This case study discusses adaptations of co‐production and co‐financing approaches pioneered by two non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) in the province of Palawan in Metro Manila, part of the Baranggay‐Bayan Governance Consortium, a loose network of NGOs across the Philippines. The Consortium associates itself with local government officials, social movements and political parties that are interested not only in making use of the existing so‐called democratic spaces but also of the political empowerment of the poor. It does so by creating community capabilities for increased bargaining power vis‐à‐vis local elected officials, reversing the exclusionary logic of patronage politics in the country and supporting co‐production and co‐financing between local governments and communities willing to put efforts towards solving their own problems.