Government bats for impact evaluation of funds

MANILA, Philippines - Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said he is confident an environment to ensure the correct allocation of public funds would be in place by the end of the Aquino administration.

“As we approach the end of the current administration, we are confident that we have put in place an enabling environment where the appreciation, conduct of evaluation, and subsequent use of evaluation findings in policy and investment decisions are fully embedded in government programs, projects, and processes,” he said.

Impact evaluation is vital in identifying what programs or projects work and what do not.

Multilateral donors, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, use impact evaluation extensively to ensure correct utilization of grants and loans.

Balisacan said this helps policymakers ensure public and donor funds are used prudently, and that limited resources are directed towards more efficient development interventions.

He added the Supreme Court has even expressed interest to subject its “Access to Justice by the Poor” to impact evaluation. “To me that is a very interesting development; for them to be willing to be subjected to the discipline of impact evaluation is very encouraging,” Balisacan, who is also director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), added.

In 2014, a P300-million budget was allotted to the Philippine Information and Development Studies (PIDS), a NEDA line agency, to conduct evaluation studies on key government programs and projects.

The budget is also intended for various government agencies and selected state universities and colleges for capacity-building programs on impact evaluation.

To date, the PIDS has already completed eight process evaluation studies and six impact evaluation training workshops for 231 technical staffs from various government agencies and selected state universities and colleges.

In addition, 17 ongoing process evaluation studies will be completed next month.

The Australian Government provided Aus$2.8 million worth of assistance through the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3IE) to evaluate three major development programs, namely the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), the Sustainable Livelihood Program, and the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA-Peace and Development) Program.

The SPES, a project of the Department of Labor and Employment, is designed to link low-income youth aged 15-25 to formal work opportunities during school’s semestral or summer breaks.

The impact evaluation study thus aims to determine how SPES affects the students’ school participation, as well as their income, work hours, and the duration of job search.

The study on the Sustainable Livelihood Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, meanwhile, is expected to determine whether and to what extent the livelihood and employment opportunities it provides to recipients of conditional cash transfers (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) improve the conditions of the beneficiary families.