Kaya Natin!

KAYA NATIN!

A MOVEMENT FOR GENUINE CHANGE AND ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

“If bad people in our government can join forces to wreak havoc in our country, then why can’t the good people join forces as well and promote good governance in our country?”

-Harvey Keh as quoted from the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) last June 16, 2008

Kaya Natin! is a movement composed of good Filipinos from different sectors of society that aim to espouse genuine change and ethical leadership in our country.  We seek to promote genuine and lasting change in our government by promoting transparency, social accountability, people empowerment and electoral reforms.  By upholding these values and principles, it hopes to help make our government and our leaders more responsive to the needs of the Filipino people and enable it to deliver basic services to those who need it most in the most efficient and effective way.

We firmly believe that our government officials should be effective and ethical servant leaders who look not only at the outcomes of programs and projects but also at the processes required for them as well as the values and motives behind them. Effective and Ethical leaders are those who fight corruption and frown upon abusive practices of those in power while at the same time training future Filipino leaders to do what is right and just despite opposition. These leaders are those whose stands are reflective of their constituents’ beliefs and who do not stand alone but side by side with other good leaders for support.

Formally launched in July 2008, Kaya Natin! began with an informal meeting among three progressive and outstanding local government leaders in the Philippines. The Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government through Harvey Keh set up a meeting with Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, Isabela Governor Grace Padaca, and Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio in Club Filipino on June 10, 2008. The three leaders shared best practices and found out that they had common problems where they can support each other on. The meeting was covered by The Philippine Daily Inquirer and published on the front page the following Sunday.

The article elicited hundreds of email reactions from Filipinos all over the world, expressing their approval of the three government officials and offering support and encouragement for their fight against corruption.

Soon after, Mayor Jesse, Gov. Grace, Among Ed, and Harvey met again, this time with Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. Together they discussed what makes a good leader and the steps they can do to encourage good people to run for public office and promote good governance.

Finally, the group decided to establish a movement where Filipinos can help push for electoral reform, people empowerment, and the crusade against all illegal activities. Calling the movement “Kaya Natin!”, the group was launched at the Ateneo de Manila University on July 30, 2008. What happened next was an avalanche of support from the Filipinos, describing the leaders as “Islands of Hope.”

After the launch, different schools began inviting them to speak to students about good governance. It was at this time that Ifugao Governor Teddy Baguilat joined the roster of Kaya Natin! champions. They were able to share their experiences and the lessons they learned to students from Ateneo, De La Salle University, Miriam College, University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal University, Far Eastern University, Adamson University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, University of Asia and the Pacific, Pasig Catholic College, Asian Institute of Management, and the Ayala Young Leaders Alliance, with more invitations from other institutions. These campus and organization tours were eventually dubbed as part of the Kaya Natin! Caravan of Good Governance. Kaya Natin! also went to University of San Carlos in Cebu and Sorsogon State College in Bicol. Just recently, the Caravan of Good Governance also went to Ilagan, Isabela, for the first Youth Assembly as part of Gov. Padaca’s early birthday celebration. In the coming months, the caravan will be extending their tours to provinces outside Metro Manila for greater impact.

The Caravan of Good Governance aims to raise awareness among the Filipino people, particularly the youth, on the best practices of good governance based on the experiences of the Kaya Natin! champions. During the forums, each of the speakers talks about a different but significant governance issue that affects everyone. Padaca urges the youth to be more proactive in political matters by registering to vote and volunteering for election watchdog groups to ensure the sanctity of the ballots. Robredo stresses the significance of a participative and transparent government, where the people have a say in the issues that affect them and where they can see and know how the local government spends the budget allocated for them. Panlilio shares his experience in collecting quarry taxes, how honesty in a corrupt government is still possible albeit extremely difficult. Lorenzo, mayor of a fourth class municipality, represents other small towns and demonstrates that it is possible to win an election by campaigning on the grounds of a participative government rather than through posters and other paraphernalia. Native Ifugao Baguilat advocates the preservation of Ifugao culture and heritage, and implements programs in his province that promote tourism, education, and love for their native culture.

Besides their individual achievements and experiences, all five strongly oppose jueteng and illegal logging, and have vowed to support to each other on these issues. They also campaign for a government that is truly by the people, a system that will hold the local officials accountable for their actions and decisions and which will empower the constituency. They want leaders who are both effective in delivering basic services to the poor and ethical in their decisions and implementing the programs. For Kaya Natin!, it is not enough that our leaders are only efficient; Filipinos deserve to have someone who will use limited resources wisely without getting anything for himself. Ethics in government is just as important as effectiveness.

Kaya Natin! hopes that every Filipinos would be empowered to choose effective and ethical leaders for the country. During every forum, we ask the audience to fill out a volunteer form if they would like to take part in the campaign for good governance. Among the projects that these volunteers can help out with are updating the website (kayanatin.com), setting up local Kaya Natin! chapters in their areas, and just recently, developing a comic book for good governance which will highlight the achievements of Robredo, Padaca, and Panlilio. We have also partnered with Information Gateway to provide us with a service which will allow subscribers to receive updates from the group and the champions via text. In this way, almost every Filipino, not just students and professionals, can be kept informed about the activities of the Kaya Natin! champions.

More than these projects is the organization’s hope that someday soon the Philippines will be run by leaders who are both effective and ethical. The sheer number of invitations and volunteers we get is an indication that the Filipinos are hungry for change and good leaders. This may mark the beginnings of an empowered citizenry, which will then lead to an informed and wiser electorate. Kaya ng Pinoy maging magaling at mabuting pinuno; kaya ng Pinoy pumili ng tama. Kaya Natin!

Read about the Kaya Natin! Champions here.

If you would like to join and volunteer for Kaya Natin!, you can reach us at (02) 426-5657 or you can send an email to kayanatin@yahoo.com.