Philippines overview

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In this Image IPA enumerators travel in the field for an IPA study in the Philippines. © 2022 IPA Philippines.
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Contact Us
Address: Unit B 7th Floor Belvedere Tower, San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 1605, Philippines
Phone: +63 (02) 871-46595
Email: info-philippines@poverty-action.org

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Research Findings

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Mobile Tutoring in the Philippines © Ivan Lonan / Shutterstock

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Building Resilient Education Systems: Cost-effective Mobile Tutoring in the Philippines and Beyond

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IPA led the evaluation of the mEducation tutoring program in the Philippines, which resulted in a significant 40 percent increase in students' math skills at an approximate cost of USD $12 per child, making it a cost-effective solution.

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IPA Philippines participates in a meeting with the Supreme Court of the Philippines in March 2023. @ 2023 Philippines Supreme Court Information Office

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Impacts of Judicial Reform in Criminal Case Procedures on Court Congestion in the Philippines

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The Supreme Court of the Philippines has introduced several reforms to address the longstanding issues of high volume of pending cases and severe delays in case disposition, which consequently deny citizens the ability to access swift and fair justice. A key reform is the Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of Criminal Cases (CT), which aims to expedite trials and resolutions by imposing strict timelines on existing rules for court action and introducing best practices for speedy disposition of criminal cases.

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Researchers assessed the effect of CT on court efficiency by comparing changes in outcomes two years before and two years after the implementation of the reform. They found that while the reform increased court efficiency, it did not significantly reduce backlog.

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Monitoring Digital Financial Payments of Cash Transfers in the Philippines

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Digital payments offer a fast and transparent way to distribute cash aid to households that have been economically hard hit by the pandemic. In the Philippines, researchers conducted a survey to learn about the experience of recipients of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), an emergency cash transfer program implemented by the government. Results revealed that recipients were highly satisfied with their withdrawal experience of digital cash transfers, however, account awareness and use among recipients remained low.

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Policy Impact

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Education

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IPA Philippines has been working with the Department of Education to use evidence in decision-making since 2015. We have been supporting DepEd to build an effective M&E system through targeted capacity building for both national and field offices. We are working with DepEd on various evaluation initiatives, including scaling a mobile-phone based targeted learning program based on evidence. Co-organized with IPA, DepEd continues to hold Research o'clock, the national fora to promote research and use of evidence to encourage policy discussions.

 

Social Protection

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Together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, IPA Philippines has rigorously evaluated national social protection programs like the community-driven development program (KALAHI-CIDSS) and Sustainable Livelihood Program. We are also working on a formal partnership with DSWD on technical assistance focusing on enhancing systems in generating data and effective use of evidence and deep dive into initiatives towards digitizing delivery of social benefits.

Consumer Protection

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As more Filipino consumers utilize e-wallets and digital banking in daily transactions, financial regulators like the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) are keen to fully implement the Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act (FCPA), passed into law in May 2022. IPA is collaborating with BSP to strengthen its technical capacity for monitoring and safeguarding consumer rights through evidence-based approaches. IPA and BSP, in collaboration with selected financial service providers, are piloting FCPA reporting templates to enable better data gathering and more robust data analytics.

In this image:A photo of the IPA Philippines team. © 2023 IPA Philippines
Philippines

Our Team

Philippines

Our Team

Country Director

Aftab Opel

Aftab is the Country Director for IPA Philippines. Aftab has nearly three decades of experience in the development sector working on the implementation and evaluation of programs in the areas of social and economic development across Asia.

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Senior Research Manager, Philippines

Yuna Liang

“We value diversity. We have people from different countries and religious backgrounds. We all work well together.”

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Research Manager

Soumya Kochhar

Soumya Kochhar is a Research Manager at IPA Philippines. She focuses on projects in the fields of social welfare and financial inclusion.

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Research Manager

Rene Marlon Panti

Rene Marlon Panti manages the Philippines Socioeconomic Panel Survey (PSPS) and is leading an educational intervention program that delivers simple math instruction via mobile phones.

