During the 7th National Sectoral Assembly, which was held on December 1–3, 2023, at the Manila Hotel Tent City, over 1,300 leaders, each representing one of the 14 basic sectors of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), gathered. The government sector has 25 national government agencies and presidents of four (4) leagues of local governments. The National Sectoral Assembly is an essential forum for discussing problems and determining the course of the nation’s anti-poverty programs.
The three-day assembly offered the basic sectors a structured environment in which to carry out crucial tasks, such as choosing a new Vice Chairperson for the Basic Sectors, electing new Sectoral Representatives and Council Members, and having in-depth conversations about successes, difficulties, and sector-specific priorities.
A parallel symposium was conducted in conjunction with the National Sectoral Assemblies to elect new Sectoral Council Members (SCM) and Sectoral Representatives (SR), each of whom will have a three-year term. The SRs shall represent their respective sectors in the NAPC council, and shall elect among themselves the Vice-Chairperson for the Basic Sectors, who shall co-chair the NAPC council with the President of the Philippines and the Vice-Chairperson for the Government Sector. The SCMs shall assist the SRs in performing their duties and responsibilities, and shall act as their alternates in case of absence or incapacity.
The Revised Rules and Regulations Implementing the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act (Republic Act 8425) were followed in conducting the election. A single Sectoral Representative (SR) and two (2) Sectoral Council Members (SCM) from each of the 17 Philippine regions will be chosen by each of the 14 basic sectors; the Indigenous Peoples sector, on the other hand, will choose one SR and one SCM from each of the 18 regions, which includes the Cordillera Administrative Region. The statute also specified the NAPC’s duties and authority, as well as the accountability of council members and sectoral representatives.
Happy to be elected to serve on the Sectoral Council for the Urban Poor sector, one (1) of the three (3) KPS Quasi-Federation representatives participating in the National Sectoral Assemblies was appointed to this role. Gelsa Palmares-Pocdol, the unit head of the KPS Foundation’s CMP Unit and a community organizer, was formerly a barangay councilor in Barangay Calumpang in General Santos City and Urban Poor Alliance (UP-All Gensan) president. Gelsa is in responsible of setting up community associations for KPSFI’s LANDS and CMP projects. She is also a part of the management team of the KPS Foundation, which is in charge of setting the organization’s overall strategy and managing its daily operations, tasks, and events.
Again, congratulations to Gelsa Palmares-Pocdol, our newest member of the NAPC Sectoral Council for the Urban Poor Sector! We hope you never grow weary of helping the sector, acknowledging their predicament, and defending their rights—particularly when it comes to the security of land tenure.
