Lovermin Villasis is an all-around construction worker. As unique as his name is, his dedication to DSWD KALAHI-CIDSS is hard to find. In the municipality of San Fernando, Bukidnon, Lovermin is infamous for spearheading KALAHI-CIDSS sub-projects. He’s built/repaired water systems and a three-classroom school building for Indigenous People learners. Each sub-project has a heartfelt story to tell about Lovermin and his zeal. “He never backs down from any challenge until the project is finished” People would describe him.

It all started in 2017 when he became the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee or BSPMC head for the construction of potable water system (gravity driven) from KALAHI-CIDSS in sitio Sagulayan, barangay Kibongcog. Armed with his skill and eagerness to learn the process, the sub-project was completed and provided a better quality of life to the IP community.

When unfinished sub-projects in barangay Bonacao and Namnam seemed impossible to revive, Lovermin was the man of action. But the most challenging was the unfinished Classroom Construction for Lumads (CCL) in sitio Kiranggle, barangay Dao. “The physical accomplishment was about 30%. Only the roofing and flooring were done. Some of the materials were looted,” he said

Aside from the 9-hour mountain climb, armed struggle is also present in the area. No supplier would take the trouble to revamp the project. But not Lovermin.

With the funding from KALAHI-CIDSS, and the support of the local government and the cooperation of the community, the sub-project had a new beginning.

Lovermin formed a group that he called PPMS: Panday, Plumber, Mason Skills. He and his men, together with IP volunteers, were head on to the challenge.

Hours of hiking ascent as men sweat blood to reach Kiranggle to deliver construction materials in this faraway sitio. If a sack of cement costs 260 pesos, manual hauling is at 500. Resources were limited, but Lovermin would beat any skilled man when it comes to planning and strategy—thanks to his friend engineers who guided him all the way.

Every night in sitio Kiranggle, Lovermin and his friends beat their loneliness with a guitar and improvised percussions, as if celebrating the project’s near completion.

The school building was finished and was turned over to the community. An insurmountable goal at first—but insurmountable was never at Lovermin’s vocabulary.

In barangay Little Baguio, potable water system from KALAHI-CIDSS also gave residents new hope, likewise in barangay Kibongcog and Iglugsad just recently, where Lovermin and other stakeholders linked arms in the spirit of bayanihan.

• 

“Ang programa mao’y naghatag kanako og kadasig, nga diay, ang potensyal sa tawo mohinay-hinay og saka. Dili ra diay ko usa ka construction worker, pwede pa diay ko mahimong usa ka manager nga modumala sa proyekto.”

Lovermin believes in the objectives of KALAHI-CIDSS and can vouch for the effectiveness of community-driven development.

“Kung kini pa lang nga konsepto ang gihatag sa atong pangaggamhanan, mao’y silbi systema, wala’y pobre. Tanan nga social services ug panginahanglan sa katawhan mahatag gayod.”

Lovermin is a story to tell about the impact of community-driven development in effectively addressing the needs of a community and empowering people to reach their true potentials.

132 barangays in six municipalities of Bukidnon will implement COVID-19 response projects this year under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services-National Community-Driven Development Program (Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP).

Still adopting the Disaster Response Operations Procedure (DROP) to fast-track pandemic response, DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS-X received Php115, 419,950 worth of funding from the World Bank to implement Community-Based Response for COVID (CBRC) projects in Bukidnon.

This includes construction or rehabilitation of isolation facilities/health centers, purchase of medical supplies, tools, and equipment, repair of water systems, and economic recovery efforts such as cash for work projects, construction of roads, pre and post-harvest facilities, along with others.

Five towns are set to implement CBRC first this year, namely: Dangcagan, Maramag (new Kalahi-CIDSS areas), Damulog, Don Carlos, and Kadingilan. While the municipality of Kitaotao will follow on the second semester.

DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS uses the Community-driven development (CDD) approach in empowering the community to identify and implement projects they most need, especially during this pandemic.

Social preparation activities are underway led by the Regional Program Management Office with its Area Coordinating Teams in place for this year’s program implementation.

Besides CBRC projects, DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS-X is also implementing small-scale infrastructure projects using CDD among Indigenous Peoples (IPs) under the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) IP-CDD modality.

Moreover, the RPMO sets its eyes on implementing CDD projects for the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa (BP2) Program this year under the Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay (KKB) modality.

