Maricris Delos Santos

Maricris Delos Santos

Research Areas:

Local governance, ICT and e-governance, social media for LGUs, official development assistance for LGUs, development studies, local policymaking, integrity development for LGUs, local government performance metrics, public health program implementation and budgeting

Expertise:

course design and management, qualitative data processing and analysis, local policy research, survey design, monitoring and evaluation, project development and management

Short Bio:

Maricris is currently a University Extension Specialist in CLRG who has been involved in the conduct of research, training and consultancy since 2009. She served as a case writer for various local governance research projects, and has facilitated and managed several training programs for elected and career local officials, and rendered assistance to the management of conferences handled by CLRG. She has also provided technical assistance in terms of organizational, planning and management concerns of several LGUs, including the Integrity Development Review for LGUs in 2011, client satisfaction surveys on family planning services and environmental protected area management, community participatory action research, information systems, public health, and social media for disaster risk reduction and mitigation.

Educational Background:

Cris is a graduate of BA Public Administration from the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance. She also has a Master’s Degree in Philippine Studies, specializing in Development Studies from the UP Asian Center and a recipient of the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking or Flemish Interuniversity Council - University Development Co-operation (VLIR-UOS) Scholarship leading to her Advanced Master’s Degree in Development Evaluation and Management at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB), University of Antwerp in Belgium. In 2018, she was a Professional Fellow at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture in the United States as part of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders’ Initiative (YSEALI) Program of the United States Department of State.

Recent Completed Research:

Estimating the Total Budget Allotment for Smoke-Free LGUs in the Philippines: Lessons from Health Budgeting Instruments and Practices [unpublished] (March 2023). In partnership with Health Justice Philippines. (with Raphael Montes, Jr., and Lourdes Villar-Santos)

Study on the Funding Allotment and Utilization of Selected Local Government Units for Implementation and Enforcement Local Tobacco Control Ordinances and Policies [unpublished] (2021). In partnership with Health Justice Philippines. (with Raphael Montes, Jr., and Lourdes Villar-Santos)

Revisiting health care decentralization in the Philippines during the pandemic: implications on national-local functional assignments and health information systems [unpublished] (2021). Paper presented at the 2021 PSPA Virtual International Conference (with Erwin Alampay and Ranjit Rye)

Settling for Incentives: The case of access to the Seal of Good Local Governance and the Performance Challenge Fund [Unpublished master’s dissertation] (2020). Institute of Development Policy, University of Antwerp.

Roadworks ahead: Valenzuela City and its journey to PWD empowerment (2018). (with Lourdes Villar-Santos)

Management of Social Media for Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation in Philippine Local Government Units (2018). In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV '18) (with Erwin Alampay and Xavier Venn Asuncion)

Recent Activities:

Training: Co-Manager, Introduction to Excellence in Local Legislation (iExceLL) (May 2023)

Training and Extension: Lead Facilitator and Manager, Strategic Planning Workshop for the Office of the Makati City Building Official (April 2023)

Training: Course Manager, Introducing Local Executives to Administration and Development (iLEAD) for the Cities of General Trias and Imus, Cavite (February 2023)

Training and Extension: Project Officer, Local Public Policy Course for Legislators (LPPCL) for the Philippine Councilors' League (PCL) Region I (October 2022 - present)

Training: Course Manager, Introducing Local Executives to Administration and Development (iLEAD) (June & November 2022)

Research: Regional Consultant for NCR, Review of the State of Local governance in the Philippines after 3 Decades of Decentralization: 1991 to 2021: Issues and Directions for Legislative Reform (February 2022-present)

Extension: Resource Person, Workshop on Ordinance Drafting. Barangay Legal Education Seminar (BLES), UP College of Law - Training and Convention Division (December 2021)

Consultancy: Project Coordinator, Makati City Organizational Study (October 2021-present)

Research: Team Leader, Study on the Funding Allotment and Utilization of Selected Local Government Units for Implementation and Enforcement Local Tobacco Control Ordinances and Policies. Health Justice Philippines (2021)

Extension: Coordinator/Lecturer, Online Basic Course/Tutorials on Local Governance for Mayor of Narra, Palawan (August-September 2021)

Training: Project Staff, Know and Inform Sessions for the Academy of Presiding Officers (APO) Online (July 2021)