Click here to download a copy of the PEN Strategic PlanningWorkshop Proceedings.

Being a collegial group of young advocates and senior veterans of international fora, the group's discussions were peppered with jokes, pun and global examples as members tried to weave words and phrases to describe PEN's identify. At one point, for instance, Karl sounding serious and straightforward, unflinchingly said, ‘PEN is an organization'...  but when he paused midway of ‘organization', someone quipped, "hey, don't stop after the second syllable because it sounds like you are saying" ‘PEN is an organ', (penis, organ, what else?) and the room just roared with laughter. This was just one of those intervening light moments that softened the otherwise ‘heavy duty' atmosphere of the meeting. In fact, as an indication that the group was dead serious about its business, the group metuntil late evening each day, forfeiting the socials allocated in the program.         

The PEN - the Philippine Ecosan Network - came to being in 2004. It started as a loose, informal network of experts from different technical backgrounds and institutions who were connected to each other as friends and colleagues commonly supporting sanitation as a fertile ground for advocacy rather than as conniving or competing professionals. Sanitation passionate personalities like Leo De Castro, Jema Sy, Lito Riego de Dios, Boni Magtibay,  Edkarl Galing, and a dozen others agreed to come together as a network of sanitationa dvocates, calling their group ‘PEN,' and to cooperate towards promoting sanitation in our country that has long been devoid of proper sanitation. In a2007 organization meeting, Dan Lapid was chosen President and his organization,CAPS, was appointed to serve as Secretariat. Since then PEN has worked quietly as the force behind the Philippine Sanitation Summit I in 2006, the year-long 2008 International Year of Sanitation celebration, the Philippine SanitationSummit II in 2008, the First Philippine Symposium on Sustainable Sanitation in2009, and the Third East Asia Sanitation (EASAN) Roundtable of Ministers in2010 in Manila, which was hosted by the DOH.   

But as PEN was growing in number and getting more recognition mileage, the desire to have a functioning organization with an identity beyond the email and virtual links was also growing among its movers and shakers. The just concluded First PEN Strategic Planning Workshop became also its First Organizational Meeting. More than a workshop, it was a historic event (to quote Dan), moving PEN to arrive at a critical decision to have and lead a formal life of a ‘development broker and influence-peddler' for sanitation (to quoteDoc Jimmy and Dan) during the next decades and for as long as its usefulness shall live.

The important decisions arrived at by consensus at thismeeting are:

·        PEN shall be formalized as an organization but does not have to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to be effective and be recognized. It is neither an NGO nor a public or private corporation that has to be registered with the SEC to be able to operate. Its nature is that of a social platform participated in and supported by a network of individual experts and representatives of government agencies, NGOs, semi-public corporations, private consulting firms, and multilateral and bilateral donor agencies, which advocates, promotes and delivers sustainable sanitation products and services. Other individuals, groups or institutions will be invited to join PEN in due time. PEN will be complete with the elements of a formal organization short of SEC registration. A product of an NGO initiative, its uniqueness as an entity has no equal anywhere else in the country and may be even in the world.   

·        PEN's vision is akin to the government's visionof " A clean and healthy Philippinesthrough safe, adequate and sustainable sanitation for all!". Its mission is: "The Philippine Ecosan Network (PEN)is a multi-stakeholder network of sanitation champions committed to influencing policy and decision-making of national and local leaders in public and private sectors towards sustainable sanitation".

·        Membership in PEN will be in three ways: (1)individual capacity; (2) institutional representation; and (3) associate membership either in an individual capacity or institutional representation. PEN envisions a membership that is nationwide with regional counterparts.

·        Its key decision-making and operating units will be - a Steering Committee, an Executive Committee and a Secretariat. The Steering Committee will be the overall body that will catalyze and galvanize cooperation and collaboration among the members. Within it, a small Executive Committee to implement the decisions of the Steering Committee will be formed.The Secretariat will be the management and administrative arm of the operating units and will be headed by a Secretary-General. However, decisions affectingthe entire membership will be made by all the members at General Assembly meetings.       

·        Six strategies were identified to implement the vision-mission of PEN. These are: (1) Advocacy; (2) knowledge management; (3)Capacity development; (4) partnership building; (5) resource mobilization; and(6) program implementation support.  

·        Identified as target groups or clients of PENare: National Government Agencies (NGAs), Local Government Units (LGUs),Sanitation Service Providers (SSPs), the Media, and donor community.

·        A set of Operational Guidelines will be produced to govern the new organization and prepare it to confront the vicissitudes of the sanitation sector it has chosen to nurture. The guidelines will have to be produced in one month so that PEN is prepared technically and organizationally to do its tasks and contribute in time to the formulation of the new administration's agenda of priorities.  

·        The period of one month (24 May to 24 June 2010)was declared as the interim period during which PEN will undertake the following immediate tasks: (1) prepare PEN's Operational Guidelines; (2)prepare for PEN's first General Assembly meeting; (3) create the working committees of PEN; and (4) map out the first 100 days of the sanitation sector for the new leadership and PEN's strategic plan for 2010-2011.

·        The following persons were elected ad interim to the key posts in thenetwork and to constitute the Interim Executive Committee that will be responsible for the completion of the above-listed tasks:

·        The Interim ExCom agreed to meet on Friday, 28 May 2010 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at CAPS Conference Room to discuss its immediate tasks.   

·        The very productive, historic event wasfacilitated by Rory Villaluna. It was supported by Project SuSEA of WSP/WorldBank.

·        A total of 28 persons coming from 4 NGAs, 2 NGOs, 3 consulting firms, 2 multilateral donor agencies,  2 semi-public corporations, and 1 UN advisory group, participated in the Strategic Planning Workshop.