BAPWASA President Gloria Rearte (third from left) from Brgy. Pulo, San Antonio, Quezon receives the award for their group hailed as the first national Bayani Ka! winner for group-volunteerism category during the recently conducted KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP Bayani Ka! Awarding Ceremony. Also proud with the recognition she received are San Antonio Mayor Erick Wagan and DSWD Regional Director Leticia T. Diokno (second and first from right).
The BAPWASA or Brgy. Pulo Water System Association is formed by the Kalahi-CIDSS volunteers in 2013 for the operations and maintenance of their water well drilling sub-project. Through their efforts, the barangay is consistently provided with clean and potable water supply.
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SAN ANTONIO VOLUNTEERS BAG AWARD IN 1ST “BAYANI KA!” SEARCH
The volunteers of Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services-National Community Driven Development Program (KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP) in Brgy. Pulo, San Antonio, Quezon was hailed as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) national winner for group-volunteerism category during the “Bayani Ka!” awarding ceremony held at Asian Institute Management, Makati on January 23.
Barangay Pulo volunteers formed the Brgy. Pulo Water System Association (BAPWASA) for the operations and maintenance of their Kalahi-CIDSS water well drilling sub-project completed in 2013.
According to BAPWASA President Gloria Rearte, the community is dedicated to maintain the good condition of the sub-project because it became the solution to the insufficient and tainted water supply of 74 households in the barangay.
This year, the BAPWASA volunteers again for their KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP water system sub-project to provide communal tap stands in different parts of the barangay.
Aside from BAPWASA, 16 winners from other regions were also awarded during the ceremony under the categories of group, individual, and local government unit that best represent the KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP core themes – gender, environment protection, improved local governance, indigenous peoples’ welfare, volunteerism, and peace.
Further, special awards were given on the categories of senior citizen, youth, person with disability, participatory governance (PLGU and MLGU), and best area coordinating team. The awardees received plaque of recognition and cash prize.
DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman expressed her gratitude to the winners for the dedication and support to improve their communities through the KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP.
“Indeed, working together is not just a dream or a slogan. You, our dedicated volunteers and partners, made it into a reality,” said Sec. Soliman in her message.
The “Bayani Ka!” awards is one of the KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP campaigns that aims to acknowledge the hardwork of community volunteers and promote community driven development in building local, everyday heroes who are willing to put their own communities (“bayan”) before their own selves (“I”).
The winners of the search will serve as program advocates that would promote the gains of KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP to their respective circles during activities and events.
KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP is a DSWD program that expanded the operations of the community driven-development approach proven effective by the previous project Kalahi-CIDSS. The program aims to empower and involve communities in the planning, decision-making, and implementation of need-responsive projects identified by the community themselves.
In CALABARZON region, KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP is implemented in the 20 municipalities of Quezon province.