Community volunteers of the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) share the results of their participation towards local development during the recently held Municipal Talakayan in San Antonio, Quezon Province.

The Municipal Talakayan is a joint activity of the DSWD and the local government units (LGU) of Kalahi-CIDSS-implementing municipalities that aims to evaluate the towns’ local development through a democratic dialogue between and among the local officials and citizens.

In San Antonio, the activity, dubbed as Huntahang Pambayan, was attended by 500 participants, mostly are residents from its 20 barangays. Other participants were the municipal and barangay LGUs, Kalahi-CIDSS national and regional staff, and community-based groups.

According to Rizabel Medrano, a community volunteer from Brgy. Pulo, the Kalahi-CIDSS helped empower ordinary citizens like her to contribute towards development.

“Dito po, tinuruan kaming magsagawa ng mga proyektong makakatulong sa aming barangay (referring to the water pump sub-project implemented in their barangay). Patuloy po kaming makikipagtulungan sa pamahalaan para sa kaunlaran ng ating bayan,” shared Medrano, who is also a beneficiary of DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

In Medrano’s barangay, the residents used to suffer from scarce water supply, which was usually tainted with rust and mud. With the water pump sub-project that all the residents helped to build, they now enjoy clean water and are now working on installing a water tank and later tap stands to bring the water supply closer to each household.

Through a focused group discussion during the Talakayan, the community residents agreed that the projects of the DSWD and the local government have been helping them to address their needs. Some of the projects implemented under the Kalahi-CIDSS in the said municipality include water systems, day care centers, school buildings, health centers and farm-to-market roads.

According to Loida Abela, the Deputy Regional Project Manager of Kalahi-CIDSS in the CALABARZON Region, the Municipal Talakayan is a venue for all the residents in the locality to review their respective roles and responsibilities in contribution towards local development.

“Lahat ay may bahagi sa naging kalagayan ng kani-kanilang lugar. Mapa-simpleng tao man sa barangay o lokal na opisyal, ang bawat isa ay may pananagutan sa mga proyektong isinasagawa,” said Abela.

San Antonio Mayor Erick Wagan, on the other hand, noted that the Kalahi-CIDSS process help the local government better address the needs of the community.

 “Napakalaking tulong talaga ng Kalahi para patuloy na marinig ng inyong lingkod ang inyong mga pangangailangan. Sama-sama po tayong magtulungan na maitaas ang antas ng buhay ng bawat isa,” said Mayor Wagan upon hearing the proposal of the residents for more livelihood opportunities for them during the activity.

This Municipal Talakayan in San Antonio is the first in the several batches of this kind of activity to be conducted by the DSWD in the province. The same activity will be conducted in the municipality of Alabat in September and in Agdangan, Buenavista, General Luna and Macalelon in October.

The Kalahi-CIDSS is a DSWD program that aims to improve the delivery of social services in poor communities by empowering the people to engage in the local development process. In the CALABARZON Region, the program is implemented in 20 municipalities in Quezon Province.#