The members of the Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation (KCOC) had a one-day benchmarking activity held in Angeles City on November 23, 2022. Good Neighbors International Philippines (GNIP) as the host organization for the day, welcomed whole-heartedly the delegates who were mostly from various non-government organizations (NGOs) in Korea.
The visitors were received by Hon. Carmelo Lazatin, Jr., City Mayor of Angeles City during a Courtesy Call held in Angeles City Session Hall. As a welcome gift, Mayor Lazatin gave our visitors local products from the One Town One Product (OTOP) store in Angeles City. Ms. Joy Duaso, the head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), and Mr. Rudy Simeon, the head of the Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (ACDRRMO) were also present during the activity.
After the Courtesy Call, GNIP Country Director Mr. Jaechoon Lee introduced and presented information about the organizational profile of GNIP and its programs and activities. Subsequently, Ms. Visitacion Apostol, Senior Manager of GNIP also presented and shared the experiences and lessons learned as well as the tips in partnering with United Nations (UN) formed organizations such as UNICEF. Following the presentations is the question and answer portion whereas the delegates prepared a list of questions for Mr. Lee and Ms. Apostol. These activities were part of knowledge sharing on the management and administration level, the next order of business was to learn from the local stakeholders who were the actual partners in implementing on the ground or directly to the beneficiaries.
Mr. Amiel Jan Cao, the Research and Planning Division Head of the ACDRRMO, presented the current best practices and activities that were implemented for the projects with GNIP and UNICEF Philippines in collaboration with their office. On the other hand, another courtesy call and welcoming rites were also held in the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Angeles City led by Mr. Percival Capitulo, the Education Program Specialist of the School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD). To also learn more about the implementation on the ground, the delegates of the benchmarking activity went to Sapangbato Elementary School, the school that hybrid caters to learners from urban and rural communities in the upland part of Angeles City. The principal, Mrs. Victoria Torres warmly and energetically received the visitors and presented the projects that were implemented in the school by UNICEF Philippines and other Korean NGOs.
KCOC identified the Philippines as a good resource country for a field visit due to the high presence of various international organizations all over the world. Delegates from KCOC were in the Philippines from November 21 to 23, 2022 to benchmark with other non-government organizations operating within the country.