mikocanares Asia, Business Planning, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, feasibility studies, Governance, innovation, Local economic development, local governance, Local Government Units

Step Up Completes Alburquerque Creative Village Feasibility Study

With the Provincial Government’s aim to help re-open Bohol’s tourism economy by developing new attractions, enhancing existing circuits and reporting re-branding efforts, including capturing the faith-based tourism and MICE markets, an establishment of a creative village in the town of Alburqurque was investigated by the Bohol Investment Promotion Center. Step Up consulting services was contracted to undertake the feasibility research. The study was conducted from November 2023 to September 2024.

The study focused on the feasibility of establishing a Creative Village in the Municipality of Alburquerque in Bohol, particularly determining strategies for its viability and sustainability. The feasibility aimed to cover five key aspects – social preparations, market, business models, and integrated value chain of the identified key industries.

The town of Alburquerque is a rich microcosm of local heritage, culture and faith-based traditions showcasing the community life of the Boholanos.  These are evident in crafts, foods, music, and the presence of a culturally important national property – the Sta. Monica Church.  The Sta. Monica Church is one of the major cultural destinations for tourists and visitors who appreciate its historical and cultural value.

The project, Alburquerque Creative Village, is basically envisioned to provide a platform where local villages will be set up to showcase the crafts, cuisine, and others, particularly those that have been practiced in the locality. Highlights of the craft villages will be centuries-old crafts and food including raffia loom weaving, pottery/ceramics, a sweet delicacy called calamay, sculpted religious arts, utility and decorative baskets, traditional brooms, local salt called asin tibook (sea salt molded in clay pots. The music rendered by their traditional ensemble will also be revived. Model farms will also be set up showcasing local produce such as ubi kinampay (purple yam), vegetables, cut flowers etc.

In the design, the creative village will be constructed in a 2-hectare property located in East and West Poblacion Albur.  The site shall be procured by the Provincial Government of Bohol with technical assistance from the Municipal Government of Albur, while the management will be lodged at the Bohol Local Economic Development and Promotion Center.

The establishment of the creative village aims to also Provide a platform to showcase Bohol’s unique identity through local artisans, craftsmen and women who will highlight their skills and expertise in the field of ethnic arts and food and will make available these products through the craft village concept where this will serve as a one-stop shop venue for people and tourists to appreciate and experience these traditions, cultural practices and artisanal products;

mikocanares Business Planning, Capacity Building, core expertise, Core services, cultural programming, Facilitation, workshops

Kasing Sining Appreciates Step Up’s Support for its First Strategic Planning Workshop

“Kasing Sining is an impassioned and organically cultivated community theater collective, deeply rooted in a shared love for Bohol and the arts. Founded in 2013 under the visionary leadership of Lutgardo Luza Labad, this diverse ensemble is a tapestry of talents including actors, dancers, singers, educators, and other creative professionals, all united by a profound commitment to showcase and celebrate the rich tapestry of Boholano creativity. Drawing its name from the fusion of “kasingkasing,” the Visayan word for heart, and “sining,” the Tagalog term for art, Kasing Sining embodies “Art with a Heart,” a profound belief in artistic expression that serves a purpose beyond itself.”

For the first time since its founding, Kasing Sining held its first Strategic Planning Workshop to formally define its collective identity and vision, identify strategic directions, and structure its organisational systems and processes. Jean Celeste Paredes, along with Mary Therese Pepito and Russel Guatno, journeyed with Kasing Sining as facilitators.

Through a series of structure learning exercises, workshops, creative imagery activities, Kasing Sining was able to assemble its strategic plan and corresponding operational plans to support its long-term directions.

Kasing Sining founder Gardy Labad expressed her appreciation to the Step Up team for skillfully managing a group of artists and rallying them to the finish line – completing the output. The workshop was conducted on 27-28 January 2024 at the Balay Kahayag in Baclayon, Bohol. 

mikocanares Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Facilitation, Inclusion, Non-Government Organizations

Step Up Consulting Documents CBM Global Philippines’ First OPD and Partners Conference

With the theme, “Advancing Disability Rights and Inclusive Development through Convergence”, the CBM Global Philippines hosted the first-ever conference of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and partners held at Bayview Park Hotel, Manila on November 27-29, 2023.

