The Department of Social Welfare and Development has made it to a point that regardless of the issues being thrown at the institution, it is being dealt by showing how successful programs are being implemented, and how transparent transactions are dealt with. In fact, in Region X, the management has clearly maximized all programs to subsidize all beneficiaries by employing qualified and competent workers. To do so, the management, with the constant supervision of the Regional Director, Atty. Araceli F. Solamillo, has made sure all workers are knowledgeable of all the programs offered by the department in the region.

Workers from top positions to the bottom are comprehensively informed of the progress of the programs and important matters that has something to do with ensuring that regional operations are at its best.

The Convergence Strategy of maximizing impact of the three Anti-Poverty Programs of the Department, namely, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4 P’s), the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP, formerly known as SEA-K) or the TATSULO Program is at full swing at ensuring that people who deserve government aid are reached by programs that would address their needs. A true testament to this is the municipality of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte.

In 2008, the municipality had gone through a serious ordeal when Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels attacked civilians in Muslim and Christian barangays in the municipality. War broke out in Lanao del Norte and the people were the biggest losers in the battle.  The little progress that the municipality felt had a set-back because of the conflict. With the entry of the TATSULO Program, problems brought about by the forgettable incidents of 2008 will now be dealt with.

The Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA Program is a project of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) program geared at aiding armed conflict areas by providing them necessary sub-projects to bring them back on track on progress. It is being managed by the DSWD through the Community-Driven Development Program of the Department, the Kalahi-CIDSS. Through the program, barangays are given the opportunity to deal with problems brought about by the armed conflict issues in the area. All thirteen barangays of the municipality have benefited from twelve sub-projects (Brgy. Libertad and Brgy. Tacub had a merged water system project) for the PAMANA Cycle 1 implementation.

As of the moment, the municipality is implementing the PAMANA Cycle 2, which will then again provide their different barangays with means to deal with the problems of armed conflict and the different effects it has brought to the lives of the people of Kauswagan.

The Municipality is also benefitting from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).  There are a total of two thousand seventy-four (2,074) beneficiaries of the program distributed in six (6) sets and a hundred and seventy-three (173) of these beneficiaries are under the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer – Extended Age Coverage Program, where beneficiaries or families with children 15-17 are still provided cash grants for their continuing schooling needs.

The 4Ps is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor families, particularly families with children aged 0 to 14 years old. Pantawid Pamilya provides cash grants to beneficiaries provided that they comply with the set of conditions required by the program. The program provides immediate relief from difficulties that often push families to sacrifice their future to survive the present. It aims at putting an end to the inter-generation of poverty that a lot of Filipino families are facing.

Lastly, Kauswagan also benefits from the Sustainable Livelihood Program through the Bottom up Budgeting Program (BUB) in the municipality. The SLP implements and manages funds of the BUB. Through the Sustainable Livelihood Program, 340 beneficiaries (households/groups) have benefitted from Php 3,400,000 worth of livelihood capital and benefitted from SLP trainings on livelihood sustainability and compatibility.

Kauswagan went through a troubled past. But the future is bright for the people of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte all because the government, through the different programs of the department tries to ensure that the municipality be steered back to its former glory. The Department of Social Welfare and Development will ensure just that through the partnership with the provincial local government unit of Lanao del Norte and the municipal local government unit of Kauswagan. Because of this, all hope is restored for Kauswagan.

Written by: Marko Davey D. Reyes – Social Marketing Officer (Kalahi-CIDSS)