completion of their newly-concreted foot trail, which provides a safer and more accessible
route for locals to traverse the area.
The four-year additional financing of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services National Community-Driven Development Program (Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP) in Northern Mindanao closed in the first semester with 1,466 projects completed across 48 municipalities, worth PHP954 million since 2021.
The modality provided the highest portfolio of completed projects in Kalahi-CIDSS history in Region X. Out of the total number of projects completed, 426 are in Lanao del Norte, 387 in Bukidnon, 298 in Misamis Oriental, 237 in Misamis Occidental, and 118 in Camiguin.
Kalahi-CIDSS has partnered with community volunteers, together with barangay and municipal local government units, in implementing community-identified projects aimed at improving access to basic services and enhancing quality of life in rural areas.
Improving road conditions remains the top-funded priority of communities with 569 projects followed by solar street light installation in 482 areas. Other projects also include flood control structures, pre and post-harvest facilities, isolation facilities, health stations, access trails, daycare centers, and sea walls.
Behind these projects are Kalahi-CIDSS community volunteers who are involved in project implementation from planning, budgeting, construction, and monitoring. They undergo a Community Empowerment Activity Cycle (CEAC) which capacitates them in project identification, financial management, procurement activities, project delivery, and operation and maintenance. The program records nearly 20,000 community volunteers throughout the region.
Aside from community empowerment, Kalahi-CIDSS also promotes good governance practices from its principles of participation, transparency, and accountability in delivering government projects.
In its 20th year, Kalahi-CIDSS continues to advocate for the institutionalization of the community-driven development (CDD) program. Among the DSWD flagship programs, only the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) was institutionalized in 2019 through Republic Act No. 11310. Notably, Region X Representatives Jesus Jurdin M. Romualdez of Camiguin and Rufus B. Rodriguez of the 2nd District Cagayan de Oro have supported the CDD Bill.
CDD is an approach that gives poor communities control over decision-making and resources to address local concerns. Kalahi-CIDSS prepares for its successor project, Panahon ng Pagkilos: Community-Climate Action which seeks to improve the resiliency of poor and vulnerable communities to climate change. The intervention involves constructing climate-resilient infrastructure to safeguard communities from the impacts of climate change. The project is set to commence in the second semester of 2025.