For Review and Clearance

Questions and Answers: Tinig ng Bayan Kontra TB (TB Kontra TB)

Goodwill Ambassadors for TB Control
What is the Tinig ng Bayan Kontra TB (TB Kontra TB) / Pool of TB Control Goodwill
Ambassadors?
The TB Goodwill Ambassadors' Pool, or in the vernacular, the Tinig ng Bayan Kontra TB
(The Peoples Voices Against TB, or TB KONTRA TB) is the engagement of popular and credible
celebrities who can contribute to placing tuberculosis and TB control higher on the national
agenda and to increasing awareness and influencing care-seeking behavior among lay people
with the ultimate goal of triggering desired health seeking behaviors for persons with symptoms
of tuberculosis, seeking early care, going to a TB DOTS center, completing diagnosis and for TB
patients starting, continuing and completing treatment and submission of the necessary sputum
samples.
For the purpose of this document, the terms TB control Goodwill Ambassadors and the
TB Kontra TB (for Tinig ng Bayan Kontra TB or The Peoples Voices Against Tuberculosis) will be
used interchangeably.
What communication needs and/or gaps are addressed by the TB Control Goodwill
Ambassadors? What are its objectives?
Key messages on TB disease and TB control have been drawn up during the DOH-NTP
communication planning workshop. The next step is to disseminate these key messages.
One channel to effectively communicate these messages is through the formation,
training and deployment messengers / advocates / champions who will serve as role models and
popular and credible bearers of correct, evidence-based and accurate information on TB and TB
control.
In short, it is time to GIVE a VOICE, a NAME and a FACE to the key messages in
the FIGHT AGAINST TB.
Who can be a TB Control Goodwill Ambassador?
Borrowing from United Nations goodwill ambassador criteria and guidelines, the Goodwill
Ambassador can be divided into three (3) categories:

A celebrity well known by the vast majority of the general public in the Philippines.
Ambassadors will be selected from the following fields: sports, arts, cinema and music.
Former high-level politicians (the elder statesman archetype) may also be considered
as an ambassador.

A patient advocate (cured or still undergoing treatment) who has expressed his/her
willingness to go public and disseminate TB control messages; and,

A health professional who has expressed his/her willingness to disseminate TB control

messages

Each Goodwill Ambassador will serve a term or mandate of two (2) years. Their activities
will be assessed after the 1st year and at the end of their term / mandate. The Advisory
Committee (see below) may decide on a possible extension of the term / mandate.
Three-person Goodwill Ambassador team. Ideally, each batch of TB Control Goodwill
Ambassadors serving for two years will consist of a three-person team consisting of the
abovementioned categories, in order to cover the health supply / service delivery and the demand
/ health consumer sides of TB control and to fulfill the popularity and credibility aspects of the
selection criteria.
Key qualities that will also be considered are both credibility and popularity of the
ambassador.
Selection of the ambassadors will be based on the following principles:

Possess widely recognized talent and accomplishments in their respective fields (arts,
sciences, literature, sport or other fields of public life);

Be persons of integrity who demonstrate a strong desire to help mobilize public interest
in, and support for, the fight against TB and who demonstrate commitment and proven
potential to reach out to significant audiences, including decision makers;

Possess the personality and dignity required for such representation in the fight against
TB;

Be influential nationwide as well as regionally or locally, to promote the fight against TB at

the country level; and,

Desire to donate their time and resources free of charge.

The identification process will be based on the above-mentioned principles, the advice of
partners / stakeholders, and the chances to realistically reach and engage the potential
ambassadors. The recruitment phase will be preceded by a feasibility assessment based on
available intelligence and information.
Proposed candidates will be tabled by the Advisory Committee (see below) for approval,
following an initial expression of interest after being approached and formally invited to be an
ambassador.
What messages will the TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors deliver? Who will be their
target audiences?
In their various messaging activities, the TB Kontra TB Goodwill Ambassadors will reach
out to: (a) the general public, particularly persons exhibiting TB symptoms and patients
undergoing treatment for TB; (b) opinion leaders and key influencers; (c) business leaders and
high net-worth individuals; (d) the media (mass media and new media) community; and, (e) key
policy and decision makers, who have the power to pass laws and allocate budgets for TB control
programs and related initiatives.

