Climate Change is a worldwide phenomenon that affects everyone. In order to address climate change and its adverse effects, collective and global actions were undertaken through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which the Philippines is a Party to since 1994.

The Philippines signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change last February 28, 2017 as its commitment to reduce carbon emission by 70% by 2030.

One of the country’s commitment is through the intervention of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in helping communities deal with the impacts of climate change.

In 2015, the DSWD started providing cash for work to local government unit-proposed beneficiaries in implementing projects addressing the needs of communities located in hazard and risk areas vulnerable to the impacts of climate change through its Risk Resiliency Program – Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (RRP-CCAM) – Disaster Risk Reduction, which is guided by Administrative Order 15, series of 2008 or the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Cash-for-Work Project.

RRP-CCAM aims to create awareness within the participating communities about climate change adaptation and disaster-risk reduction, and the importance of community participation in building resilience and strengthening their adaptive capacities. The program also encourages community participation in implementing a community defined project related to climate change adaptation, climate risk reduction that is sustainable in nature.

Through this program, temporary employment is generated and that it provides income augmentation to families and/or individuals. It aims to achieve inclusive growth through the enhancement of the adaptive capacities and resilience of communities and natural ecosystems by minimizing the impacts of climate and disaster risks through climate change adaptation, disaster prevention and preparedness, climate change mitigation and rehabilitation.

The program is implemented through Cash-for-Work (CFW) which the DSWD shall provide cash assistance to the beneficiaries equivalent to seventy-five percent (75%) of the prevailing daily regional wage approved by the Department of Labor and Employment. The CFW activities shall be implemented for a maximum of ten (10) days.

Potential beneficiaries of the RRP-CCAM includes the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, those classified as poor under Listahanan – the national household targeting system of the national government, and those who are identified as poor and vulnerable households upon assessment, verification, and validation of the City and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Offices.

In Region 10, the DSWD RRP-CCAM is implemented in twenty-six (26) identified Local Government Units (LGUs) along major river basins, while four (4) Cities and twenty-two (22) Municipalities with cash for work activities such as tree planting, mangrove planting and mangrove rehabilitation, communal/organic gardening, installation of drainage system, dredging of waterways, canal de-clogging and other activities relative to climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction. As of date, there are 11 LGUs who already submitted project proposals and presently implementing cash for work activity for RRP-CCAM.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10 lauded the signing into law of Republic Act 11310 institutionalizing the government’s flagship poverty reduction program known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.

4Ps is an investment in human capital which seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by focusing on education and health of the beneficiaries. It provides conditional cash transfer to poor households around the country. It is being implemented by DSWD, in partnership with other government agencies, such as the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), among others.

DSWD Field Office 10 Regional Director Mari-Flor A. Dollaga-Libang emphasized that the signing of the law is the realization of the long time clamor of beneficiaries to make the program regular and permanent. 

It can be recalled that beneficiaries expressed their apprehensions that the benefits they are receiving from 4Ps might be stopped if the program will not be institutionalized.  It is also important to mention that they played a role in achieving this feat by lobbying for the institutionalization of the program.

For her part, Kenneth Haze Sanchez-Lustre, Regional Project Coordinator, disclosed that with RA 11310, the continuity and sustainability of the program can be assured. The law makes the program more robust by prioritizing farmers and fisher folks, strengthening livelihood and employment opportunities for beneficiaries, ensuring civil society organizations’ seats in the advising councils, and providing automatic coverage to PhilHealth.

Sanchez added that the law will further boost its goal of helping poor families achieve a better quality of life, thereby, contributing to the reduction of poverty incidence to 14 percent by 2022, as set by the present administration.

4Ps milestones

Since its inception in 2008, 4Ps has achieved several milestones in the areas of poverty reduction, health, and education.

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), in its launch of the 2015 Official Poverty Statistics said, “One of the major factors in this improvement of poverty reduction is the increased budget in government’s social development programs, which significantly augmented the income of the poorest households… The regularity of the cash transfer sustained for three years for many CCT beneficiaries has accorded them some resiliency to weather certain shocks.  The program also induced more economic activity in the poor barangays given the presence of a cash economy.  These conditions may have also encouraged a number of them to diversify their livelihood sources.”

