More than 90 community projects are already constructed in the 20 municipalities of Quezon Province through the participation of the local residents in the implementation of the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

These community projects include farm-to-market roads, school buildings, health centers, water systems and electrification.

Through the said program, the community residents are trained on proposal development, construction estimates, and community finance and procurement to help them manage the implementation of community sub-projects they identified.

Their identified sub-projects are expected to resolve or at least lessen the existing problems in their communities such as flooding, inaccessible barangay roads, worn-out classrooms, and lack of water and electric supply.

According to 22-year old Peterfel Vergara, he learned a lot by being a volunteer of Kalahi-CIDSS and, at the same time, has done something good for the community. He, together with the residents of Brgy. Villa Arcaya in Gumaca town, implemented a river control sub-project with mangrove reforestation to end the flooding problem in their area and prevent their barangay road from being totally damaged.

“Ngayon po, hindi na nahihirapan ang mga bata ‘pag tag-ulan ‘pag pumapasok sila sa school. Ligtas na sila dahil hindi na binabaha,” said Vergara.

Aside from the said number of constructed projects, the community residents across the 20 Kalahi-CIDSS municipalities are still constructing 533 need-responsive sub-projects that are targeted to be completed by the end of 2015.

In the CALABARZON region, a total of PhP365.78 Million grant is provided to these municipalities for the construction and implementation of their proposed sub-projects.#