As contained in the communication plan developed by the Department of Healths

National TB Control Program and National Center for Health Promotion assisted by other
stakeholders the key messages that the Goodwill Ambassadors will be disseminating will
consist of:

NOTE: The messages shown here are primarily for direct-to-consumer interactions, not for
mass media. Interpersonal communication and counseling (IPC/C) and social mobilization
(SOCMOB) will cull its messages from this house. As more organizations / stakeholders
express their desire to help raise TB awareness, the message house is a useful guide that may
be shared with them to ensure consistency of content, tone, and intent of communication
materials. These messages were pre-tested during FGDs conducted by TNS for NTP and
USAID.
What will the TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors do? What tasks will they perform?
The Goodwill Ambassadors will perform the following tasks:

Outreach. Outreach to the lay public will be pursued through visual and audio
communication tools such as professional photo shoots / opportunities, public service
announcements and video / new media / social media messaging. These tools will be
used for campaigns on at the national level (where applicable and in coordination
with the CHANGE project) and at regional / local levels. Other tools and channels will
be developed as the ambassadors work unfolds and their work plans implemented.

Events. National (where appropriate and in collaboration with the CHANGE project)
and regional / local events will be organized by IMPACT to provide the Goodwill

Ambassadors with opportunities to deliver key messages to important and various

audiences. TB-related observances and events within a year such as World TB
Day in March, Lung Month in August and possibly World AIDS Day in December and
International Womens Day (also in March) can serve as key recurring windows of
opportunity for delivering these key messages.

Media Activities, The Goodwill Ambassadors may also be asked to sign opinion
pieces for print and online media and to be available for TV / radio interviews (with
clearance from the Advisory Committee and USAID). While the primary focus of the
Goodwill Ambassadors will be local / regional media, they may be tapped (as
appropriate and needed) in national media campaigns. Individual media strategies
will be developed based on the field of expertise of the Ambassador and in line with
strategic media / communication objectives to be determined by the Advisory
Committee. Briefing papers and Question and Answer (Q&A) / Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) will also be developed or adapted (if already existing) to provide
the Goodwill Ambassadors with content to be used during their media activities.

Resource Mobilization (where applicable). The Advisory Committee will welcome the
help of the Goodwill Ambassadors to mobilize resources (i.e., funds, in-kind
donations, free airing of audiovisual IEC materials, among others) from the public, the
corporate sector, and high net-worth individuals. Specific messages and project
information on recipients for the funds raised will be developed according to the
target audience.

Public Relations / Recruitment of Future Goodwill Ambassadors. One-to-one

meetings with high level personalities will be arranged for the Goodwill Ambassadors
on an ad hoc basis, in conjunction with specific events or campaigns. In addition,
when appropriate and mutually agreed upon, Goodwill Ambassadors will be asked to
involve their own network of VIPs into special gatherings. Also on the principle of
Each One Reach One, current Goodwill Ambassadors will also be encouraged to
recommend and / or recruit other Goodwill Ambassadors or their replacements when
their term / mandate ends.

Advocacy. The TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors can be deployed as champions

and advocates in key and strategic policy and decision-making related events in line
with other IMPACT project initiatives. These include appearing as guest speakers or
resource persons during meetings or assemblies of the Multi-Stakeholder Alliances
(MSAs) that are being organized in the project sites and lobbying with selected local
chief executives / local government units as prioritized by the projects Component 5
for legal / policy and logistical / budget support for the TB control program in their
jurisdictions and areas of operations.
How will the Goodwill Ambassadors be prepared and supported to perform these tasks?
For the first four years of implementation (2014 to 2017), the Goodwill Ambassadors will
be supported by the IMPACT project in order to ensure that significant results can be achieved.
Management of the pool of Goodwill Ambassadors will gradually turned over to the DOH-NTP
and DOH-NCHP assisted by the remaining members of the Advisory Committee. By 2017, the
CHANGE and IMPACT projects will end.
A two-year action plan will be developed and proposed to each ambassador and
mutually agreed upon. The plan will ensure that opportunities are created for the ambassador to

advocate for TB control through their areas of professional expertise and ability to reach out to
different target audiences.
The Tinig ng Bayan Kontra TB ambassador will be trained on TB disease and TB control
and kept constantly informed and updated on the subject.
The IMPACT projects Component 1 (Advocacy, Communication / Behavior Change
Communication and Social Mobilization) central team as lead implementer and its regional teams
(North Luzon, National Capital Region / Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao ARMM and
non-ARMM) will be responsible for providing support to the Goodwill Ambassadors with the
guidance of the Advisory Committee.
Activities to be rolled out by the Project include: drafting work plans; managing relations;
setting up meetings; developing briefing notes and background documents; arranging logistics for
missions, guesting, and speaking engagements, among others; seeking and spotting
opportunities for media exposure and outreach; developing IEC materials featuring the
ambassadors; and, organizing events.
Travel and accommodation expenses will be shouldered by IMPACT. Financial costs
and/or resource support of events organized for the Goodwill Ambassadors program will be
shared by partners as appropriate.
How will the pool of TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors be managed?
To guide the work of the Goodwill Ambassadors, it is suggested that an Advisory
Committee on TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors be established, composed of key / major
stakeholders in the fight against TB.
Specifically, the Advisory Committee will be composed of representatives from the
Department of Healths National TB Control Program (DOH-NTP) and the National Center for
Health Promotion (DOH-NCHP); the Philippine Business for Social Progresss Innovations and
Multisectoral Partnerships to Achieve Control of Tuberculosis (PBSP-IMPACT) project, the main
proponent of this initiative; the CHANGE Project (the lead agency in health communication
initiatives of all USAID-assisted health projects); and, the Global Fund Against AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM), among others. Both the PBSP-IMPACT and CHANGE
Projects are assisted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Within the Advisory Committee and within the main implementer (IMPACT Project), the
following initial roles and responsibilities are suggested:
a)

