If you have been following these 3-part blog series of our DSWD Learning Visit, we already have tackled 2 of the most popular program of DSWD – 4Ps and SLP. Now we are going to see the project Kalahi-CIDSS, what it is, and what are the impacts of the projects to the community.
It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and we checked out early from Patio Rizal Hotel and headed to Mauban, Quezon. It was an hour drive from Lucban. We stopped over at the nearby road where our next destination was, while waiting for the other van who fetched the LGU Officer at the City Hall. We enjoyed the green sceneries, it is noticeable that Quezon is one of the largest producer of copra (coconut). And it is also evident as well in Mauban.
Our next community we visited is located at Brgy. Remedios II, Mauban, Quezon, take a quick tour to this awesome town hidden from the highway.
Our vehicle stopped by a river, and we walked and crossed 2 hanging bridges. This is the only means to get to the baranggay. Safety while crossing the Kinaimit River to get inside and outside the community has been a long time problem of the residents. The previous hanging bridge they were using were already damaged by Typhoon Glenda. The broken bridge had affected the delivery of assistance and had delayed the emergency response to the community. Children and farmers are the most affected as they are the ones who frequently goes in and out of the community. With this experience, the residents worked together and proposed to apply for Kalahi-CIDSS to helped them with the construction of a new hanging bridge.
Aside from the need of a hanging bridge, the Remedios Elementary School Annex A used to have only three classrooms catering to around 150 students from Kinder up to Grade Six. These rooms weren’t enough to hold classes which are adequate for the learning needs of the students. Thus, they proposed to build an additional three-classroom school building through the funding assistance of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a development partner of DSWD’s Kalahi-CIDSS.
So What is Kalahi-CIDSS?
“Kalahi-CIDSS, otherwise known as the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, is one of the poverty alleviation programs of the Philippine Government being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).” –read more here
Comparing to 4PS and SLP, the Kalahi-CIDSS caters to communities which 1) belong to the poorest area; 2) priority for those who are considered as calamity-stricken communities; 3) with the recommendation of the LGU whose community to prioritized for the fund.
The residents had a meeting and pinpointed their most important priority to be done for the community and come up with these 2 projects (Hanging Bridge and additional classroom buildings), they are the ones who made the proposal, provided for the documents needed and the residents actually monitored and were hands-on during the purchasing of materials, construction up to finishing of the project. Through this “Bayanihan” the residents were able to lower the costs, and instead of hiring construction companies and workers, the volunteer-residents did it themselves and were paid compensation for the work. They said they have a feeling of ownership of the project thus lead them to take care of it even more. They even discipline and reprimands other residents who abuses the use of the hanging bridge.
Brgy. Remedios II, Mauban, Quezon residents
Hanging bridge sub-project
- Total Project Cost: Php461,046.00
- No. of households served: 118 households
1-unit 3-classroom school building sub-project (AusAID)
- Total Project Cost: Php2.46 Million
- No. of households served: 152 households
The building of the new hanging bridge brought convenience to the residents, and as per one resident said “It is a benefit that is not financial per se, but of convenience to us. We used to cross the river when the bridge was broken, there was no other way for us to get to town except for the hanging bridge. We can now carry sacks of rice, copra without worrying being swept into the river. However, the animals (carabao and horses) still needed to cross the river. We do not allow people with animals to use the hanging bridge, this is to protect it so we can use it on a longer time.”
I remembered I asked the residents;
Me: Why didn’t you build a concrete bridge in order for vehicles or animals to cross over too?”
Resident: We are thinking of the immediate solution for the community and beside there are only but few who have vehicles here. We acted on the urgency of the need for our children, the students who goes to school.
For the new classroom, the volunteers are very proud of this achievement, even one mother said she was pregnant then, when she volunteered to assist in the documentation, she went to and forth their Baranggay Captain and to the Municipality to sign documents, she even participated in the construction helping the workers in mixing the cement, the ladies cooked meals for the workers. Most of them who volunteered were housewives because their husbands have to focus on their livelihood. But on free days their husbands do their share to in helping with the construction. This volunteer mommy, were even called “Kalahi” and she said even her son got “Kalahi” as his nickname.