Moreover, in its 2017 Socio-Economic Report, NEDA stated that, “By far, the most comprehensive program to address […] vulnerability is the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).  This program needs to be sustained and even enhanced.”

Furthermore, the World Bank in its 2018 assessment of poverty in the Philippines (Making Growth Work for the Poor) reported that “transfers from government social programs [CCT] contributed about 25 percent of the [reduction in poverty incidence between 2006 and 2015.”]

Likewise, impact evaluations on the program done and completed in 2012 and 2014 showed that the program can break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. It aids those families who experience poverty trap of being poor because they have no decent jobs or undereducated and sickly.

Based on the two impact studies, the program has positive effects on education and health of children and pregnant women.

The studies showed that program beneficiaries have higher enrolment and attendance rates and lower drop-outs as compared to non-beneficiaries.

As regard to the impact on the beneficiaries health, have increased availment of basic health services and reduced severe stunting especially to children from 6 months to 3 years old.  The impact studies also showed that more pregnant women availed of maternal health services and an increased delivery in accredited birthing facilities, as compared to those who are not covered by the program.

Also, since 2015, the program has paved the way for almost 1 million children-beneficiaries to compete high school and more than 30,000 to graduate from college.

As of March 31, 2019, the program covers 41,552 barangays in all 145 cities and 1,483 municipalities in 80 provinces nationwide with 4.18 million active households. Northern Mindanao has a total of 260,663 beneficiaries as of this writing.

Barangay Palacpacan is an isolated barangay of the Municipality of San Fernando, Bukidnon. The road is difficult to access especially during the rainy season. Most of the residents of the barangay are people of the Matigsalug Tribe.

Like the other tribes in Bukidnon, most of the lumads are given less priority from the government projects that would uplift them for a better life.

This is because they have minimal support and most have no access to basic social services within their communities. With this, the only priority they have is to eat and survive.

Time passes and now some of the government agencies are now reaching and responding to address the needs in the community.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is among the various agencies of the government that help address the development of Indigenous Peoples, providing them basic social services. Among the myriad of programs is the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) National Community-Driven Development Program (NCDDP). The Department is led by Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista Jr., a retired general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“The Filipino practice of mutual cooperation or bayanihan system is already embedded in the innermost of our being as Filipinos. This is more exemplified in the relentless contribution of our community volunteers in almost all facets of services to the poor and needy. Our staff and community volunteers on the ground have been our indispensable partners to the effective implementation of the Kalahi-CIDSS program,” the Secretary said.

Jeraline Arion is the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee Chairperson (BSPMC) of Barangay Palacpacan, who strives to help the community by participating in government programs provide basic social services and empower the communities.

Jeraline is a Matigsalug and an active Parent Leader of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Sustainable Livelihood Program Association (SLPA) leader.

Jeraline Arion says “Daghan kaayo kog natun-an sa programa sa DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS, dili lamang ang katungod nga magpartisipar sa kalambuan sa Barangay kun dili apil usab nga gitagaan kaming mga Lumad og higayon nga magpartisipar sa programa bisag wala kami nakahuman og eskwela (I learned a lot from the Kalahi-CIDSS program, not just having the right to participate in Barangay development, also, we, the Lumad people are given the opportunity to participate in the program even if we have not finished any degree)”

For her, DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS is the first government program that gave opportunities to the Lumad people in handling the processes of the activities and giving them the power of decision making.

Through the Kalahi-CIDSS, Jeraline felt that she and her Lumad community now have the voice through the program.

The DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS is a program under the DSWD that empowers communities. The program uses Community-Driven Development (CDD) as an approach to let the communities identify problems, use available resources, and decide solutions to help the community in order to have access of good basic social services.

The communities are given the opportunities to voice out their needs in the barangay by participating in the local development processes with the help of the non-government organizations, Local Government Units, Area Coordinating Teams (ACT), Sub-Regional Project Management Team (SRMPT), and Regional Project Management Team (RPMT) to ensure that they become actively involved in the local processes.

“Dili sayon gayud nga mahimong leader sa Kalahi kay kaming mga Lumad wala na-anad magpadayag sa kadaghanan, kay kabalo kami nga wala kami grado nga ikapaghinambog pero tungod sa mga meetings ug trainings sa Kalahi ug pagdumala sa sub-project namo nga Farm-to-Market Road nadasig ako og taas na akong paglantaw sa akong kaugalingon karon kaysa sa una (It is not easy being a Kalahi leader, as we the Lumad people are not used to addressing a lot of people, because we know that we do not have educational degrees to boast for, but because of the meetings and trainings provided by Kalahi and the implementation of our Farm-to-Market Road sub-project – I am now enthusiastic and I now have high regard for myself as compared before)” says Jeraline.

