Development proj gains vs poverty in Cordillera

BAGUIO CITY – Government’s community-driven development approach - Kapit Bisig Laban saKahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services or Kalahi-CIDSS, now on its ninth year of implementation, is gaining ground against poverty in the highland Cordillera.

Through the empowerment of local communities and improvement of local governance in the region, the project primarily implemented by the DSWD, currently covers 19 towns in the region.

Implementation of the Kalahi-CIDSS, a major poverty reduction program that employs participatory development mechanisms in addressing community needs, is successful in Besao town in Mt. Province, one of the leading beneficiaries of Kalahi-CIDSS.

Besao recently was considered as “a cross over municipality” from the World Bank funding to its current Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) funding. With this, the town, according to DSWD Cordillera director Leonardo Reynoso, is entitled to two more years of funding.

Besao reached the status of a cross over municipality owing to the progress of its sub-project implementation and its acceptance and adoption of Project’s principles and processes.

At present, Besao has completed 11 out of 12 projects including the improvement of a communal irrigation system, the construction of drainage canals, and a day care center. The average physical accomplishment for the municipality is 96.82 percent.

Aside from the 12 community projects prioritized, the local government unit has also funded a foot bridge project worth P333,935, using the community-driven approach.

Meanwhile, Tinoc, Hingyon, and Asipulo towns in Ifugao, Pinukpuk in Kalinga and San Quintin in Abra are among those under the MakamasangTugon towns (MT), now being funded by the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) of the US.

Under MT, the towns are given the means to accomplish sub-projects through the Kalahi-CIDSS.

At present, the DSWD-Cordillera said, Tinoc and Asipulo top the list of areas with the most number of completed projects. Both have 100 percent physical accomplishments followed by San Quintin at 89.71 percent, Hingyon with 76.06 percent, and Pinukpuk at 57.17 percent.

However, Lacub and San Isidro in Abra and Tanudan in Kalinga, which were also under MT, have reportedly withdrawn from the Project.

Sub-projects are on-going in Conner and Kabugao in Abra, Pasil and Tinglayan in Kalinga, and Besao in Mt. Province, the DSWD-CAR added.

The DSWD report also disclosed over P40.7-million of the P79.2-million worth of grants for 2012 have been released to the community beneficiaries for the implementation of sub-projects.

Since 2003, Kalahi-CIDSS has allowed poor communities in Cordillera to complete a total of 370 sub-projects ranging from common services facilities to small public infrastructures. A total of over 180.4-million worth of grants have been utilized for the Project’s implementation since then.