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Associate Research Manager

Maria Isabel Fernandez

Ma. Isabel Fernandez is an Associate Research Manager at IPA Philippines. She has managed research projects on preventing violent extremism, justice reform, economic inclusion, and financial inclusion.

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Policy and Project Development Manager

Tara Marwah

Tara Marwah is a Policy and Project Development Manager with IPA Philippines, promoting evidence-informed policy and engaging with external stakeholders to grow new partnerships.

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Human Resources & Admin Coordinator

Norma Angelica Avila

Norma supports the IPA Philippines team by handling recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, payroll & benefits, and other administrative duties.

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Research Associate

Ana Cruz

Ana Christina Cruz is a Research Associate working on the Housing Microfinance and Climate Resilience in the Philippines project.

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Senior Policy and Project Development Associate

Karisha Anne Cruz

As Senior Policy Associate, Karisha supports IPA Philippines in policy outreach work, including engaging with key partners in governments, NGOs, foundations, and multilateral aid agencies.

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Senior Research Associate

Emma Davies

Emma Davies is a Senior Research Associate working primarily on the Philippines Socioeconomic Panel Survey (PSPS).

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Operations Coordinator

Jouella Fampulme

Jouella serves as an Operations Coordinator for IPA Philippines, having worked in operations for more than five years.

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Finance Associate

Cecille Glayre De la Cruz

Cecille is a Finance Associate under the PSPS Project. She has worked as an Audit Associate for several years in the private sector.

Read Full Bio

Country Director

Aftab Opel

Aftab is the Country Director for IPA Philippines. Aftab has nearly three decades of experience in the development sector working on the implementation and evaluation of programs in the areas of social and economic development across Asia.

Read Full Bio

Senior Research Manager, Philippines

Yuna Liang

“We value diversity. We have people from different countries and religious backgrounds. We all work well together.”

Read Full Bio

Research Manager

Soumya Kochhar

Soumya Kochhar is a Research Manager at IPA Philippines. She focuses on projects in the fields of social welfare and financial inclusion.

Read Full Bio

Research Manager

Rene Marlon Panti

Rene Marlon Panti manages the Philippines Socioeconomic Panel Survey (PSPS) and is leading an educational intervention program that delivers simple math instruction via mobile phones.

Read Full Bio

Associate Research Manager

Maria Isabel Fernandez

Ma. Isabel Fernandez is an Associate Research Manager at IPA Philippines. She has managed research projects on preventing violent extremism, justice reform, economic inclusion, and financial inclusion.

Read Full Bio

Policy and Project Development Manager

Tara Marwah

Tara Marwah is a Policy and Project Development Manager with IPA Philippines, promoting evidence-informed policy and engaging with external stakeholders to grow new partnerships.

Read Full Bio

Human Resources & Admin Coordinator

Norma Angelica Avila

Norma supports the IPA Philippines team by handling recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, payroll & benefits, and other administrative duties.

Read Full Bio

Research Associate

Ana Cruz

Ana Christina Cruz is a Research Associate working on the Housing Microfinance and Climate Resilience in the Philippines project.

Read Full Bio

Senior Policy and Project Development Associate

Karisha Anne Cruz

As Senior Policy Associate, Karisha supports IPA Philippines in policy outreach work, including engaging with key partners in governments, NGOs, foundations, and multilateral aid agencies.

Read Full Bio

Senior Research Associate

Emma Davies

Emma Davies is a Senior Research Associate working primarily on the Philippines Socioeconomic Panel Survey (PSPS).

Read Full Bio

Operations Coordinator

Jouella Fampulme

Jouella serves as an Operations Coordinator for IPA Philippines, having worked in operations for more than five years.

Read Full Bio

Finance Associate

Cecille Glayre De la Cruz

Cecille is a Finance Associate under the PSPS Project. She has worked as an Audit Associate for several years in the private sector.

Read Full Bio