• 

Community-driven development efforts in region 10 reached 97.32% accomplishment for 2020, delivering sub-projects that address communities’ most urgent needs during this pandemic.

Earlier in 2020, Kalahi-CIDSS adopted the Disaster Response Operations Procedure (DROP) under the National Community Driven Development Program (NCDDP), allocating more than Php120 million COVID-19 response sub-projects (SPs) in health, sanitation, and economic recovery.

Out of 213 SPs, 206 are completed (96.71%), and seven are still ongoing in towns San Fernando and Quezon, Bukidnon. Covered areas for DROP also include Damulog, Kalilangan, Kibawe, Kitaotao, Malitbog, and Pantar, Lanao del Norte.

Top 10 Kalahi-CIDSS funded SPs for 2020 include: 86 Isolation/Quarantine Facilities, 48 Access Roads, 27 Tribal Halls, 27 Disaster Equipment/Tools, 19 Water System, 18 Barangay Health Stations, 18 Cash for Work, 8 Pre & Post Harvest Facilities, 5 Electrification / Lighting, and 4 Day Care Centers.

Kalahi-CIDSS Regional Program Management Office-X implements other modalities, namely MAKILAHOK (Strengthening Community Participation in Local Development) completing 19 SPs (100% accomplishment), PAMANA IP-CDD (PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn Community-Driven Development Program for Indigenous Peoples) with 29 SPs completed (100% accomplishment), KKB (Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay) and CCL (Construction of Classrooms for Lumads) totaling 278 SPs carried out in 15 local government units.

DDSWD Kalahi-CIDSS-10 reports 82.74% grant utilization or Php118 million from the Php 142 million released grant. It has a total of Php156 million grant allocation. The program logs 130,040 households benefitting from the completed SPs, exceeding 1.25% from its target . Furthermore, the sub-project implementations promoted income-generating opportunities to 4,029 workers, with 830 women in paid labor.

The Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP has secured additional funding for 2021 in 6 municipalities, along with IP-CDD in 11 municipalities (39 barangays) and KKB with 11 municipalities/cities.

DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS uses the community-driven development approach, a proven strategy in poverty alleviation that empowers local communities to identify and implement public projects they most need. It puts people at the center of development as key decision-makers and implementers, thereby facilitating empowerment and effective social service delivery.

• 

“Kato ra gyung naa’y dakong gugma ang maka-ako og-anhi diri” (Only the bighearted will go through great lengths to come all the way here) said one resident.

Not everyone has the chance to visit this village in their lifetime. Either a 4×4 vehicle or a tough motorcycle with an experienced driver is needed to reach this corner of the landlocked province of Bukidnon.

The journey is not for the timid, it is for the bold to voyage through steep mountain slopes and brooks. With rolling hills, panoramic mountain views and overlooking deep valleys, sojourners will surely relish on the beauty of nature, but will also hold their breaths in the course of an exhilarating ride.

The sun must be up to dry out the muddy pathways from the previous day’s afternoon rain. Along the way, road excavation works are done as heavy equipment operators work all day to pave the roads that are once impassable.

Without a compelling cause, one will never bother to travel this remote area.

They call it barangay Kiulom, in Kitaotao, Bukidnon where the Matigsalug tribe lives. They are a distinct sub-group of the indigenous people known as the Manobos. Nestled between the boundary of Davao and Bukidnon, this self-sustaining indigenous community dwells along the banks of the Salug River (now called the Davao River), thus coining their name from the words matig, meaning “from,” and salug, meaning “river.”

• 

But three years ago, the peaceful Matigsalug community faced a great ordeal. The day before Christmas in 2017, Typhoon Vinta, the deadliest tropical cyclone to strike Mindanao, took a heavy toll in barangay Kiulom, destroying homes, properties, livelihood, and all government-initiated projects in the area. They were grateful for reporting no deaths, but they had to rebuild their lives from scratch. 

• 

Rescue came from the local government and other agencies and non-government organizations. Houses were built courtesy of an NGO and community settlements were established. En route to Kiulom, tiny color-coordinated houses of red and white are a common sight.

Reaching the barangay proper, visitors and residents need to cross the Salug river. Children swimming under the nagging heat of the sun pull a “gakit”, a raft made out of bamboo that will transport anyone to the other side of the river as their little bodies navigate the waters. It’s twenty pesos each for that favor, and the children return to bask in the water like there’s no tomorrow.

