Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Philippines and ... - WIEGO

WIEGO Working Paper N o 12Programmes of non-government organisations and people’sorganisations for workers in the informal economyThe QC LGU recognises that it cannot sufficiently respond to the needs of the informal economy workers inthe city. Hence, it has increasingly encouraged the formation of NGOs and POs that undertake programmesand services, and which respond to the needs that local and national governments are unable to respondto. On one hand, this has encouraged a stronger sense of voluntarism and social responsibility amongcommunities and civil society. On the other hand, the burden and responsibility of providing for the basicneeds and well-being of poor communities is shifted onto the backs of poor and marginalised sectors,thereby allowing governments to be liberated from their primary duties and functions.Payatas Scavengers’ AssociationIn 1993, some 30,000 women, men and children who survive by gathering, sorting and selling recyclablewastes in the Payatas dumpsite organised themselves into the Payatas Scavenger’s Association. Withsupport from the Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation and the QC LGU, they haveworked on many fronts to create collective solutions to problems they face and to build better lives, jobsand communities that are secure, safe and healthy. Their programmes and services for members include asavings and credit programme for upgrading their recycling activities. Notable are the programmes for theirmore vulnerable members – the working children – which include www.achr.net/philippines1.html.• The Scavenger Kids Centre, located beside the dump, is run cooperatively by the mothers; has no fixedprogramme; offers working children a place to play, get first-aid, sleep, shower after scavenging on thedump or get something to eat;• Special scavenger children’s savings scheme for this free-wheeling group of children who are on theirown, independent of families; and• Day-care centre for mothers who work on the garbage dump built with their collective savings andrun by themselves, without subsidy, taking turns teaching classes and feeding the children a simple,nutritious meal, which they cook in the courtyard outside.The association also addresses its members’ needs for long-term security through their land and housingprogramme. Tenure security and decent houses are top items on the scavengers’ list of needs and thekey to their genuine development. Preparations for meeting this goal include searching for affordableland nearby, designing inexpensive house designs, maintaining special housing savings accounts, andnegotiating with government and finance institutions.Social Protection for PATAMABA Home-based WorkersSince the 1990s, the governments of many Asian countries have strengthened their social protection schemes.This is a welcome move since social protection is a vital tool in fighting poverty. Similarly, designing socialprotection schemes that meet women’s needs is one of the themes of the current ILO Global Gender Campaign.However, in many countries, women do not get equal access to social protection. In most cases, this is because ofthe non-standard, low wage and informal economy jobs they have, which are less likely to come with such socialbenefits. In others, it is because policy makers assume women can rely on men, or because benefits are directlylinked to keeping one’s job – for example, most maternity protection systems in Asia are paid solely by employers.Addressing this need, the PATAMABA or Pambansang Tagapag-ugnay ng mga Manggagawa sa Bahayhas set up a social protection programme for its members. It has facilitated membership in the SocialSecurity System or the Philippine National Red Cross. The PATAMABA members in Barangay Balingasapioneered the Automatic Debit Account (ADA) Programme of the SSS in Quezon City, which facilitatesSSS membership for its members. Through the ADA, they can open a savings account in the Philippine28