The residents’ involvement in the project played a major role on how the residents take care of the given projects by the Government. They learned first hand the financial, the due processes a project needs before it materializes. Though of course, they are being assisted still with licensed engineers, the DSWD officials and the local LGU. They have yearly budget of P10,000 for the maintenance of these structures.
The community prepared their native dishes for our lunch and I enjoyed them.
After visiting the project beneficiaries of Kalahi-CIDSS, I learned to appreciate the Government efforts in reaching out to the poorest people. If your not exposed to this type of communities, and been only seeing the situation in Manila and the media, you will think that the only project the DSWD have are calamity assistance, repacking of goods, and the like. Being exposed to these type of DSWD projects opened my mind that there are so much more the agency have to offer. We just to need to RESEARCH and REACH OUT.
Information are in just one touch of a finger thru the internet, you may check the ff: website for more information of the DSWD Programs and services: DSWD information
Here’s a list of the DSWD Programs and Services: Source: DSWD mini-handbook
- Tulong Medikal (Medical Services)
- Tulong Pampaaral (Educational Assistance)
- Tulong Pampalibing
- Tulong Pamasahe
- Pagbibigay ng Food Packs (Kapag May Disaster)
- Cash for Work / Food for Work
- Social Pension para sa mga indigent na Senior Citizen
- Supplementary Feeding Program
- Pagsagip sa mga Batang Napababayaan at Naninirahan sa Lansangan
- Solo Parent Id
- Programa at Serbisyo para sa mga PWD
- Travel Clearance para sa mga Menor De Edad
- Programa at Serbisyo para sa mga Kababaihang Biktima ng Pang-aabuso
- Lingap at Gabay para sa May Sakit (Lingap sa Masa)
- Sustainable Livelihood Program
- Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
Beneficiaries selection process:
The current process in selecting beneficiaries are those included in the Listahanan.
“The Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are in the country. The system makes available to national government agencies and other social protection stakeholders a database of poor families as reference in identifying potential beneficiaries of social protection programs.”
See more information on the Listahanan here –About Listahanan
If you think you are eligible for any of this programs and are not receiving any information or benefits, you may visit your Local Government Unit to check if your listed as indigent, if not, you may request to be added and the LGU MSWD officer will check on your current situation, they may do some investigation to prove your eligibility.
Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program Summary:
Benefits:
- P300 every month per child studying in Elementary
- P500 every month per child studying in High School
- Up to maximum of 3 children are covered
- P500 every month in each household
Conditions of the Program:
Before a beneficiary received any benefits, they must oblige with the following:
- School attendance of not less than 85% per month
- Monthly check-up of children 0-5 years old and pregnant women
- De-worming of school children twice in one year
- Monthly attendance to Family Development Sessions (FDS)
Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) Summary:
Target:
- Families listed in the Listahanan (mentioned above)
- Beneficiaries of 4Ps or families listed as indigents
- Belonging to vulnerable sector such as native tribes, senior citizens, PWDs, out-of-school youth and others
Modalities:
- Skills Training
- Seed Capital Fund
- Pre-employment assistance fund
- Cash for building livelihood assets
I know somehow, you are enlightened with these different programs of DSWD. And I’m sure you still have a lot of questions, you may reach DSWD at the ff:
- Office address: DSWD Field Office IV-A Alabang-Zapote Rd., Alabang, Muntinlupa City
- Contact no.: 807-7102
- Email at: fo4a@dswd.gov.ph
- Like their facebook page: DSWD Region IV-A
- Twitter: @dswdservesfo4a
After our visit to Mauban, we headed to Majayjay, Laguna for a stop-over and a refreshing break. We stopped over to Angelina’s Garden Bed and Breakfast. Our team decided to try and trekk Bukay Falls — Soon on my next blog..
So what happened to my adventure at Bukay Falls? Wanna know?
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