This inspired her to continue schooling and graduate from the K-12 program of the Department of Education (DepEd) at the Halapitan National High School, San Fernando, Bukidnon.

Jeraline draws inspiration from the Kalahi-CIDSS community empowerment and gender equality perspective of the program “kasagara kaming mga babaeng lumad sige ra’g burosan sa among mga bana, ibilin ra sa balay ipagbantay og bata, usahay pasakitan pa, pero dili tanang Lumad, og mao ra gyud ang among mabuhat isip mga babae, pero dire sa Kalahi-CIDSS gitagaan kami og bili ug importansiya nga naay daghan nga mga butang nga kaya sa mga babae dili lang ang mga lalake (usually, we, the Lumad women, are just being impregnated by our husbands, left in the house to care for the children, and may be hurt at times – but not all Lumads, and that is all we could do as women, but here in Kalahi-CIDSS we are given value and importance, that there are a lot of things that women can do equally as men do)” Jeraline said.

The program requires women to participate every activity especially during Sub-Project construction of at least 30% of the labor force in order to promote gender equality and importance.

The implementation of DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS in Barangay Palacpacan is not without challenges, “Pasalamat mi kay taas kaayo og pasensiya ang among facilitator sa pagtudlo sa amo unsaon paghimo sa mga minutes, pagprepare sa payroll ug bayronon sa mga materyales, pag-inventory sa materyales ug uban pang butang. Bisag lisod kami pasab-ton tungod kay walay nahuman sa pagskwela apan sa among mga kasaypanan wala kami nagmahay kay daghan kamig natun-an sa programa og nabati namo mga Lumad nga kabahin kami sa pagpalambo sa among barangay (we are thankful that our community empowerment facilitator is very patient in teaching us how to draft the minutes of the meetings, payroll preparation, payment and inventory for construction materials and other things. Even if we are very difficult to teach since do not have any formal education, we do not regret being in the Kalahi program. It is here that we Lumad women felt that we can contribute to the progress of our barangay)” Jeraline said.

The program is a good venue for learning different skills such as financial management, Environmental and Social Safeguards, Social Development, Construction Management, Basic Legal Documents, and other things that may help the Lumad community to educate themselves and to boost their confidence.

According to the community, the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS is a blessing to Palacpacan and San Fernando especially to the Lumad people. The Lumad community is given the opportunity through the support of the DSWD and local government units that help them grow and be part of nation building. Jeraline is hoping that the program will continue to help not only the Lumad people but also for those community or tribe who has been left behind that needs support to achieve a better and humane society.

Written by Nico B. Capistrano, Former DSWD-10 Kalahi-CIDSS Community Empowerment Facilitator

Cagayan de Oro City — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10 here has provided aids to the families affected by a recent fire in Purok Matinabangon, Barangay Ubaldo Laya, Iligan City, some 90.6 kilometers off west of here.

This is an augmentation support to the Local Government Unit of Iligan City.

DSWD Field Office 10 provided 195 hygiene kits, 195 kitchen kits, 195 blankets, 195 malong, and 195 mosquito nets and three family food packs for each of the reported 195 families whose houses were razed off by fire on Wednesday afternoon, May 29, 2019.

DSWD Undersecretary for operations, Aimee S. Torrefranca-Neri and DSWD Field Office 10 Regional Director Mari-Flor Dollaga-Libang supervised the relief distribution.

As initial response, the LGU has provided food packs and sleeping kits while some private groups gave relief assistance to the fire survivors. Other offices and national government agencies also responded and supported the victimized families like Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Health, and Office of Senator Bong Go.

Under the leadership of Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista, DSWD ensures that families who are victimized by various calamities such as armed conflict and natural disasters are given immediate response, and that their rights are protected while disaster operations are going on.

The homeless survivors are temporarily staying at the barangay covered court in Matinabangon, where the distribution of DSWD assistance took place.

Written by Oliver B. Inodeo, Information Officer of Pantawid Pamilya