Annabelle Vitti C. Valenzuela
My research project is on the urban poor of
Naga City, specifically evaluating the impact
of the Kaantabay sa Kauswagan (Partners in Development)
program implemented by the City Government since
1988. The program aimed to realize secure tenure
for the poor through homelot provision and urban
upgrading, and was anchored on governance initiatives
to enhance participation of the urban poor in
political processes. In 20 years, no attempt
has been made to study the development impact
of Kaantabay especially as to the impact of
tenure security and participation to poverty
alleviation, and the sense of agency and exercise
of citizenship by the urban poor. On a macro
scale, these issues are worth investigating
as they could inform on the effectiveness of
policy approaches and strategies addressing
urban poverty, including the limitations imposed
to it by local contexts and local civil society-State
relations.
In the Philippines, I have worked mostly in
consulting for 13 years as proposal manager,
social specialist, and evaluation researcher
in various development projects funded by the
ADB, WB, JBIC and private entities like the
Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. Doing a PhD
enables me to partake both in the joy and discipline
of knowledge building to help shape better lives
and better tomorrows.
Postgraduate Researcher, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150. Fax: 9360 6381, Email: A.Valenzuela@murdoch.edu.au
