also worth mentioning that in my conduct of the said sessions in all our divisions, I introduced a new training technique which has not been done in NCDA.
As an empowered person, I can now participate in the discussion confidently such as in various planning sessions and writeshops, and provide technical inputs in country report relative to disability. These include our participation in the “69th UNESCAP Session” in Thailand and report to Vietnam on the implementation of the UNCRPD for the “2nd APCD/Japan-Asean Integration Fund Regional Meeting”.
Inspired by my learnings on “Good Governance”, I also pushed for the approval of the NCDA Code of Conduct which was shelved for more than a year. The document now serves as our agency’s guide to uphold the highest ethical standards among our officials and employees.
As an ALA Fellow, I am committed to spread DID, as my “pay forward” to my country, ALA and QUT, for my life changing experience.
