One gets easily discouraged when life offers you limited choices. The future does not seem any better for Rolly P. Oracion as he only completed elementary education finding it difficult to find a stable job for himself. His family makes ends meet by loaning in micro-finance institutions and neighbors which gets paid from the corn harvests. During harder times, they are forced to sell their livestock just so that they can buy food to put on their table. 

An opportunity came knocking on their doorsteps literally on June 2017. It was the last call for enrollees to the Backhoe HEO NCII Skills Training at Brgy. Minsuro, Manolo Fortich, a Sustainable Livelihood Program Employment Facilitation through Skills Training track project. A worker from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) visited Rolly and his wife Gina at their house and offered them a slot to the aforementioned training. Rolly was hesitant at first because he felt too old to be hired and he has not finished his formal schooling. His wife prodded him to grab this opportunity. He shared that there were times he felt quitting from the training but his wife motivated him to finish it. And finished he did with NCII certification.

With complete requirements, including a valid driver’s license, he was easily hired by private companies and contractors. His job experiences harnessed his skill in operating a backhoe equipment. After finishing project-based jobs, he finally landed in GAMMA Food Inc. on May 2019 as mainstay operator for regularization within the year. There he earned a daily salary of Php457, complete with health and social pension benefits. 

Rolly is more than optimistic than ever in facing the challenges ahead of him. He is grateful that they were able to pay off their debts that they can finally start saving for their house renovation and buy a motorcycle which he needs to use to and from his work station. There are times he ends up getting soaked in the rain when going home. For now, he is simply beyond grateful to be employed so as not to worry when they would get money to buy for their meals and daily needs as he has a regular salary every 15 days. 

The rest of the family are also doing good on their own. Gina is a Pantawid Parent Leader and President of an SLPA in Brgy. Sto. Niño, which was funded recently this November 4, 2019. The group project is cassava production. His eldest son is also a Backhoe NCII holder and is working at Dahilayan Forest Park as Park Attendant. His eldest daughter is enrolled at National Bukidnon Community College taking up B.S. Business Administration, while their youngest child is an enrolled Grade 10 student at Manolo Fortich National High School. They ascertain that the grants they receive from the Pantawid Program as they comply with the conditions. 
The future is better now for Rolly and he can only say these words “Daghan salamat sa DSWD kay natagaan mi ani nga opportunidad.” (Thank you, DSWD, for giving us this kind of opportunity.)

Walay sapayan, Rolly.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) National Community-Driven Development Program (NCDDP) demonstrates that the community-driven development (CDD) approach enables more inclusiveness, broader community participation, gender transparency, and accountability in all stages of barangay development process.

CDD inherently reinforces good governance values mandated by 1991 Local Government Code. This makes it essential to integrate and adopt CDD elements in the barangay development planning and budgeting process anchored on knowledge gains from several years of DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS implementation using the participatory process, tools, and techniques learned from the program’s Community Empowerment Activity Cycle.

The DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS introduced the Makilahok initiative in 2018 with the hopes of strengthening community participation in local development, with CDD as the anchor. It is also known as Participatory Local Governance: Barangay Development Planning and Management Capacity Enhancement Initiative.  

The DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS Makilahok is implemented in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The regional program management office of the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS Region 10 recently monitored the Makilahok implementation in the Municipality of Don Victoriano Chiongbian, Misamis Occidental. Commonly known as Don Victoriano, it also bears the nickname “The Crossroads of Misamis Occidental” and is home to Mount Malindang National Park.

The DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS Makilahok community sub-projects currently implemented in the municipality are as follows: Barangay Maramara – construction of a barangay health center; Barangay Petianan – concreting of 0.300 kilometer single lane barangay access road along Purok 2; Barangay Tuno – concreting of 500 linear meter trail road along Purok 1; Barangay Gandawan – concreting of 0.350 kilometer single road farm-to-market road along Purok 3.

Deputy Regional Program Manager Teofreda Dingal says “the Makilahok initiative of the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS uses Community-Driven Development approach as the backbone for the implementation, engaging the community members to let them realize the importance of community participation and mobilization in local development.”

DSWD Assistant Regional Director for Operations Aldersey Mumar – dela Cruz says “part of participation local governments must consult community members regarding issues or problems in their municipality or barangay; this gives the individual community members an opportunity to be part of the decision-making process on what projects should be given priority.”

ARDO Dela Cruz also reiterates that keeping the communities informed on the physical and financial statues of community projects is vital to local development.

To date, there are 604,048 community volunteers who worked together to complete the 26,828 community sub-projects nationwide using the Community-Driven Development approach.

In the Philippines, the CDD approach to inclusive growth, social protection and governance is implemented through the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS National Community-Driven Development Program.

A bill seeking to institutionalize CDD is already filed in the 18th Congress entitled AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT APPROACH AS A NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH AND SOCIAL PROTECTION, MANDATING ALL NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, INCLUDING THEIR ATTACHED AGENCIES, OFFICES AND BUREAUS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTRUMENTALITIES TO IMPLEMENT THEIR COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, AND PROJECTS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR.

