Malitbog, Bukidnon — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services – National Community Driven Development (Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP) together with the Local Government Unit here initiated the first Municipal Talakayan in the municipality, November 23, 2015.

Anchored on the theme “Measuring and Learning Together Towards Results”, the Municipal Talakayan was participated by officials of the local government unit, barangay officials, Kalahi-CIDSS volunteers, and the Malitbog community.

DSWD Field Office 10 Assistant Regional Director for Operations Aldersey M. Dela Cruz said that the “Talakayan features the inspiring stories of Malitbog, some of the best and brightest success stories in its history; Talakayan is not the story of DSWD, this is the story of Malitbog, Bukidnon.”

Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP which features a community-driven development approach empowers communities to participate in governance and community development while local governments become more effective in responding to the needs of the community, especially the poor. In Malitbog, there are 28 community volunteers who have worked through the program.

Dela Cruz said that the Talakayan is to “facilitate paghisgut-hisgot sa mga kalambuan diri sa munisipyo sa Malitbog (facilitate discussions on the developments here in the municipality of Malitbog), bringing new hopes to everybody.”

Municipal Mayor Osmundo Dela Rosa, through his wife and Municipal Administrator Aida Dela Rosa, said that “Many times over the past few years, we have been able to demonstrate our unity, we continue to work together, no challenge we cannot overcome, no problem we cannot forebear, through the Kalahi-CIDSS, we deepen our relationships towards uplifting all the lives of our people especially the poorest among the poor.”

Dela Cruz acknowledges this statement saying that she knows how the LGU of Malitbog exerted efforts so to see to it that the municipality will achieve and sustain their developments.

“Gusto ko mubisita sa kada barangay (I want to visit each and every barangay), because this is my work, in order to know that we invested the money, that this is the people’s project” enthused Dela Cruz.

Dela Cruz concludes by saying that the programs of the government are intended to really help the people especially at the community level, she also adds that the DSWD programs are getting bigger and more projects are in place and Talakayan helps facilitate these discussion at the community level,“ang katawhan maoy makigbisog alang sa kalambuan sa munisipyo, mao kini ang tumong sa talakayan” (the people must help in the development of the municipality, this is the essence of talakayan).

Written by: Shaun Alejandrae Y. Uy  (DSWD)