Expanded anti-poverty program launched

CEBU, Philippines - An expanded anti-poverty program led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development was launched yesterday in Cebu City.

Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services—National Community-Driven Development Program (Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP) will benefit more households starting this year as the program now covers 107 municipalities in Central Visayas. Before, it only covered 14 towns in the entire region.

Kalahi-CIDSS-NCDDP deputy regional program manager Macrino Sumagang said the project can now reach out to more families as it now covers 3,200,000 houses in 2,311 barangays all over Central Visayas.

Department of Interior and Local Government-7 regional director Ananias Villacorta, who graced yesterday’s launching activity, admitted that social service programs like this are prone to being used as a political tool of local chief executives.

But Sumagang assured the DILG regional chief that they have created means to lessen the possibility of corruption.

For instance, the exact amount of funds released to a local government unit will be based on the proposal and program of works submitted by the recipient community and no lump sum money will be released without prior approval and project identification, he said.

KC-NCDDP is a government program that helps empower communities, improve local governance and reduce poverty by giving them improved access to services and making them participate in more inclusive local planning, budgeting and disaster risk-reduction and management.

The program helps communities in building, rebuilding or repairing infrastructure projects like schools, roads, irrigation systems and the likes on their own.

A motorcade in the morning from Cebu Provincial Capitol passing through Osmeña Boulevard, P. Del Rosario, DSWD-7 regional office, and north reclamation area preceded the official launching at Bayfront Hotel.

Around 400 representatives from Bohol, Siquijor, Cebu, Negros Oriental and implementing partners and other government agencies, including mayors, joined the event.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement with mayors and governors also took place, as well the commitment signing and distribution of notice to proceed to 70 beneficiary municipalities. The KC-NCDDP logo was also unveiled during the event.

Alongside the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), KC-NCDDP is one of the three core poverty alleviation programs of the national government implemented by DSWD. It is aligned with the Philippine Development Plan until 2019.

KC-NCDDP is an expansion of the Community Driven Development (CDD) strategy that has been used and proven effective by the Kalahi-CIDSS program for over 10 years. — (FREEMAN)