PROTOCOL P-06 | Pre-Engagement Diagnostics

Pre-Engagement Entry Protocol

TRIGGER Before any community contact (site visits, surveys, informal conversations, or introductory meetings)

STEPS

1. Complete the Community Context Assessment and Conflict History Scan before any site visit

Review available secondary information. Identify any prior projects, unresolved tensions, or reputational risks in the area. Brief the entry team on what to expect.

2. Confirm LGU notification and permission at least 5 working days before first contact

Notify the barangay captain and relevant LGU unit of the planned visit: purpose, date, who will be visiting, and what they will be doing. Receive written or verbal confirmation.

3. Identify and brief the entry team

The entry team should include at minimum one person with community relations experience. Brief the team on: community context, prior project history, sensitive areas to avoid, the purpose and limits of this visit, and how to handle direct questions from community members.

4. Clarify what the entry visit is, and is not

Be explicit internally about the purpose: this is a listening and context-building visit, not a consultation, not an announcement, and not a commitment-making conversation. Set clear boundaries on what team members are authorized to say.

5. Conduct the visit with the designated focal community contact

Wherever possible, enter with a trusted community intermediary (barangay health worker, cooperative leader, or local CSO contact) who can provide introductions and help interpret community responses.

6. Log all observations in the Signal Tracker and Community Context Assessment on the same day

Record what was observed, what was said, any signals of concern or hesitation, and any questions raised that could not be answered. Do not rely on memory, log immediately.

7. Debrief the entry team within 24 hours

What did the team observe? What signals emerged? What should shape the next engagement step? Debrief findings feed into the engagement plan.

PURPOSE

To define the required steps, timing, and actor roles before any formal or informal community engagement begins. This protocol ensures that the project team enters communities with adequate context, appropriate permissions, and a clear understanding of what they are entering. Unstructured first contact is one of the most common sources of early trust damage, and this protocol prevents it.

Roles and Responsibilities

Primary:

Actor: ComRel Officer / PCO
Responsibility: Coordinates entry logistics, briefs the team, logs observations, and conducts the post-visit debrief.

Supporting:

Actor: Local Intermediary (barangay contact / CSO)
Responsibility: Provides introductions, explains the visit purpose to community members, and helps the team interpret responses.

Notified:

Actor: LGU / Barangay Captain
Responsibility: Notified of the visit in advance; confirms permission; briefs barangay officials on the purpose.

Constrained:

Actor: Technical / Project Staff
Responsibility: May accompany on entry visits but should not lead community conversations, make commitments, or respond to detailed technical questions without ComRel guidance.

Field Notes and Adaptation Guidance

• Field Note — First impressions are not recoverable

  At multiple sites, early missteps in the entry phase created perceptions that persisted for months. A technical team that arrived unannounced to 'just look at the site' was experienced as the project beginning without community knowledge. There is no such thing as a casual, consequence-free first visit. Every entry into a community shapes the relationship.

• Field Note — Who enters matters as much as when

  Communities read the composition of the entry team as a signal about the project's intentions. A team led by technical engineers communicates a project focused on infrastructure. A team led by a ComRel officer communicates a project focused on relationships. Be deliberate about who enters first and what that signals.

• Adaptation Guidance

  In communities with prior negative experiences with project representatives, consider entering through a trusted third party (CSO, church, cooperative) rather than as the developer's direct representative. The initial relationship should be with a trusted intermediary, not with the developer team, and trust can be built from there.

Required Output / Documentation

• LGU notification record (date, recipient, confirmed)

• Community Context Assessment and Signal Tracker entries updated on visit day

• Entry team debrief notes (observations, signals, follow-up actions)