The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) briefs the media on Tuesday (August 12) in preparation for the first-ever media immersion tour for the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) project sites in Zamboanga del Sur.
The briefing held at the Bay Plaza Hotel in Pagadian City was presided by Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Asst. Secretary Edmon Monteverde, KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Management Office (NPMO) Program Manager Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin, Digital Media Service (DMS) Director Diane Joie Ruiz, Field Office (FO) 9-Zamboanga Peninsula Director Riduan Hadjimuddin, and FO Zamboanga Asst. Regional Director Ma. Socorro Macaso.
Members of the Media will be able to see the completed KALAHI-CIDSS projects and converse with the villagers during the actual immersion tour to be led by Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday (August 13) in the Municipalities of Midsalip and Dumingag.
Present during the briefing were teams from PTV-4, Net 25, UNTV, Bilyonaryo News Channel, PIA Zamboanga del Sur, Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) Pagadian, Radyo Bagting, Dumingag IGMAT, Juander Radyo 101.7FM, and Medialink. (GDVF)
DSWD chief to lead media immersion tour of 2 KALAHI-CIDSS projects in Zambo del Sur
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian will take members of the Media for an immersion tour in Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday (August 13) to witness firsthand the actual projects under the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).
The KALAHI-CIDSS is one of the poverty alleviation programs of the DSWD which uses the community-driven development (CDD) approach.
“Under the CDD, the KALAHI-CIDSS empowers communities in poor municipalities to identify their needs, prepare their proposals, as well as implement and monitor their developmental projects. Aside from the construction of basic service facilities, the program helps capacitate the community members to partake in their collective development,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, who is also the DSWD’s spokesperson, said on Tuesday (August 12).
In its two decades of implementation, the KALAHI-CIDSS program is responsible for the completion of 91,625 community infrastructure sub-projects across 16 regions, benefitting countless households.
These projects include bridges, foot paths, foot trails, access paths, roads, school buildings, evacuation centers, flood control, river control, drainage, riprap wall, and slope protection.
For the scheduled 2-day immersion, members of the media will have an opportunity to witness the KALAHI-CIDSS implementation and interact with community beneficiaries in the municipalities of Midsalip and Dumingag in Zamboanga del Sur.
“Sa Media Forum ng DSWD, nabanggit ng mga partner natin sa media yung pagnanais nilang makita ang resulta ng proyekto at madinig mismo ang boses ng mga beneficiaries. Dahil nais nating ipakita ang development na dulot ng KALAHI-CIDSS program at ang impact nito sa komunidad, inorganisa namin itong immersion program,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
In Midsalip town, the community will be discussing the proposal for the construction of bridges with connecting pathways and other basic service facilities to address gaps and vulnerabilities in the area. Presently, members of the community need to cross rivers and unsafe paths to get to their destinations.
“Participants of the immersion will get to witness a meeting for the discussion of the project and participatory resource allocation in Barangay Pisompongan. The meetings form an integral part of the CDD process where community members will voice out their ideas together with the municipal and barangay leaders,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao explained.
To complete the immersion experience, the media will get to see firsthand some of the constructed bridges in the town of Dumingag.
“As part of the immersion, participants will walk through the hanging bridge in Barangay Lower Timonan and the concrete bridge in Barangay Lower Landing. Magkakaroon din ng kamustahan with the community members para makausap sila directly ng ating media partners,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
The activity is only the first among the immersion initiatives that the Department will be sponsoring as a way of putting concrete names and faces to the accomplishment reports of DSWD programs, particularly the KALAHI-CIDSS.
“Soon, another modality of the KALAHI-CIDSS will be implemented by the DSWD, which is the Panahon ng Pagkilos. Another CDD approach, the Panahon ng Pagkilos modality incorporates environmental hazard resilience indicators to prepare the communities for the effects of climate change,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the DSWD hopes that members of the Media are able to help in raising public awareness and support on the agency’s developmental programs, beginning with the KALAHI-CIDSS’ Panahon ng Pagkilos project and the importance of the CDD in nation building. (GDVF)