DOH NTP: (1) ensure that the TB goodwill ambassadors are on message, delivering
the key messages agreed upon during the NTP communication planning; (2) endorse
and connect the ambassadors to key DOH personnel in the region and province (explore
possibility on the municipal / city level); and, (3) continue and sustain the operation of the
pool of goodwill ambassadors even beyond IMPACT project life.

b)

DOH NCHP (1) ensure that the TB goodwill ambassadors are on message,
delivering the key messages agreed upon during the NTP communication planning; (2)
provide the ambassadors with updated and cleared IEC materials on TB; (3) arrange /
deploy the TB ambassadors during events at DOH Central level; and, (4) continue and
sustain the operation of the pool of goodwill ambassadors together with the NTP even
beyond IMPACT project life

c)

CHANGE Project (1) review and vet IEC materials featuring the goodwill
ambassadors from a marketing communication / social marketing perspective; (2) assist /
facilitate placement / dissemination of IEC materials at the national level; and, (3)
recommend / assist in recruitment of additional goodwill ambassadors.
IMPACT Project primary manager of the Pool of Goodwill Ambassadors.

d)

As new or additional stakeholders come on board the Advisory Committee, new roles and
responsibilities will be defined accordingly.
Within the IMPACT Project, the tasks will be delineated thus:
a)

IMPACT Component 1 Team (1) develop the concept and craft the necessary
guidelines for the pool of TB goodwill ambassadors; (2) conduct the initial screening and
recruitment of the first few batches of ambassadors; (3) develop IEC materials featuring
the NTP Communication key messages and the goodwill ambassadors; (4) process
document the process for future replication and sustainability; and, (5) preside over the
handover / turnover process to the DOH NTP and DOH NCHP prior to the end of
IMPACT Project life

b)

IMPACT Regional teams (1) arrange / facilitate deployment of the TB ambassadors

during key events (i.e., World TB Day / Lung Month / International Womens Day / World
AIDS Day, etc.) at regional / province / municipal or city level in coordination with local
NTP staff; and, (2) facilitate the dissemination or distribution of IEC materials featuring
the goodwill ambassadors.

How will the performance of the TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors be measured?

Activities of the Goodwill Ambassadors will be regularly reported to the Advisory
Committee and evaluated at the end of the Ambassadors two year terms to assess the
effectiveness of their contribution to the advocacy and communication efforts for TB control.
Possible performance indicators will be identified based on the specific workplan of each
Ambassador. These indicators may include:

Number and type of activities performed;

Types of audiences / sectors reached;

Estimated value of public service announcement, advertisement, guesting / personal

appearance in media, among others;

Number of new partners (individual and group) engaged;

Number of donors and supporters attracted;

Value of funds raised (where applicable);

Number of persons seeking consultation with DOTS centers upon being exposed to
IEC materials featuring the Goodwill Ambassadors; and,

Number of persons asking about TB control programs and services in DOTS and
health centers upon being exposed to IEC materials featuring the Goodwill
Ambassadors

What are the mechanisms to sustain the pool of TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors?

