Angelina Ludovice-Katoh is President and CEO of the Mujeres Workers Progressive Alliance (MWPA), based in the Philippines. She is currently involved in establishing and coordinating a study circle programme, with IFWEA’s support. The study circle is focused on climate change and just transition. She speaks to us about her role in her organisation, her political journey, and how she has organised their study circle:

Please tell us about your organisation, and what it does?

In August 2023, the Mujeres Workers Progressive Alliance (MWPA) was formed out of the merger of three federations and coalitions in Mindanao – the Mindanao Organization of Working Women (MOWW), Mujeres United for Justice and Equality towards Responsive and Empowered Society ( MUJERES Inc.) and Centers of the Tribe Women Committee.

This alliance was led by organic leaders who represented women in the formal sector, such as workers in fish-canning factories in Zamboanga City and General Santos City, women leaders from the informal economy (community-based women organizations), most of whom are self-employed in rural and urban settings, and women leaders from Indigenous Peoples (IPs).

The goals of the alliance include empowering women workers, both economically and politically; capacity building and organising of independent union and community-based women organisations; and campaigns for migrants’ rights and participatory socialist, democratic governance. The alliance has academic, civil society and government partners, amongst others.

Please tell us how you came to be involved in the organisation?

In 1981, we organised our union in Laureanos Super Mart, a mall in Cotabato City, and I became the president of the Laureanos Workers Union from 1981 to 1990. The mall filed for bankruptcy and closed down the establishment. In 1991, I was hired by the National Federation of Labor (NFL) to help organise workers in rubber plantations to form cooperatives, In 1995, I initiated the formation of a women’s organisation called Mindanao Organisation of Women Workers. Eventually, in 2004, the women’s organisation changed its name to Mujeres United for Justice and Equality towards Responsive and Empowered Society (MUJERES) Inc. As mentioned, at our convention in August 2023, the leaders and the members decided to form an alliance to consolidate independent women organisations and union women committees in Mindanao, Southern Philippines. I was elected as President of the alliance.

You have been involved in establishing and coordinating the study circle programme with MWPA. Have you done something like this before?

I’ve been using study circles as a tool for educating communities since 1991, when the National Federation of Labor (NFL) hired me as an organiser for workers at rubber plantations in Region 9, Western Mindanao. When I was President of Laureanos Workers Union from 1986 to 1990, we had similar activities as a study circle, but during that time we called this a focus group discussion (FGD). In 1995, we formed the Mujeres United for Justice and Equality towards Responsive and Empowered Society (MUJERES) Inc. This formation of social movement unionism was done through organising using the study circle approach.

 How did you get set up?

For the IFWEA Study Circle for Social Change Project, our first step was creating a core group or working committee, then developing a set of criteria for facilitators to be recruited. Our second step was to identify potential facilitators from our affiliate organisations. The third step was to open the call for facilitators for the study circle, and then our fourth step was to conduct the interview, and the core group voted for the facilitators that passed the criteria.

What is the study circle focusing on?

Our main subjects for the study circle are climate change and just transition, including the impact of climate change, just transition in a Philippine context, and looking at specific climate-related bills and campaigns.

Who is running the study circle?

The study circle is performed by the facilitators. There are also trained alternate facilitators who always observe every time the study circle goes on. They are prepared in case there are unavoidable circumstances and the principal facilitator is not available. The study circle can still go on because they have an alternate facilitator ready.

How many people are involved?

Usually, the study circle is attended by 13 to 15 participants from various community organisations that are affiliates of the MWPA.

Is it online, or in person?

All the study circles are face-to-face due to the problem with the internet connection in our area. If they are online, it is more expensive because it is more expensive to take people to a place that has an internet connection.

The study circle made by the coordinator for the facilitators and related to coaching and mentoring is blended, there is face-to-face and there are also online sessions because there are only a small number of people and they can go to the places.

 What would you like people to take away from the study circle sessions?

The study circle serves as a vehicle to raise the level of knowledge of community leaders.
Leaders’ skills will be improved, the interpersonal relationships of community leaders’ members will be developed to help strengthen the community, and social accountability will be deepened to make it easier for them to engage in collective action in addressing issues and concerns that have affected their political and economic lives.

Those who are involved in the study circle are more likely to develop trust and confidence in themselves because of the increased knowledge and experience they have gained from their connections with decision-makers and local authorities, and their engagement with other network groups.

 How are people responding, in the study circle?

People in the project-covered area are supportive of the study circle. They are appreciative of the system because it does not consume so much time. Participants can still attend to household chores before and after the study circle session. Most leaders of affiliate organisations have suggested adopting and institutionalising the study circle as an alternative learning method. Our government developed the Alternative Learning System (ALS) for people who are undergrads from college or primary school; in fact, a person who graduates from ALS can apply for jobs on the same level as those who graduate from formal studies in universities. But we believe the study circle is a big help for marginalised working people who can’t afford to get knowledge from universities.

 How do you coordinate and follow up?

There is a coordination and monitoring design that we use to follow-up on the development of the study circle run by facilitators. First, we have a planning session in order to plot down the schedules of the actual conduct of the study circle. Second, we have a quick once-a-week update, and third, we have a regular meeting (coordinator and facilitators) once a month. A protocol is observed in terms of venue to consider the security of participants during the session. The coordinator is one text away from facilitators, anytime that circumstance arises or if facilitators need assistance.

 What are the challenges in this programme?

Our group identified the following challenges:

• Poor internet connectivity: We were not able to maximise the online study circle in Mindanao due to a weak internet connection. Coaching and mentoring for facilitators is frequently done face-to-face.
• Most of the study circle members are coming from marginalised communities where they have poor comprehension even after high school studies, so their absorption of the message is rather low. Follow-up understanding is required so they may fully understand the topics, so each session needs to have enough time.
• With limited resources, organising members of the study circle still require field visits and contact-building. These activities needs transportation services or cash for fares to get participants together. In order to maintain the target number of study circles, there should be a supplemental budget for organising activities.

Have you received enough training and support to do this?

We received sufficient support from IFWEA, they conducted orientation seminars with us on what the study circle is, and they were conducting facilitator training online. There are also online courses, materials, and resources available on their website. IFWEA also provided financial support.

Where would you like to go further?

We would like to expand the number of study circles and train more facilitators that may help in organising community-based organizations to recruit more members for the alliance. We wish to cover more cities and provinces in the southern Philippines. In our institutional building programme, we want to create a cooperative where a study circle is the main tool for educating the membership. We are hopeful that IFWEA can still support us in this endeavour.

Find out more about IFWEA Study Circles here.