More than 400 people’s organizations, cooperatives and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) representing the poorest and most vulnerable sectors around the country gathered recently to install successor basic sector councils in the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).

NAPC Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban said some 426 participating organizations elected from among themselves new leaders to represent them in the agency’s 14 sectoral councils, which advise the President on policies that affect the poorest segments of the Filipino society.

Installed were successor councils in the following basic sectors: farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples (IP), workers in the informal sector (WIS), formal labor and migrant workers (FLMW), urban poor, senior citizens, persons with disability (PWD), women, youth and students (YS), children, cooperatives and NGO. No council was formed for the victims of disasters and calamities (VDC) sector because of low participation.

Dubbed the Sectoral General Assembly 2010 for the 14 Basic Sectors, the gathering also saw the formulation of the sectoral agendas for the next three years.

"Basic sectors are social groups which host the poorest and the most vulnerable among the country’s population,” Panangiban said. “Obviously, the government needs the counsel of the poor as we confront the complex problem of poverty in this country."

Participants broke out in different sectoral groups to hear about the current sectoral situation from both the government and the incumbent sectoral council's perspectives, and to prepare the advocacies over the next three years.

Formation of the councils are provided for in RA 8425 or "The Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act" which established the NAPC as the prime coordinating and monitoring body for all private and public efforts against poverty. The law sets a three-year term for the members of the council.

The NAPC is an inter-sectoral body, composed of some 30 government agencies and the basic sectors.As the councils’ first order of business, they submitted three nominations for the Sectoral Representative, the appointive council head.

The nominees are as follows: Jesus Cornito, Jose Mosquite and Fr. Mar Arenas of the Cooperative Sector; Marlon Advincula, Panfilo Marantan and Albert Yruma of the PWD Sector;Sr. Bernadette de Guzman, Rafael Mapalo and Rosemarie Adjawie of the FLMW Sector;Linda David, Ramon Carlota and Teresita Montubig of the Senior Citizens Sector; Grecelda Laguitan, Carmelito Canoy, Sr. and Fermelo Enaya of the Farmers Sector; Primitivo Clave, Ginalyn Luaton and Natividad Gunayan of the Fisherfolks Sector; Kyna Flores, Ralph Irish Aguida and RJ Mar Casama of the YS Sector; Arsenio Humiding, Guillermo Colas and Datu Eddie Tangcala of the Indigenous Peoples Sector; Florencia P. Cabatingan, Edna R. Madrigal and Lilia M. Nuño of the Women Sector; Ricardo Navis, Jr., Alejandro Apit and Sanny Bautista of the NGO Sector; Reggie Magallanes, Al-Fahad Jadjuli and Janine Calayo of the Children Sector; Adelino Lavador, Erlinda Beduya and Conrado Sillada of the Urban Poor Sector; and Godofredo Amarille, Mary Anne Abad and Raffy Espiritu of the WIS.

With the VDC's lead partner agency in government, the NAPC shall call an assembly for the VDC sector shortly.