My work at Makati City government
“The Municipality of Makati is located at the heart of Metropolitan Manila. In 2007 Makati City had a population of 510,383. However, during workdays, there are 3.7 million people in Makati City. The City serves as headquarters for 40% of the top 1,000 corporations in the country.”

“I assist the Department head in the management of the day-to-day operations of the Makati Social Welfare Department (MSWD). My major administrative assignment as Assistant Head is 1) the formulation of MSWD programs and projects and monitoring of the implementation of the same, and 2) management of employees.”

My experiences in the Netherlands
“As soon as I arrived in Drenthe, my placement for the internship, I was warmly welcomed by my host family. In Drenthe, I was exposed to a number of social welfare and development facilities and I was able to gain some valuable lessons that I thought I should really bring home. I will never forget how amazed I was with the strategy of using the proposal for The Netherlands to host the Olympic Games as a springboard for the promotion of the sports programs across the country.”

“During my visit to Veenhuizen, I learned at least two things: 1) You cannot isolate the poor and allow them to build their “community” and 2) You can utilise structures around the community as channels for the promotion of good values. For me, the first learning is applicable in my work in building communities for relocated informal settlers. Relocated families should not just be relocated. They should be properly guided so they are able to stand on their own. There should be strong support from government and private sectors to ensure that these “new” communities become productive, vibrant and sustainable. I am glad that we are moving in this direction in our Relocation Program and the visit to Veenhuizen was truly enlightening. On the other hand, notable was the idea of inscribing good values at the front of the houses. They serve as reminders of how the community members should live their daily lives. I used this Veenhuizen example as a model as I pushed for the idea of using good values as street names at our relocation sites.”

Back Home Action Plan
“In the area of social welfare and development, I will propose the for a welfare and development service that is geared towards community building and poverty alleviation – the two critical aspects that should be given serious attention based on my experience in the training. In January next year, I will initiate the formulation of a Comprehensive Social Welfare and Development Plan for the City of Makati which has the following goals: the strengthening of communities and the alleviation of poverty among the urban poor. This plan shall also envision the participation of non-government/private social welfare and development service providers. The Dutch system in the delivery of social welfare services is a good practise worth emulating.”

Ryan Barcelo