MBC invited Chia-liang Kao, co-founder of g0v, and Czarina Medina-Guce, Governance Specialist of the UNDP, to share the innovative trends in e-Participation, best practices on using online tech tools to gather data on an issue, and the challenges to online consultation in the Philippines today. MBC also presented its Digital Democracy Roadmap, a planning tool to enable civil society groups better listen to their communities using digital tools, followed by a breakout session with the participants to discuss its use in their own organizations.

G0v (pronounced “gov zero”) is an online civic space that brings citizens, NGOs, CSOs, and governments together to attempt to hack solutions to public issues. G0v began in 2012 in Taiwan when Kao and his colleagues attempted to get a better understanding of the national budget of Taiwan. Kao explained that this grassroots movement developed Taiwan’s budget into an open-source code, making it more accessible and easier to understand.

Medina-Guce talked about upgrading the operating system of civil society by adopting digital tools that will empower CSOs and using technology to help them pinpoint where they need to focus.

MBC continues its advocacy with the upcoming workshops and citizen assemblies for LGUs and CSOs in this year’s “Digital Democracy Series: Technology for Decision-Making and Community-Building.” For more information, visit our website at www.mbc.com.ph