The OPD & Partners Conference showcased CBM Global Philippines’ various disability-inclusive development, humanitarian, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, community mental health, inclusive eye health programs and projects implemented in selected regions in the Philippines.  It also presented the OPDs’ good practices in their areas of advocacies.

The 3-day conference covered sessions: project presentation on the gains from inclusion, building from lessons learned from field programs and projects; sharing of good practices specifically on enabling persons with disabilities as agents of change; updates on the country’s disability movement initiatives; and building consensus on Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Report/Commitment and Partnership with UNCRPD.

Two research presentations were also made during the conference. The first one was on the impact of climate change on persons with disability in Bicol Region presented by Simon of Cyrene organization. The second one was on the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities in Laoang, Northern Samar, by Life Haven Center for Independent Living, Inc.

The event also provided opportunities for partnerships and networking among participants and for all members of CBM Global’s Country Advisory Panel (CAP) to have a broader perspective of the organization’s current and future programs.

mikocanares Asia, Celebrations, core expertise, Core services, cultural programming, environment, Governance, Inclusion, innovation, Local economic development, local governance

Step Up Co-Facilitates and Documents Pista sa Kadagatan

Step Up Consulting co-facilitated the Pista sa Kadagatan, a 3-day activity of Alliance Française de Manille, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Bohol activity, which formally opens the Ocean Program 2023-2025, a program by the Alliance Française de Manille.  Kasing Sining served as the major organizer and facilitator of the said event.

The three-day event last September 27-30 was a series of cultural tours with different activities that brought science, arts, culture, and sustainable development to life. From inspiring discussions on climate, tourism, and marine heritage to heartwarming interactions with coastal communities, it highlighted our shared commitment to preserving the ocean’s well-being and its invaluable marine treasures

Day 1 covered the Summit, where the orientation and overview of Pista sa Kadagatan and a series of presentations among experts in the relevant fields were held at Ceremonial Hall, Provincial Capital, CPG North Avenue, Tagbilaran City. Presentations included the ecological importance of this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the local efforts in marine conservation through a series of lectures that focused on the status of the waters, cultural heritage, and heritage, and environmental conservation. Day 1 concluded with a play entitled Usa Ka Isla, performed by Kasing Sining. Presenters during the Summit were Dr Ben Malayang, an environmental scientist, on “A Science Culture to Better Appreciate Bohol’s Land and Sea”; Ms Len Barrientos, UNACOM Philippine Representative, presenting the UNESCO Agenda on UN Decade of the Oceans; and Prof. Eric Zerrudo, PhD, the Director of University of Santo Tomas Graduate School Center for the Conservation of Cultural Property & Environment in the Tropics, discussing Philippine Archipelagic Thinking, entitled, Kapuluan: an Appreciative Inquiry on Philippine Archipelagic Thinking. An open forum and sharing were conducted after the morning session. A documentary entitled “Kinabuhing Mananagat (The Life of a Fisher) directed by Mr. Procopio “Cooper” Resabal was shown thereafter. 

The afternoon session started with a story-telling by Prof. Marinanito Luspo, a local historian and consultant of the Center for Culture and the Arts (CCAD), entitled Sugid: Telling the Tales of the Seas Around Us. This was followed by a presentation on the dynamics of the water bodies surrounding Bohol presented by a fellow Boholano Prof. Rene Rollon, Professor of the Institute of Environmental Science & Meteorology – University of the Philippines Diliman. The resident geologist of the Province of Bohol, Mr. Karl Michael Din, also presented the Bohol Geopark and its Connectivity with Bohol Seas. Lastly, a representative from the Department of Environment and Natural Resource (DENR-Bohol) was presented by Mr. Ariel Rica. After the presentations, a synthesis was done to assess the learnings and insights of the participants. Usa Ka Isla, a play performed by Kasing Sining was also held during the evening event.

Days 2 and 3 covered the site visits and workshops, in caravan style, organized in these 2 areas, one after the other. These activities enabled community fisherfolks, artists and experts to immerse themselves in the beauty of these water worlds, in listening to the peoples’ stories, inspiring creative dialogues and possibly creative showcases or small works that reflect the essence of marine life and culture. Selected learning sessions were focused on blending cultural heritage with marine conservation, showcasing the deep connection between the people and their environment.

mikocanares Associates, Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Facilitation, Results-based Management, workshops

Step Up Facilitates Annual Review and Planning of the Immaculate Conception Parish

The Step-Up team facilitates the Annual Review and Planning of the Immaculate Conception Parish Pastoral Plan on 15 July 2023.

