Region 8 KALAHI-CIDSS project wins 2 golds, citations for best practices

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
December 21, 2007

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The very good implementation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s flagship poverty alleviation program, the KALAHI-CIDSS, in Region 8 was not left unnoticed as it won two golds and several citations for best practices, during the Project’s two-day year-end assessment held on December 13-14, DSWD Region 8 Director Letecia Corillo announced.

In a report prepared by Mr. Neil Moraleta, Social Marketing Officer of the Project in the Region, he said that Director Corillo informed that two KALAHI- CIDSS workers in the Region were named Best Kalahi-CIDSS Workers during the Assessment at Robinsdale Hotel in Quezon City.

Engr. Gerardo Peneda of the KALAHI Regional Offices was named Best Rural Infra Engineer while Melba Rondez, Javier Area Coordinating Team, won as Best Area Coordinator.

Both of them were cited for exemplary and outstanding performance that greatly contributed to the successful implementation of the project.

Aside from the two winners, KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Project Manager Celeste Madlos who was also present during the assessment informed that all seven entries of Region 8 for the Best Practices Category have been considered and presented during the conference.

The Region’ Best Practices entries involved cases of successful and effective strategies employed by the Kalahi-CIDSS area workers in addressing and resolving issues in project implementation. According to Madlos, these were drawn from "successful project experiences" in the areas of Javier, Kananga, Julita, Tabon and Bato in Leyte, Mondragon in Northern Samar, and Tarangnan in Samar.

Javier, Leyte’s "An Karigodigo han MIAC", is a best practice that focuses on the efforts of the area coordinating team at utilizing the Municipal Inter-Agency Committee (MIAC) meetings as learning venue of LGU officials on participatory and community-driven development.

Kananga, Leyte’s "Royalties" is a story of how community workers were able to access royalty taxes from industries operating in the municipality as a source of development investments. "The latter is a good example of how, potentially, national industries and local small businesses can be made to engage in development efforts," Ms. Madlos stressed.

Julita, Leyte’s "Harampang" is a practice that shows how informal community gatherings or "harampang" can be used as a venue to sensitize communities to development issues, build camaraderie and generate community support.

Tarangnan, Samar’s "Sogod to So Good" is a story that shows how the Kalahi workers in the area were able to win the trust of one community by respecting their distinct cultural and religious beliefs and how making the same community as host in project activities enabled it to overcome negative perceptions from neighboring barangays.

Also included in the Region’s best practices are Tabon-Tabon, Leyte’s "Pamalit na Kita"; Bato, Leyte’s "Pondo Niyo, Pondo Namon, Pondo Naton"; and Mondragon, Northern Samar’s Si Mayor, Si Bolunter at si KC-ACT".

The Kalahi-CIDSS or Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services Project better known as KALAHI-CIDSS, is a World Bank assisted poverty alleviation project that uses participatory and community-driven development approaches in identifying and implementing community projects.

The DSWD led President Arroyo flagship project aims to empower communities, improve local governance, and reduce poverty.

In Eastern Visayas, the Project is now on its phase four of implementation and has already covered over 800 barangays in thirty four municipalities.