In sentro Kiulom, less than a hundred households gather in community. They rely on solar power. Access to clean water is at a nearby spring, and farming is their source of livelihood. Corn, rice, squash, banana, and various root crops are grown with the eager expectation of pulling a harvest after a few months. Then it’s time to come down from the mountains. They only do small-scale farming because they can only carry what they can. If not on a horse, it means a half-day’s hike carrying their produce until they reach the nearest marketplace about 30 kilometers from the highland.

The routine is the same every day. They go farming in the morning and come home by the afternoon. But the sense of community among the Matigsalug tribe is deeply embedded in their culture. After a day’s toil, the tribe gathers to settle any disputes and issues led by a Datu and his council. For the IPs, a harmonious community comes first. Live at peace with everyone. Reconcile and be considerate to others. Humble down.

Recently, this ancient customary practice is held comfortably in a Tribal Hall with tulugan that the IPs built with the help of the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn Indigenous Peoples-Community-driven Development (PAMANA IP-CDD) program.

• 

The IPs manually hauled Lawaan, a type of hardwood, from the mountains. Construction materials from the lowland barangay were transported through the rivers with the gakit. The IPs gave their blood, sweat, and tears for this project.

For what? For their identity. For peace. For community.

“Di gyud mi makatukod og sama niini kung kami lang” (We can never build something like this on our own) said barangay kagawad Manuel Sumaliray. It’s a dream come true to have the tribal hall in their generation today, he said.

The building serves as a trial court, a worship hall, a community center, and an accommodation for visitors. They will no longer gather under a tree, or at someone else’s abode. They now welcome visitors without worrying where they should spend the night.

The construction of 1-unit Tribal hall with tulugan under the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA IP-CDD is the first government project in barangay Kiulom after Typhoon Vinta.

“Ang DSWD pa gyud ang niantos nga mianhi diri” (It’s only the DSWD who persevered to get here) Tribal secretary Meliton Uban said.

• 

For a long time, the IPs were isolated, ostracized and far removed from societal progress. But if there’s one thing that they’ve learned, it’s realizing that the government is on their side.

“Nakita na gyud sa pangagamhanan nga duna’y mga Indigenous People. (The government has finally recognized the Indigenous Peoples) Tribal Chieftain Datu Berto Andip said.

This recent development gives them hope that more projects will come to aid them in rebuilding their community. Projects that are tailored to their needs, customs, worldview, and value system.

“Kini na ang sinugdanan” (This is the beginning) Datu Andip said with a cheerful tone in his voice.

There are many things to learn from the IPs about keys to life. The value of simple living, the treasure of community, and the virtue of hard work. For the IPs, one cannot eat if he does not work. Faith is indispensable. With it, they are never discouraged. Integrity enhances all other values. Keep this and everything will follow.  

• 

The IPs have also well-understood that careful stewardship of the environment is paramount to their survival and their children’s future.  The land and natural resources on which they depend are inextricably linked to their identity. To them, the spiritual, social, ecological and economic aspects of life go together and not against each other. 

On a typical day, the Philippine flag is seen hanging at the Tribal hall’s balcony. It reminds anyone that despite the peaceful, traditional way of life of the IPs, they are one of the most marginalized populations in the country. Not only access to basic social services remains a challenge in their communities today, they are under a threat because of exploitation and destructive forms of development.

Ms Ma. Shirlene Sario works as the Provincial Officer of the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Bukidnon. She says that the intangible heritage of the IPs, the wealth of their traditional knowledge is key to solving a myriad of challenges in the country today.

“Government must return to being a true Filipino. If we will just respect our original culture, we will solve a lot of problems”. She said.

Here are the hopes of the Matigsalug IPs. They want a sustainable livelihood earning that can buy coffee, sugar, noodles, soy sauce, salt, cooking oil, garlic and onion to fill their pantry. That’s the ultimate grocery list. They want a better road, better water system, and reliable electricity to charge their handheld radios at night. They wish to have new pairs of their traditional costume, too. They want accessible schools for their children.

When the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS conquered the distance in barangay Kiulom, it opened a host of possibilities to realize the IPs’ dreams and aspirations. With their unquenchable zeal and resilience to rise from their situation, it pushes others to attempt great things, too.

Together with them, we can be the instrument to realize this.

• 

In a series of events held in towns Kauswagan and Kapatagan Lanao del Norte, DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista, together with DSWD-10 Regional Director Mari-Flor Dollaga-Libang and DSWD Undersecretary Aimee Neri met with stakeholders, program beneficiaries and government partners working in collaboration with the DSWD in carrying out development programs by the government.

