Children enrolled in a child development center (CDC) in Barangay La Paz, Santiago, Agusan del Norte on Friday (October 24) give a warm welcome to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian during their visit to the learning facility.
The center was built through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) of the DSWD. Since its completion in 2023, the CDC has served as a safe and nurturing learning space built and continuously maintained by the townsfolk.
President Marcos led the distribution of school bags to the young learners and turned over a Starlink internet connectivity system to enhance digital access for the center and nearby households. The Chief Executive also spent time with the children during a storytelling session and thanked the community volunteers who helped construct the center.
Also present during the visit were DSWD Undersecretary Monina Josefina Romualdez, DSWD Field Office Caraga Region Director Mari-Flor Dollaga, Santiago Municipal Vice Mayor Zenaida Lim, and La Paz Barangay Captain Benjamin Lim Jr. (LSJ)
PBBM, DSWD chief visit KALAHI-CIDSS-built daycare center in Agusan del Norte
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Friday (October 24) accompanied President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr for a visit to a child development center (CDC) constructed under the agency’s Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) in Brgy. La Paz, Santiago, Agusan del Norte.
Upon his arrival, President Marcos expressed his gratitude to KALAHI-CIDSS volunteers for their significant role in promoting community-driven development or CDD.
“Maraming salamat sa inyo,” President Marcos told the volunteer-residents of Brgy. La Paz.
During the visit, Secretary Gatchalian mentioned to President Marcos that the CDD project was completed in August 2023 and has been a safe and nurturing learning space for the children in the barangay.
The daycare center which was built on a Php3,045,187 budget has benefitted 148 households in Brgy. La Paz.
Due to the weak internet connectivity at the learning facility, President Marcos turned over to the school administrators a Starlink internet connectivity system to enhance digital access for both the learners and community members.
Aside from internet connectivity, President Marcos and Secretary Gatchalian also distributed school bags to the CDC students.
Other officials present in the visit were Undersecretary Monina Josefina Romualdez of the DSWD’s Operations Group, DSWD Field Office Caraga Regional Director Mari-Flor Dollaga, Santiago Municipal Vice Mayor Zenaida Lim, and La Paz Punong Barangay Benjamin Lim Jr.
The KALAHI-CIDSS is a program that uses a community-driven development strategy to ensure people-centered development by providing assistance, capacity-building, and implementation support to poverty-disadvantaged and disaster-affected municipalities.
Through the program, community members actively participate to identify and prioritize their community’s problems and allow them to design, implement, and manage solutions to their priority problems. (AKDL)