The bill is individually authored by Congressman Maximo “Maxi” Dalog (HB 4407), Congressman Lianda B Bolilia (HB 4470), and Congressman Allen Jesse C Mangaoang (HB 4764). Senator Risa Hontiveros authors the bill in the senate now known as Senate Bill 1057. Lanao del Norte 1st District Congressman Mohamad Khalid Q. Dimaporo also expressed his strong support in institutionalizing the Community-Driven Development approach.

Child Labor is a social problem affecting many children in the Philippines. It is a form of exploitation that deprives children of their childhood by forcing them through any form of work, consequently interfering their ability to attend school.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 10 (DSWD-10) condemns child labor as it affects the well-being of children, including their mental, physical, social, and moral growth.

In partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment-10, ChildFund Philippines, the Local Government of Maramag, Bukidnon, including the local officials of Barangays Camp 1 and Base Camp, and Kaanib Foundation, Inc., DSWD-10 gathered 54 children victimized by child labor through implementation of the Strategic Helpdesks for Information, Education, Livelihood and other Developmental Interventions (SHIELD) – a project that aims to strengthen the capacity of local government units (LGUs) in the prevention and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.

The children were gathered by the local and national government institutions in celebration to the World Day Against Child Labor held last July 3, 2019 in Maramag, Bukidnon – a pilot area for the implementation of SHIELD in Region 10.

In the celebration, the children were given educational grants as a way to encourage families to send their children to school, instead of them being victimized by child labor.

More and more mothers who are beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Northern Mindanao have now started harvesting vegetables from their garden this season to prepare a menu for their children in schools.

In Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental, 4Ps mothers are now busy preparing for a feeding practice implemented in all day care centers and elementary schools of the 28 barangays weekly, which will run in the whole month of July. Every feeding day, all 4Ps beneficiaries are required by the DSWD to harvest vegetables from their backyard garden and prepare them according to the agreed menu of the week. To sustain the production of their garden, they are to plant anew after harvesting.

The feeding practice of the town aims to provide nutritious food to school children which is implemented in close coordination between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10, Department of Education, and the Local Government Unit of Bonifacio.

Dave Torrefranca, Municipal Action Team leader of DSWD assigned in Bonifacio, disclosed that the practice has been going in Bonifacio town for three years now. He said all elementary schools have communal garden for the 4Ps beneficiaries after DepEd officials in Bonifacio town suggested to the Municipal Inter-Agency Committee of 4Ps to strengthen the planting of vegetables among (number of 4Ps beneficiaries) beneficiaries of the Program.

Meanwhile, all 4Ps parents in Delabayan, Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte collectively prepare and cook their produce during their respective Family Development Sessions. The grantees share them among themselves after the session.

A day before a session, 4Ps mothers are seen harvesting their vegetables and agree with their cluster members on what meal to prepare. Each cluster is composed of 28 to 30 household members.

Pantawid Pamilya is a government’s poverty-reduction strategy that provides cash grants to extremely poor households aimed at helping them raise educated and healthy children aged 18 years and below.

It utilizes the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme where beneficiaries receive cash grant provided that they send their children to school, get preventive health check-up, and the parents attend the monthly Family Development Session (FDS).

Currently, Northern Mindanao has 259,675 active household beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya. 

Lanao del Norte — More than 3,600 families affected by Tropical Storm Falcon that hit the province on July 16, 2019 received family food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 10 (DSWD-10) as a response to the request of four municipalities to augment resources in the disaster operation.

DSWD report showed that as of July 20, 2019, the municipalities of Lala, Salvador, Sapad, and Kapatagan, Lanao de Norte had 71 totally damaged houses, and six partially damaged houses that as result of the storm.

In the report, Kapatagan showed the most number of affected families, with 1,691 families or 6,176 individuals; Sapad with 803 families or 3,484 individuals; Lala with 733 families or 3,139 individuals; and Salvador with 410 families or 2,050 individuals.

Costing DSWD with more than P2.8 Million to augment resources to the local government units, 5,298 family food packs were distributed. Each family food pack has six kilos of rice, 4 cans of sardines, 4 cans of tuna, and six sachets of coffee.

Each family is given three (3) family food packs from DSWD.

As of this writing, DSWD-10 continues to distribute family food packs to families affected by Tropical Storm Falcon.

DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista (in blue) and IP leaders commit to Regional Peace and Order Council X’s (RPOC-X) resolution condemning CPP-NPA Atrocities in the Region. The commitment was made during the Launching of Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev) at Barangay Iba, Cabanglasan, Bukidnon on January 28,2019.

“Labanan po natin ang kahirapan sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaisa. Hikayatin po natin ang ating mga kapatid na nasa kabilang bakod na magbalik loob sa pamahalaan. Sa gayon makapiling nila ang kanilang pamilya at mabuhay ng matiwasay.
“Sa parte po ng gobyerno, gagawin po namin lahat ng paraan upang matugonan ang kanilang pangangailangan.”

-Secretary Bautista to the residents of Cabanglasan, Bukidnon during the launching of Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev) on June 28,2019.

DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Baustista (in blue), Director Mari-Flor Dollaga-Libang (in red) and other heads of different national government agencies pose for peace and change during the launching of Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev) at Barangay Iba, Cabanglasan, Bukidnon on June 28, 2019.