Sometimes opportunity is not absent.
We simply are not prepared to receive it.

During the February 13 FEMNELU meeting, a powerful reminder echoed across Baganihan Hall:

“There are funding opportunities available — but if we are not accredited, they return to the general fund.”

That statement shifted the tone of the room.

The Farmers Association of Baclayan is applying for membership and accreditation. Other CSOs are processing documents with the Sangguniang Bayan. BIGRUWA lost its certificate of registration — SEA will provide a scanned copy. The Market Vendors Association is seeking technical assistance for DOLE registration.

On the surface, these are paperwork matters.

But beneath them lies something deeper:

Access.

Without accreditation, CSOs cannot sit in special bodies.
Without registration, they cannot access provincial funding.
Without documentation, they remain observers instead of decision-makers.

In SEA Inc Bayanihan Governance, empowerment is not abstract inspiration. It is technical readiness. It is helping organizations complete forms, secure documents, and gain institutional legitimacy.

Because inclusion is not symbolic — it is procedural.

Another highlight of the meeting was the discussion of the PhilHealth YAKAP Program. Each registered member may access up to ₱20,000 worth of medicines annually, based on prescription.

For many families, that is not just assistance. That is survival.

A member quietly said:

“Information is also a form of ayuda.”

And she was right.

When citizens are informed, accredited, and organized, they do not merely wait for development — they participate in shaping it.

That afternoon did not produce headlines.

It produced readiness.

And readiness is power.

In Bayanihan Governance, we do not just gather communities.
We equip them.

Because when citizens are ready, opportunity does not slip away.

It transforms into impact.