INCITEGov and Tindig Pilipinas convened a forum on globalization and the new political economy in response to requests from partners for an updating on knowledge about these topics. Currently, various civil society groups and sectors are charting the direction of their advocacies given the new leadership in government and the upcoming political milestones, namely, the local elections and the moves to amend the 1987 Constitution. New knowledge on globalization and political economy are needed, particularly about their impact on the government's economic priorities that are affecting the poor.

The forum was attended by 42 representatives from various political and civil society organizations, including Akbayan Party, Liberal Party, Magdalo, SOLIDAR, EveryWoman, The CSOs Guild, Alyansa ng Samahang Pantao, Manindigan Na, and Youth Resist. The forum was held last March 10 at the Kasagana-Ka Mutual Benefit Association Hall in Quezon City.

Dr. Sylvia Claudio, former dean of the College of Social Work and Community Development and one of the convenors of Tindig Pilipinas, was the forum's resource speaker. She discussed the principles of development and the evolution of political economy from the first to the fourth industrial revolution. She also raised challenges related to people's participation, social movement-building, and community organizing.

Participants found the forum valuable, with many expressing their appreciation for the knowledge and insights gained from the event. According to Roy Calfoforo, a convener of Alyansa ng Samahang Pantao or ASAP, "Napakahalagang pag-usapan ang topic na ito bilang isang koalisyon dahil kailangan klaro yung ating lente sa ating mga pinaglalaban. Marami akong natutunan. (This is such a crucial topic for a coalition like Tindig Pilipinas because it is important to have a clarity in the lenses that we use for analyzing and understanding our struggles. I learned a lot from this session.)"

Roy Mendoza of Talesayen/Solidar also found the session insightful, saying, "What we are doing right now is important, and we hope that we can have more sessions like these in the future. There are three points that I got from today's session: intersectionality, homogeneity, and new ways of organizing."

Beng Doria of the People's Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR) expressed that the knowledge gained from the forum must be disseminated to all members. "These forums are essential, and the knowledge they contain must be disseminated to all of our members," said Doria.

The forum concluded with a challenge to continue engaging the government on economic issues affecting the poor and to sharpen sectoral advocacies based on the new knowledge gained from the forum. INCITEGov and Tindig Pilipinas aim to hold more sessions like this to provide updated knowledge on critical issues affecting the country.