The local residents from 20 towns of Quezon Province worked together to build a total of 630 community projects worth PhP385.79 million to improve the delivery of social services in their communities and provide livelihood opportunities to the people.
These projects were implemented through the residents’ participation in the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), a community-driven program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Projects include farm-to-market roads, community centers, health stations, day care centers, river controls, water systems and electrification among others.
A total of 127,193 households are now benefitting from these projects in the towns of Agdangan, Alabat, Buenavista, Burdeos, Calauag, Candelaria, Catanauan, General Luna, Guinayangan, Gumaca, Macalelon, Mauban, Perez, Plaridel, Quezon, San Andres, San Antonio, San Francisco, Tagkawayan and Unisan.
Since 2014, the residents have been managing the implementation of these projects from the prioritization, document preparation, procurement of materials, construction and operations and maintenance. They were also provided trainings to equip them with skills in managing the projects.
Conchita Calusin, 32, one of the community volunteers from Brgy. San Lorenzo in the town of Mauban, shared that it’s a rewarding experience for them to implement an infrastructure project for their community.
They implemented the concreting of pathway project and the installation of 14 solar street lights worth PhP1.31 million to secure the safety of the residents as they travel within the community.
“Dati’y mga simpleng maybahay lang kami at walang pakialam sa mga gawaing pang-barangay. Pero dito sa Kalahi, natuto kaming makisalamuha sa iba at magtulungan para mapaganda ang aming lugar. (Most of us are simple housewives who do not care about community projects or activities. But in Kalahi-CIDSS, we learned the importance of working together to help improve our community.)” said Calusin.
Towards the end of 2016, the residents will be starting the construction of new projects in their communities under Kalahi-CIDSS. A total of PhP160.54 million grant is allotted for the implementation of these projects.
Fourteen of the 20 towns will be continuing with this second cycle of the program implementation in their communities. These towns are Agdangan, Alabat, Buenavista, Burdeos, Catanauan, General Luna, Gumaca, Macalelon, Perez, Quezon, San Andres, San Antonio, Tagkawayan and Unisan.
The Kalahi-CIDSS is one of the poverty-reduction programs of the DSWD that uses the community-driven development strategy, which empowers ordinary citizens to engage in the local development process.
In the CALABARZON region, the Kalahi-CIDSS is implemented in the poorest municipalities of Quezon Province.#