For Oxfam Pilipinas

Philippine Nationals Only

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

About Oxfam Pilipinas

We seek lasting change. We at Oxfam Pilipinas dream and work for a future where Filipinos are free from poverty. For more than 30 years, serving in a country where close to 27 million now live in poverty, we have relied on the power of people to carry out programs designed to achieve our shared vision. Central to our strategy is working with partners to transform the unequal power relations, structures, norms, and values that cause poverty and inequality, including gender-based violence and injustice. 

We strive to apply a feminist lens to all our analyses and actions. We seek to save lives, provide access to services, and reduce the impact of disasters, particularly on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. We belong to the larger Oxfam family of over 20 organizations networked with partners and grassroots communities in all corners of the globe. We are part of a global movement for genuine change, seeking to rid the world of the scourge of poverty, with gender justice at the core of what we do.

Background

Oxfam Pilipinas partnered with four (4) local civil society groups in the Philippines – the Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP), People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network (PDRRN) Inc., Grameen Philippines, and Sentro sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya (SIKAT) – to implement the second phase of the Strengthening Harmonized Action for Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (SHARPER) project. The project aims to ensure local humanitarian actors operating within thirty-two (32) vulnerable communities in the Philippines have enhanced capacities for disaster preparedness and effective early warning systems to reduce the impact of disasters, and are better equipped to lead response and recovery efforts in the event of emergencies in coordination with local authorities. Phase 1 of the project spanned from 2020 to 2023, while the current SHARPER Phase 2 project runs from January 2024 to December 2026.

As part of the SHARPER 2 project’s learning interventions, Oxfam Pilipinas proposed to conduct a research to look into the utilization of the Barangay Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Funds (LDRRMFs) for the past five years of 2020-2024, alongside relevant disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) laws, policies and practices in the country affecting barangay LDRRMF spending.

The Philippine government allocates funds for DRRM at the national and local levels to build the disaster resilience of communities. However, the underutilization of LDRRMFs has been a perennial issue among local government units in the country. In 2023, Oxfam Pilipinas published a research study on LDRRMF utilization at the national level and in the municipalities of Dolores, Eastern Samar and Virac, Catanduanes to assess whether the underutilization of DRRM funds, previously identified by the Commission on Audit as stemming from a reactive spending approach, remains prevalent. The study, which analyzed budget patterns through a social accountability lens, revealed ongoing reactive spending trends, limited use of mitigation funds, and a lack of sensitivity to the varying impacts of disasters on vulnerable groups. However, it also highlighted the adaptability of LGUs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the active participation of non-state actors in contributing valuable DRR insights, challenging the perception of passive involvement in LDRRMCs.

In the Philippines, barangays are the smallest administrative units, serving as the fundamental building blocks of local governance. They play a crucial role in connecting the government to the communities they serve. Barangays are responsible for implementing local policies, programs, and services, including DRRM, health and sanitation, education, and infrastructure. As the closest government unit to the people, barangays serve as the primary interface for community engagement, allowing citizens to directly influence local decision-making. They are essential in addressing the unique needs of their communities, promoting social services, and ensuring the participation of marginalized groups in governance.

Building upon this context, Oxfam Pilipinas seeks to deepen its previous LDRRMF research by further examining the barangay-level utilization of LDRRMF in its project communities during the SHARPER project duration from 2020 to 2024. The study aims to assess whether the underutilization of LDRRMF at the barangay level persists, identify factors influencing the levels of utilization, and provide recommendations for enhancing barangay LDRRMF utilization and programming. Furthermore, it seeks to assess whether the utilization of the barangay LDRRMF remains reactive by prioritizing disaster response over a more proactive approach that emphasizes disaster risk reduction, prevention, and mitigation.

Additionally, while the SHARPER project has made significant gains in promoting inclusive local risk assessments and DRR planning over its years of implementation—evidenced by the results of the SHARPER 1 Endline Study on improved and more equitable barangay DRRM committee (BDRRMC) representation and active participation in DRRM planning— preliminary findings indicate a lack of related behavioral shifts in partner barangays' resource allocation to complement project initiatives and sustainability.

Beyond examining the causes of underutilization of DRRM funds, this research then seeks to demand social accountability from barangay governments regarding their use of these funds. It will investigate why barangay DRRM funds are persistently underutilized despite project efforts to build the capacity of local decision-makers and to promote inclusive DRR processes at the local level. Finally, it will look at the sustainability of the SHARPER project’s gains by investigating how effectively partner barangays have supported and funded co-developed DRRM plans and programs.

The findings of this study will serve as a significant input to SHARPER’s final project evaluation and in Oxfam Pilipinas’ Resilience Portfolio impact evaluation.

This Terms of Reference outlines the study’s objectives, approaches, and deliverables.

Scope of Work

The Research Consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs:

1. A brief inception report (not more than 10 pages) summarizing agreements with Oxfam Pilipinas’ project staff and implementing partners in relation to the final design for the research, including the initial results of the document review, operational details for the planned field-level data-gathering, proposed sampling for the KIIs, and adjusted work plan for the whole research (including report drafting and finalization). Annexed to the inception notes or report will be the finalized data-gathering tools.
2. Audio recordings and raw data sets (including thematic analyses notes) from the qualitative data-gathering methods (i.e. KIIs and focus groups) outlined above.
3. An initial draft of the research report, drawing from key findings of all the suggested research approaches outlined above, and in accordance with the following outline:

• Executive summary (1 page)
• Background on SHARPER project and learning agenda (1 page)
• Overview of the research (2 pages)
  • Research objectives
  • Research questions
  • Research methods
  • Framework for analysis
  • Limitations of the study
• Key findings and recommendations (10 pages)
  • Three to five statements/headlines of key findings
  • Supporting data on each key finding based on the results of the literature review, joint analysis of budget and expenditure documents and local DRRM plans with communities and local CSOs, and results of interface meetings with local decision-makers
  • Recommendations or ways forward per key finding
• Conclusions (1 page)
• Annexes

4. A final revised research report that addressed written comments and feedback from Oxfam Pilipinas’ project staff and implementing partners on the first draft.
5. A presentation with the key research findings and infographics which Oxfam Pilipinas and partners can use for knowledge sharing.
6. Briefer contents with the key research findings and infographics which Oxfam Pilipinas and partners will develop as part of the knowledge products to be reproduced and disseminated.
   
   

Period of Engagement :  March 2025 – May 2025

Other Responsibilities

• Adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights.
• Perform priority organizational tasks related to his/her competencies as may be assigned from time to time.

Organizational Values:

• Equality -  We believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to have the same rights and opportunities.

• Empowerment - We acknowledge and seek to expand people’s agency over their lives and the decisions that impact them.

• Solidarity -  We join hands, support, and collaborate in working towards a just and sustainable world.

• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions

• Courage - We speak truth to power and act with conviction on the justice of our causes

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

Note: All offers of consultancy will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.