SPO1 Edward C. Mandalunes believes that being a public servant requires a lot of energy and time but when it came to being involved in community development, he did not think twice.
Edward volunteered to help in the implementation of KALAHI CIDSS – National Community-Driven Development Program in 2013, despite the demands of his public profession. Having seen that his neighbors in Sitio Lazaro in Barangay Lapasan needed jobs to help them support their families, he took the initiative to carry out the implementation of the program and eventually became the Barangay Subproject Management Chair.
KC-NCDDP is one of the government’s responses to poverty alleviation by empowering communities to be involved in development initiatives. Through this program, the community members are made to identify problems in their village that hinder them from experiencing a good quality of life. Through this identified problems, they are then given the opportunity to propose a project that will help in resolving these, of which the Department of Social Welfare and Development shall fund to and with local contribution from the local government unit.
Driven to help
Edward has been known by his village as a good family man – a loyal husband and a good father to his four children. As a police officer, he has proven his commitment to public service through law enforcement and has gained respect by his peers and by his village due to his leadership ability and his unselfish desire to help them.
“We are glad that SPO1 Edward Mandalunes is our head volunteer because our members respect him and he can impose discipline to the community members, considering that gambling and different forms of vices is a problem in our area,” a co-volunteer shares.
Edward knows that volunteering requires complex tasks. “I believe that as a leader, I should be a good example to everyone. I make sure that I practice what I say. It is inevitable that some people resist change, but I know that one has to be patient and open-minded so that you can lead effectively,” Edward says.
There were times that Edward wanted to quit volunteering but his neighbors always make him change his mind. “After seeing that my neighbors wanted me to lead them and that they believe in me, it is already enough for me to decide to stay with the program implementation.”
Working as a Team
Edward and other 117 volunteers planned and came up with capability-building trainings for the community members to undergo that will aid them in landing to good-paying jobs.
The Capability Building Trainings done by volunteers in Sitio Lazaro has been a success. A total of 118 beneficiaries have undergone various courses such as technical trainings on Pharmacy Servicing, Motorcycle Repair, Housekeeping, Dress Making and Facilitation for Janitorial Services.
According to Edward, the KC-NCDDP has truly helped his village considering that a lot of their project beneficiaries have landed on decent jobs. “My neighbors Helen Dala, Junalee Galindo, Kossel Endrina, Maridel Galindo, Diana Dorro and Ruchelle Lacerte are now working with different firms. The others are also about to fly abroad to do housekeeping jobs and they are just waiting to their papers to be finalized,” he says.
“Kaya pala namin ang pagbabago,” Edward shares, “dahil bilang volunteers, nakakatulong kami sa aming komunidad na silay mabigyan ng maayos at maginhawang buhay.”
written by Mario Luis T. Arquiza, DSWD