Widening Horizons: IFP Selections in Bohol

• Written by Michael P. Canares, IFP Alumnus, Philippines, Cohort 2005

 

Hosting the final selection process of the last batch of IFP fellows from the Philippines was an overwhelming experience for me. As an alumnus of the program, I have experienced how IFP was able to widen my horizon, literally and figuratively, that to coordinate the selection process of 30 more fellows who would have a similar experience in the next two years was a source of joy and contentment.

My role in the selection process was to handle most of the on-site logistical arrangements for the national screening – from arranging hotel accommodation for interviewees, program staff and the selection panel, to choosing the dinner menu for the whole national selection team. I was IFP’s “live body” in Bohol in the Visayas, an island 800 kilometres south of Manila.

I agreed to host the national selection process in Bohol for several reasons. First, it was an opportunity for me to introduce IFP to the place where I live and to the university where I committed my time and contribution after the IFP fellowship. Second, it was a good opportunity to show finalists to the program that IFP fellows are real people living and working in real "developing world contexts", and that indeed they go home after their fellowship to make a difference in the communities where they come from. Third, I wanted to make a political statement, (though this may not have been IFP Philippines’ intention), that selection processes can be done outside Manila, and that there are things going on in areas geographically peripheral to Manila, the nation’s political and economic capital. Fourthly, holding the selection process in Bohol means domestic spending in the province, contributing to the local economy. But most importantly, holding the national selection process in Bohol made the IFP more accessible to the people in the Visayas and Mindanao from where most of this year’s finalists come from. It was bringing the IFP closer to the underprivileged sectors it wanted to reach out.

Indeed, IFP is about increasing people’s access to opportunities and widening their horizons so that they will become agents of helping others actualize their full potential. I should say I have benefited largely from the program, not only in terms of affording me an international masters degree at no less than the London School of Economics, but also of involving me in global debates and dialogues regarding development issues confronting my country and region, and the rest of the developing world. Bohol is a very small dot in the global map that it would seem impossible for a poor individual, a humble university teacher, and a development worker from this place to engage in meaningful conversations with academics and practitioners in conferences in United Kingdom, Egypt, Switzerland, Belgium, among others. Even after the fellowship, I continued to engage myself in these debates with the assistance of organizations that like the IFP, believed that I have something valuable to say in helping shape the debate on “development” that is affecting the lives of people on a daily basis.

When the national selection process ended on the 5th day of June 2009, I felt very happy and fulfilled. Not only was I able to witness how much time, effort, and skills were invested to select the best fellows of the country, I also become instrumental in helping other individuals take that first step towards that opportunity that made a tremendous difference to my life – the IFP. If there is one...or ten more selection rounds in the future, I would never refuse to take part.

Working with IFP for me will always be a pleasure that it does not actually take much effort. I enjoyed that selection week as with the rest of the group. For me, it was an incredible opportunity to be part of the process, to realize how much effort was put by people into the selection, and understand the reason why much care is also given by the program to the fellows as soon as they begin their studies and after. There are several questions that keep running on my mind now, primary of which is "what after?". How shall this IFP fellowship experience radiate to others, widening opportunities of access?

I can assure you that in my little world, and in my own sphere of influence, I am doing my best to live the values of IFP. You know very well, that I am still in Bohol, 2 years after I graduated, because I believe, part of my commitment to IFP, among other things, is to position myself where my expertise is most needed and my contribution most relevant.