For the first four years of implementation (2014 to 2017), the Goodwill Ambassadors will
be supported by the IMPACT project in order to ensure that effective results can be achieved
through their collaboration. Management of the pool of Goodwill Ambassadors will gradually
turned over to the DOH-NTP and DOH-NCHP assisted by the remaining members of the
Advisory Committee. By 2017, the CHANGE and IMPACT projects will end.
Under the principle of Each One, Reach One, existing ambassadors recommend
friends/peers as additional ambassadors to replace them once their term is up.
Finally, to ensure that the pool of TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors will outlive IMPACT
project life, the Advisory Committee (see above) will continue to manage the pool of Goodwill
Ambassadors.
For 2013 - September 2014, what are the milestones to mark key points in the
implementation of the pool of TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors?
Key tasks and milestones related to the Pool of TB Control Goodwill Ambassadors
include:
a) Crafting / drafting of guidelines and selection criteria for the TB control goodwill
ambassadors (borrowing heavily from the United Nations experience)
b) Identification and recruitment of TB goodwill ambassadors based on the selection criteria
through: (1) active recruitment, supplemented by (2) informal survey among stakeholders
and frontline health workers on their suggestions / choices for TB goodwill ambassadors
c) Orientation / training of the ambassadors on: (1) basic facts and key messages about TB
and TB control; (2) "Facing the Media" and TB control advocacy; and, (3) recruiting more
goodwill ambassadors
d) Dialogue / learning from cured TB patient-advocates
e) Deployment / assignment of goodwill ambassadors during: (1) media guestings and
appearances: (2) as resource persons in key TB control events and observances (i.e.,
Lung Month, World TB Day, key DOH NTP events, key IMPACT / PBSP / USAID events);
and, (3) other key events / speaking engagements among other target audiences (i.e.,
schoolchildren, women, private sector business) for various purposes (i.e., advocacy,
information dissemination and fund raising)
Timelines (Year 1 / 2013-2014) - as contained in the IMPACT Year 2 Work Plan
Activity

Expected Output

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Subcomponent 1.2 Mobilize and Strengthen Communities, and Public and Private Providers into
Networks of TB IEC Providers
To facilitate the expansion of networks of TB IEC providers, the project will focus on two key activities: (i)
develop and organize the pool of credible and popular TB good will ambassadors (tentatively to be called the
Tinig ng Bayan Kontra TB, or TB Kontra TB, or The Peoples Voice versus TB) which will put a face, name, and
voice to the TB control key messages developed by NTP through its TB communication plan with IMPACT
assistance; and (ii) development of TB control key messages related to TB and women/family planning and
reproductive health, to make the link between TB control and gender concerns.

Activity

Expected Output

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Major Activity 4: Form a pool of TB control goodwill ambassadors to disseminate key messages

Develop the TB goodwill

ambassador concept and
secure necessary buy in
and clearances; setting up
of systems and procedures

TB goodwill ambassadors
pool concept not is
approved. Guidelines and
selection criteria are
approved and cleared by
NTP, NCHP and USAID.

Solicit nominees, select

based on criteria and invite
prospective goodwill
ambassadors to be
members of the pool

Coordination meetings with

CHANGE for assistance in
recruitment and related
mechanics

Key partners (national and

local) nominate
ambassadors based on
criteria; recruitment of
ambassadors for the initial
pool of 3-4 ambassadors
begins

Initial ambassador team

considered: Dr. Eric Tayag
(DOH), former patient
Mildred Fernando-Pancho,
nurse Stuart Pancho and
actresses Susan Roces
(c/o UNILAB) AND Angel
Locsin

Activity design crafted and

approved

Orientation conducted on
key facts on TB and TB
control key messages
conducted; basic training
on advocacy + facing the
media and stakeholders
conducted.

Orient and train ambassadors

Activity design crafted and

approved

Resources persons
engaged, dates set
(tentatively February 1st or
2nd week)

Deploy ambassadors in key Beginning with World TB Day

TB events and as talents in
(March 2014), ambassadors
IEC materials to be
speak / guest in key TB
developed (ongoing/
observances (Lung Month,
recurring/multi-year)
World AIDS Day, etc), media
and other events.
Deployment in speaking
engagements /
They will also appear in IEC
appearances in project sites materials to be developed
to be coordinated with
during their term of service.
PMSAs which will run /

Nov-Dec

Jan-Feb

Jan-Feb

Nov-Dec

Jan- Feb

Mar

Apr -Jun

Jul- Sept

Activity
organize World TB Day /
Lung Month events

Expected Output

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Regional / targeted TB IECs

developed (TV / radio PSAs /
videos and podcasts)

Related activity under

development of new IEC
materials in following
section

Nominate/Recruit new and

additional ambassadors
through endorsement of
existing ambassadors
based on criteria (ongoing/
recurring/multi-year)
[sustainability mechanism]

Under the principle of Each

One, Reach One, existing
ambassadors recommend
friends/peers as additional
ambassadors to replace them
once their term is up

Monitor and assess

(ongoing/recurring/multiyear)

Media IEC materials will be

tracked stochastically by
CHANGE

Assessment of effect of
local deployment through
meetings with PMSAs and
use of IMPACT monitoring
tools

Regular assessment
meetings/workshops are
conducted involving the
ambassadors, NTP, NCHP,
IMPACT, CHANGE, GFATM
and other stakeholders as
basis for next steps and
subsequent planning

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sept

May

Aug

2nd 3-person ambassador team

recruited by May / June

Nothing Follows