DSWD Assistant Regional Director Shalaine Lucero (right) and assistant regional director Elias Fernandez Jr. of the Department of Interior and Local Government unveil the Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP logo during the program’s second wave launching.
(CDN/TONEE DESPOJO)
48 Cebu LGUs to benefit from the anti-poverty program
A total of 42 municipalities and six cities in Cebu province will be among the 108-town beneficiaries of the P4.15 billion antipoverty program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD 7).
The P4.15 billion budget for the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services–National Community Driven Development Program (Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP) was loaned by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to the Philippine national government last year to help curtail the rising poverty incidence rate.
Shalaine Lucero, assistant regional director for Operations of DSWD 7, said the program’s main objective is to empower communities with self-driven development to bring them out of poverty.
“Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP is new to Region 7, in which communities choose and implement projects that address the most pressing needs in their community,” said Lucero during the Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP second wave launch and conference yesterday at the Bayfront Hotel in North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.
Under the Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP program, the 48 municipalities and cities from Cebu province are eligible to have at least P20 million to P200 million each to spend for community projects until 2018.
“I am happy that Kalahi CIDSS has finally come to our municipality of Alegria, as we are one of the poorest towns here in Cebu. Our small town is beautiful and abundant, all we need is the initiative to make it a better place for our community and Kalahi CIDSS brings us this opportunity,” said Alegria Mayor Verna Magallon.
The funds will be released directly from DSWD 7 to the accounts that are managed by community volunteers after they submit a budget for their projects.
Lucero said the eligibility of the municipalities or cities were based on the prevalence of poverty in their area, the population of the municipality, and the budget initially allocated to them by the province.
“We have noticed that the poverty incidence in Cebu Province is around 24 percent, which is not much lower than the national average. That is why we brought Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP to region 7,” said Macrino Sumagang, the deputy regional program manager of Kalahi CIDSS.
Almost all of the municipalities in Cebu have signed up to be part of Kalahi CIDSS-NCDDP except the municipalities of Dumanjug and Sibonga, for they have not submitted the requirements.
According to Lucero, the national government has signed a contract that indicated that they will be allocating part of the annual national budget to pay off the P4.15 billion loan for Kalahi CIDSS NCDDP. /UP Cebu Intern Juli Ann M. Sibi