Secretary Bautista graced the official launching of the Balik Probinsiya, Bagong Pag-Asa (BP2) Program in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte wherein DSWD will play a vital role in assisting LGUs of bringing back families from the National Capital Region (NCR) who decided and/or qualified to return to their respective hometowns and resettlement areas to start a new life after COVID-19. BP2 aims to decongest urban poor communities in the NCR and achieve a balanced regional development by providing opportunities for returning Filipino families and boosting countryside development. Kapatagan is the pilot municipality of BP2 in the country and serves as a model community for the achievement of the program’s objectives.

DSWD will provide financial assistance to families in their Transportation, Transitory Family Support Package, Livelihood Settlement Grants, moreover, taking part in building self-sustaining, prosperous communities with the delivery of projects through the Community-driven development (CDD) strategy of DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS. Within the next two years, 10,000 families are targeted to be fully integrated to communities and resettlement areas in the provinces.

Secretary Bautista also attended the distribution of financial assistance to 100 indigent families in Kauswagan and 200 market vendors in Kapatagan who are economically affected by the impact of the current pandemic. Each family received Php3,000 through DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).

Together with Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and cabinet secretaries, Secretary Bautista attended the launching of the Malasakit Center in Kapatagan Provincial Hospital, serving as a one-stop-shop for individuals seeking financial help from their medical needs and hospitalization bills. The center employs personnel from DSWD, Philhealth, PCSO and other agencies to assist Filipinos in time of their distress. During the occasion, DSWD extended financial assistance worth Php3,000 to 46 patients currently admitted in the said hospital.

The visit of the Secretary has been instrumental to improving the programs and services of the Field Office seeking to deliver prompt and quality service to its clientele in Region 10.  

In a meeting with the Kalahi-CIDSS Regional Program Management Office (RPMO), DSWD Assistant Secretary Rhea Peñaflor facilitates close coordination with the RPMO to ensure DSWD’s COVID-19 response is timely and punctual to the needs of the communities.

Kalahi-CIDSS’ Disaster Response Operations Procedure (DROP) currently operates in 8 municipalities in Region 10, delivering sub-projects that impact health, sanitation, and economic recovery during this pandemic.

As of October 22, 56.68% or 68,024,037.45 from the total 120,022,650 million grant allocation for COVID-19 response have been released to the barangays, mostly poured into hard projects with ongoing implementation. Out of 214 sub-projects, 65 have not yet started its implementation due to the delay of fund downloading in the field office.

“As advised by the management, we are going to strategize to start implementing the projects even without the download [of funds] so that we can reach our target date for the completion of all sub-projects”, said Engr. Abobacar Tocalo, Project Development Officer for Infrastructure.

The RPMO is expected to complete all sub-projects by November 15 this year. Peñaflor commits to expedite the downloading of funds in the Field Office to catch up with the implementation. The RPMO, likewise, will review all its documents to fast track the process.

“This time it’s a different circumstance, kase we are in a public health emergency mode, and we need to be responsive… our sub-projects should be responsive to the call of the times,” said Peñaflor.

One of the challenges of the RPMO is the strict health protocols of LGUs affecting its objectives to provide technical assistance to staff and capacity building activities.

Peñaflor encouraged them to be innovative and adapt to the new normal way of conducting training, such as sending pre-recorded video technical sessions that Area Coordinating Teams can view in their respective assignment areas.

“We are all one in this. Ang ating gustong mangyari is to improve the lives of our fellow Filipinos, and Kalahi-CIDSS is a big platform for us to help our people in Mindanao. And when we provide these sub-projects to them, these are not just projects, this will be our legacy. Hindi man nila tayo kilala, may ambag at naitulong tayo sa kanila,” she said.

“The Central Office will support you sa pag-ensure na maibigay natin ang tamang serbisyo sa ating kapwa Pilipino.”

Peñaflor also reported the National Program Management Office’s efforts to push for the institutionalization of the Community-driven development, a strategy of the Kalahi-CIDSS used in delivering basic social services and grassroots development.

The DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS is hopeful for the program’s additional financing next year to continue its vision of promoting social change through community-driven development.

Gipahibalo sa DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA IP-CDD ngadto sa mga stakeholders sa lungsod sa Sumilao, Bukidnon , ang maayong balita kalabot sa mga proyekto nga ilang maangkon ubos sa maong programa aron pagpakgang sa COVID-19 sa ilang lugar.