The sessions aim to reaffirm the vision, mission, and goals, of the parish as articulated in its Parish Pastoral Plan, assess the implementation of the Parish Pastoral Plan for 2022 to 2023 and identify accomplishments, gaps, and opportunities for improvement and plan the activities for 2023-2024.

The workshop was able to determine the importance of collective contributions to shared goals, celebrate the accomplishments, and be inspired to plan for the future and share the joy with parish workers and volunteers in discussing parish priorities in a safe, welcoming, and empowering environment.

Msgr. Harold Anthony S. Parilla, thanked the team for facilitating the workshop and for reviewing the implementation of the plan. He also encouraged parishioners to continue pursuing planned activities to achieve shared goals. 

mikocanares Associates, Business Planning, core expertise, Core services, Financial Management, Local economic development, National Government Agency, Research Projects

Step Up Team Completes the Economic and Financial Analysis for IFAD’s Project ConVERGE in Mindanao Regions

Step Up team conducted the Economic and Financial Analysis (EFA) for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Project Completion Report (PCR), complying with the guidelines and procedures of the National Economic Development Authority.

In the 6-month engagement, the team actively facilitated stakeholders’ workshops across three regions – Region IX, X and XII in Mindanao, conducted actual site visits to 11 ARC communities to document project highlights, and conducted one-on-one sessions with the local teams, customizing each analysis per identified crop and collaborating with stakeholders to validate findings, fostering inclusive participation and consensus-building.  Results presented include financial internal rate of return, economic internal rate of return, net present value, and benefit-cost ratio for the 14 enterprises at the project level. A sensitivity analysis was also done at the project level.

The team is composed of Jean Celeste “Hedz” Paredes as research lead, Engr. Mark Russell Guatno as the data specialist, and Mary Therese “Tet” Pepito as the data validation expert. Team members actively contributed to facilitating stakeholders’ workshops across the three regions. These workshops involved consolidating and validating needed data and information, collaborating with stakeholders to validate the findings, ensuring robust and inclusive discussions, and presenting the EFA results to stakeholders and the IFAD mission team.

The Project ConVERGE is executed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to support the Philippine Government’s poverty reduction efforts in 11 Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) clusters located in 10 provinces of Regions IX, X, and XIII.  The project was designed to promote sustainable livelihoods for 300,000 farmers producing rice, corn, rubber, coffee, abaca, coconut, cassava and muscovado/coco sugar. The project’s targeted beneficiaries were expected to include agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs, 40 000 farmers) and 260,000 other rural workers.  CONVERGE comprised of three components: (i) participatory value-chain analysis and planning to link smallholder farmers to existing value-chain systems; (ii) integrated smallholders agricultural and rural enterprise development; and (iii) subdivision of collective certificates of landownership award (CLOA) to facilitate the transfer of land.

mikocanares Business Planning, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, environment, Local economic development, Research Projects

Step Up Produces Coffee Table Book for Ofamen Cacao Farm

Step Up assists Ofamen Cacao Farm in documenting its experiences through the production of a coffee table book. The book entitled “Hulma” tells the story of how the briquette production initiative forged a promising environment-friendly community social enterprise in Barangay Calunasan, Calape Bohol.  The coffee table book features the story of how the local farm was able to innovate by utilising agricultural wastes in making briquettes, an alternative to lump charcoal, a win-win solution not only for the environment but also for augmenting the income of families in their barangay.

Ofamen Cacao Farm was granted 1.4 million in funding, which was used to invest in briquette technology and capacitate local families in their community to become agri-entrepreneurs. 

Ms. Joyce Pulchra Ofamen, a social entrepreneur, is also a recipient of the WHWise: iBLEnDNICE 4WomEn, which aims to establish a more cohesive and inclusive social innovation ecosystem through capacitating women entrepreneurs in the Philippines.

mikocanares Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Facilitation, Local economic development, workshop design, workshops

Step Up Facilitates Strategic Planning Workshop for Buon Pastore Cooperative

Step Up facilitates a Strategic Planning Workshop for Buon Pastore Cooperative, a Loboc-based cooperative on March 11, 2023, at the Loboc Tourism Hall. The workshop brought together board members, staff and employees of the cooperative. The sessions delved into various facets crucial for developing robust business strategies, particularly in the cooperative’s current business ventures – trading, gasoline, and quarry business.

