NGO partners with DSWD to monitor CCT in Cordilleras

MANILA, Philippines - Upland Tineg town, a bumpy 7-hour uphill climb from Abra’s capital Bangued, has for decades been left to fend for itself, a victim of intense political strife.

With greater premium now given by the government to education, social services and health, villages in Tineg will finally get the attention they need to spring back to vibrant life as a community of opportunities.

Hoping to reach 9,000 more beneficiaries in the Cordillera region in addition to the present 16,000 beneficiaries via programs such as the conditional cash transfer (CCT), Kalahi-CIDDS and SEA-K, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman recently forged an agreement with the multi-awarded Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG) to help government monitor the implementation of the CCT.

“We need a third eye (to tell us what we are missing),” Soliman challenged civil society groups like the CCAGG, the first NGO that will monitor the implementation of the CCT and other programs on poverty alleviation.

Soliman admitted that a town like Tineg poses challenges, including intense political conflict and lack of access roads due to the physical terrain, but she said the anti-poverty convergence efforts attests to the seriousness of the Aquino government to make a difference in 2011 and beyond.

“It is a welcome move,” Tineg town mayor Edwin Crisologo said upon hearing the news.

“We need watchdog type of activities,” Soliman said. “Tulungan niyo kami maging tapat at maging totoo sa aming sinasabi (Help us be true to our promises),” as she encouraged groups to provide government with feedback on how these programs are affecting the lives of the poor.

Such moves are possible, Soliman explained, because the Aquino government is investing much on health, education and social services. She also noted that the partnership with NGOs is a “signal of the Aquino government’s push for accountability.”

The fact that health, education and social services are getting 34 percent of the 2011 national budget is a “concrete manifestation of the (administration’s) commitment to poverty reduction and making sure that no one is left behind.”

“With these efforts, we can dream of having communities not only educated, but with self-driven livelihood and people-managed and people-developed enterprises,” Soliman added.

The DSWD has estimated the “poorest of the poor” in the country to reach 4.6 million. Soliman said “they are the people we want to reach” through a convergence of the three major social protection programs – Kalahi-CIDSS, SEA-K and the CCT.