Barangay officials and community volunteers recounted their success in KALAHI-CIDSS NCDDP sub-project implementation for Phase 1 during the Municipal Accountability Reporting in Salvador, Lanao del Norte. 20-million worth of infrastructure investment, mainly on road improvements, have been delivered under the Program’s Additional Financing.
With a largely agrarian economy, 21 concrete roads will help ease the transport of goods and agricultural inputs to and from markets. It also gives people better access to local facilities in education and health.
Salvador is not new to KALAHI-CIDSS implementation, having undergone DSWD programs that use the Community-Driven Development (CDD) strategy, the municipality became one of the pilot areas to implement poverty-reduction projects.
Since 2018, CDD was practiced in the municipality under DSWD’s Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS), Makamasang Tugon, Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA), Makilahok: Strengthening Community Participation in Local Development, and now, the KALAHI-CIDSS NCDDP Additional Financing.
Local officials express their support for CDD institutionalization to see more development in their community.
“Akong suportahan ang CDD Bill kay dako og katabang ang KALAHI sa among barangay. Gikan sa pagsugod nako paglingkod [isip opisyal] hantod karon, ang KALAHI maoy nagsuporta sa among barangay. Kay kung ang among IRA lang ang saligan, gamay ra kaayo ang daganan sa project. Dako kaayo ang among pasalamat… kay ang among counterpart gamay lang, pero dako ang project nga mahatag nila sa amoa.”
(I will support the CDD Bill because KALAHI has greatly helped our barangay. Since I became an elected official until now, KALAHI has supported us. If we only rely on our local funds, we would not achieve much. We are truly grateful… because our cash counterpart for the project is small, but what we got is more than our contribution,) said Punong Barangay Rogelio Secuya of Brgy. Sudlon.
The fifth class municipality clamors for infrastructure development to increase socioeconomic benefits and improve living conditions.
LGU Salvador shells out a local cash counterpart of 4 million for Phase 1 implementation of KALAHI-CIDSS additional financing. Two more phases are left under the Program, giving an opportunity for every barangay to implement two more sub-projects.