Tulo ka barangay sa Sumilao nga mao ang Kisolon, Lupiagan, ug Poblacion ang makadawat sa tag Php600, 000 nga pondo aron pag-implementar sa mga proyektong pang-imprastraktura batok COVID-19. Ang tulo ka barangay aduna’y mga lumad nga komunidad sa Higaunon diin gipunting isip non-conflict affected barangays (CAB) sa Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) ug paga-tunolan sa mga tukmang proyekto nga haom sa ilang mga panginahanglanon.

Usa pa ka barangay nga mao ang La Fortuna, sitio Intabas, gikan sa silingang lungsod sa Impasug-ong, Bukidnon ang makadawat usab sa laing pondo isip CAB gikan sa OPAPP nga mokantidad og 1.2 milyon agig pag-responde sa kasamtangang pandemya. Ang Sumilao ug Impasug-ong kabahin sa KADIMADT Ancestral Domain o Kitanglad, Alihuton, Danao, Inalad, Man-Egay AD Title nga mao ang implementasyon sa Batch 3 Cycle 1 sa Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA IP-CDD niining tuiga.

Ang cycle 1 sa Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA IP-CDD mo tutok sa pagpakgang sa COVID 19 ubos sa Disaster Response Operations Procedure o DROP sa DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS. Dili na bag-o sa lungsod sa Sumilao ang programa sa Kalahi-CIDSS tungod sa mga proyekto nga ilang nadawat sa milabayng tuig, ug karon magapadayon ubos sa bag-ong modality nga mao ang PAMANA IP-CDD.

Ang PAMANA o Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan mao ang peace and development framework sa gobyerno nga nakig-timbayayong sa DSWD pinaagi sa Kalahi-CIDSS IP-CDD aron paghatod sa mga proyekto ngadto sa mga barangay pinaagi sa community-driven development (CDD) tumong ang pagkab-ot sa tunhay nga kalinaw ug kalamboan alang sa mga Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities.

Magsugod na ang proseso sa pagpunting sa mga proyekto base sa mga nag-unang panginahanglanon sa ilang komunidad diin pagapangulohan sa Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (BDRRMC) inubanan sa aktibo nga pakiglambigit sa tribal council sa maong barangay.

Gihatagan og dakong pagtagad sa gobyerno ang kahimtang sa mga lumad niining pandemya isip pag-ila sa ilang mga katungod ug ilang katakos nga makadawat sa mga serbisyo gikan sa gobyerno aron sila magpuyo nga malinawon ug malambuon, luwas ug maayo ang kahimtang niining pandemya.

Implementation of COVID-19 related projects is underway in various barangays of Kibawe, Bukidnon to ease the impact of the pandemic both in health and economic challenges.

PHP 13 million worth of soft and hard projects will be funded by the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) among 23 barangays, with financial counterparts from the local government.

Through the Community-driven development (CDD) strategy of Kalahi-CIDSS, each barangay identified their most pressing needs within the community during this pandemic, and decided in collective, the appropriate sub-project for funding under Kalahi-CIDSS. Each barangay receives its financial grant based on their population and poverty incidence.

Identified eligble sub-projects include: rehabilitation of barangay health station, refurbishing of public buildings into temporary isolation facilities, construction of solar dryer, concreting of barangay access roads and farm to market roads, and cash for work interventions.

At the onset of the pandemic earlier this year, the Kalahi-CIDSS activitated the Disaster Response Operations Procedure (DROP) to fast-track the delivery of services in Kalahi-CIDSS covered municipalities across the region.

Under DROP, all barangays will implement their own sub-projects, unlike the regular Kalahi-CIDSS cycles wherein barangays are ranked for prioritization of sub-projects.

“Sulod sa 3 ka Cycles Wala gayod kami nakatilaw sa programa sa Kalahi, apan wala kami niundang pag suporta sa programa. Karon sa 4th cycle sa DROP, naangkon namo ang among dugay na nga gipangandoy.”

Barangay Poblacion East Kibawe is implementing the construction of 0.110KM Road Concreting along Purok 1 as part of its local economy recovery efforts.

Kibawe Mayor Reynaldo Ang Rabanes extends his full support for all Kalahi-CIDSS projects in each barangay, providing material and financial support from the local government for the timely completion and turnover of all sub-projects to the community.

All Kalahi-CIDSS projects under DROP are set to finish October this year.