The Buon Pastore Cooperative is established to mobilize capital from among all residents of Loboc to provide the needs of Lobocanos and the province to include providing market linkage to residents’ products and services, thereby catalyzing growth and development in the service areas. Since its establishment as a cooperative, Buon Pastore has incessantly empowered leaders through capacity-building training and workshops that develop their entrepreneurial and business skills. Maximizing local resources and opening business opportunities, Buon Pastore endeavours to grow as a cooperative where membership continues to thrive towards economic development.

The workshop’s agenda focused on fostering a forward-thinking mindset, emphasizing the significance of anticipating industry trends and leveraging innovative approaches to stay agile amidst uncertainties.

Participants engaged in dynamic discussions, collaborative exercises, and insightful presentations that explored elements such as goal setting, market analysis, risk assessment, and resource allocation. Through interactive group activities and real-world case studies, attendees were encouraged to apply strategic frameworks tailored to their unique business contexts.

The focus is to meet the needs of the community; thus, the Cooperative’s projects involve bringing to the global market its virgin coconut oil, trading, gas station and quarry operations. The purpose of the Cooperative is both inclusive and expansive to answer the growing needs of the community.

The success and positive reception of this workshop have sparked discussions about potential future sessions and continued collaborative efforts among local businesses to drive collective growth and innovation. The team also assisted the cooperative in crafting their 3-year Strategic Plan.

mikocanares Business Planning, Capacity Building, Consulting Services, core expertise, Core services, Facilitation, innovation, Local economic development, Training

Step Up Conducts Community Based-Enterprise Training and Mentoring Sessions for Ofamen Cacao Farm

Step Up Consulting Services conducted a series of workshops to capacitate the men and women of Calunasan, Calape Bohol who are involved in making charcoal briquettes.

Through the grant provided by the farm which the family through its CEO Ms Joy Pulchra Ofamen-Sarabia, the briquette processing equipment and machinery are shared with 40 families who are now engaged in briquette making using cacao pods and other farm organic wastes that could otherwise end up polluting the environment. The briquettes provide access to alternative and cheaper form of energy over wood, burns cleaner firewood and release fewer greenhouse gases.

The team conducted a series of training workshops on business development, costing and pricing, workflow management system, enterprise models, and marketing to make their briquette products commercially viable and sustainable. These workshops were held beginning November 2022 and will continue towards the first quarter of the next year.

The Ofamen Cacao Farm in Calunasan, Calape, Bohol is a recipient of the WHWise: i B L E n D N I C E 4WomEn*, a program launched by the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development l in partnership with Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). MSU IIT is the program’s main implementer in collaboration with Miriam College (MC) and the University of the Philippines – Mindanao (UP-Min).

*WHWise: i B L E n D N I C E 4WomEn (innovation thru Building and Leveraging Entrepreneurship Development, Networking and Inclusive Community Engagement for Women Entrepreneurs) or Women-Helping-Women: Innovating Social Enterprises, is a program that brings together government agencies and private organizations to seek out and prepare women-led social enterprises for growth, scalability, and subsequent Venture Capitalist funding. The program provides a suite of services, including early-stage funding, training, skills development, mentorship, and business incubation. More importantly, it will provide access to technology to enable even women from rural communities to be part of the global economy.

mikocanares Consulting Services, core expertise, Monitoring and Evaluation, Research Projects, Results-based Management

Step Up Evaluates BIDEF’s DRR Initiatives

Step Up Consulting completed the terminal evaluation of the project Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Vulnerable Areas Toward Effective Governance and Resilient Communities (DRILLS) in the Municipalities of Loay, Loboc and Sevilla, Bohol Province, Philippines by BIDEF, Inc. with the funding support by MISEREOR.

The project intended to capacitate local communities especially those living in high-risk areas in disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. When they are capacitated through organized Community-Based Disaster Brigades (CBDBs), utilization of the approved DRRM and other relevant plans and early warning systems, communities are able to engage and respond to any disaster situations and reduce the impacts of risks and damages caused by disasters.

The evaluation involved triangulation of approaches: a combination of survey, focus groups discussions and key informant interviews and evaluation of program traces or documentation. Step Up Managing Consultant Hedz Paredes led the evaluation process.