Facilitating a 'competition for development' among Team Energy beneficiaries
At first, Arsenia Miguel Gudmalin was reluctant to respond to a community bulletin in General Nakar, Quezon inviting organized groups to submit project proposals for funding by a leading independent power producer, Team Energy. After all, the
announcement indicated it was designed as a ‘competition’ (for development) and that she was only tipped about it a few days before the deadline on April 15, 2009. Thinking nothing was there to lose by joining the ‘competition’, the cooperative where she is president- the Paaralang Sekundarya ng Heneral Nakar (PSHN) Alternative Student Support Systems Initiative (PASSSI)- rushed to gather all requirements and submitted a proposal anyway. Last July 1, 2009, the PSHN-PASSSI was awarded with a P200,000 financial grant at an awarding ceremony held within the Team Energy’s power plant premises in Pagbilao, Quezon as one of the five organizations from the province whose proposals were adjudged to make a considerable impact on their respective communities.
“Our prayer has been answered,” said Ms. Gudmalin during the awarding ceremony. “Now, we will be able to help more high school students than ever.” The PASSSI intends to establish a mini bookstore off ering student services such as photocopying and identification card lamination. Ms Gudmalin said 80 percent of the earnings from this enterprise will provide sustainable source of funds for PASSSI’s support program to indigent high school student beneficiaries covering their school supplies, fees, uniform and board and lodging.
Like the PSHN-PASSSI, four other organizations – the Banahaw Parents Association, Inc from Lucban, Quezon; Hardin ng Kalikasan from Real, Quezon; Angat-Buhay/Timong Infanta Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative from Infanta, Quezon and the Pagbilao Teachers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative from Pagbilao, Quezon – were chosen out of the eight (8) project proposals submitted, thanks to the evaluation work by the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) as Team Energy’s institutional partner.
PEF and the 'competition' mechanics.
PEF’s expertise in project development, monitoring and evaluation played a key role in organizing the ‘Competition for Development’, one of Team Energy’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs that offered to fund high-impact community projects proposed by local nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) belonging to the first congressional districts of the company’s host provinces, Quezon and Pangasinan.
Anchored on the third line of its vision statement, “significant social contribution” (the others being “sustained profitability”, “operational excellence”, and an “inspired team”), the Team Energy Corporation (TEC) launched the Competition to encourage community groups from the provinces of Quezon and Pangasinan to put together project proposals on education, environment, health and livelihood, that promise tangible and meaningful impact on the quality of lives of their stakeholders as well as offer high prospects for sustainability. The program’s public information campaign was assisted by the Office of Congressman Wilfrido Mark Enverga (First District, Quezon) and the Office of Congressman Arthur F. Celeste (First District, Pangasinan). The CSR strategy is, according to Team Energy’s Community Affairs Manager Ethel O. Mendoza, the company’s contribution to “alleviating poverty in the low-income municipalities of the provinces.” While it covered areas even outside of the Team Energy power plants’ host towns, the competition favored the “most viable and sustainable project proposals that can be implemented.
As Team Energy committed the financial counterpart for awarding the ‘competition winners’ with roughly 80 percent of each total project cost, PEF-Luzon led by Mr. Allyn Lopez has been responsible in designing the eligibility criteria for selecting the most deserving projects. The team also developed a template for counterparting among partners, objectives-setting among participating organizations and the mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating (M&E) the approved projects. PEF’s recommendations were considered in selecting the winning beneficiaries after their proposals were validated during PEF team’s series of area visits.
You can download the complete formatted report in PDF format here.
Awarding of winning proposals in Sual, Pangasinan
Awarding of winning proposals in Pagbilao, Quezon