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Kalahi-CIDSS projects transform lives in Capiz

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Communities in the hinterlands of the province of Capiz have long been experiencing countless challenges as access to various government services is limited.

Not until one initiative of the government devoted to connecting the poor, vulnerable, geographically isolated, and marginalized communities to various government interventions known as Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was brought to their area.

Diosa Nacionales and Mauricio Zabala, who were both Barangay Development Council-Technical Working Group (BDC-TWG) chairpersons of their respective barangays in Jamindan town, could attest to how the projects and infrastructure developments from the Kalahi-CIDSS have immensely transformed their lives.

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Photo of the finished gabion type slope protection in Brgy. San Vicente, Jamindan. (Photo courtesy of Diosa Nacionales)
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Nacionales, residing in Barangay San Vicente, three kilometers away from the town proper, shared that since 2003, their barangay has been a beneficiary of the community-driven development (CDD) approach of the Kalahi-CIDSS.

They were able to receive a water system project in 2003, granted a health center in 2012, road concreting and road graveling in 2015, a kinder school building constructed in 2018, and now in 2024, they were granted another project for the establishment of a gabion type slope protection.

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Nacionales said that before the construction of the health center in 2006, most of the parents opted to bring their children to the town proper just to be immunized. But now, with the center and a barangay health worker present, they are already conducting monthly immunizations for children every second Wednesday of the month.

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In 2012, before the concreting of their roads, Nacionales noted that during the rainy season, mud from the highway going to the school is very deep and slippery which is dangerous, especially to elementary pupils. 

“Daku gid ang bulig sang Kalahi sa amon banwa tungod sa mga proyekto napahagan-hagan ang kaimulon kag kabudlay sang mga pumuluyo ilabi na gid sa mga kabaranggayan tungod nasolusyonan ang mga problema nga ginakinahangalan sang komunidad (Kalahi has helped our town a lot through its projects, which lessened poverty and suffering of the people by solving the problems that our community needs),” Nacionales said.

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The Jamindan LGU and DSWD hold the turnover ceremony of the gabion type slope protection to San Vicente Elementary School on Feb. 2. (Photo courtesy of Jamindan Today Facebook page)
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Further, on February 2, the Jamindan municipal government and DSWD turned over the gabion-type slope protection to San Vicente Elementary School (ES) for the protection and safety of more than 300 pupils and also teachers. 

Nacionales said that the wall of the school’s computer building is situated in a sloppy area that is prone to soil erosion. 

“Ang slope protection mabuligan niya prevent and soil erosion kag landslide sa pader sang eskwelahan kag napahagan-hagan ang kabaskugon sang tubig nga nagasulod sa eskwelahan (The slope protection will help prevent soil erosion and landslide in the school wall, hence, lessen the water current that goes inside the school vicinity),” Nacionales added. 

Zabala, a 74-year-old indigenous people (IP) leader and the chairperson of Barangay Jaena Norte, tucked 10 kilometers away from the town proper, said that just as Nacionales, they have been a beneficiary of the Kalahi-CIDSS projects.

Last January 25, the local government unit of Jamindan and the team from DSWD also turned over the P2 million concrete road at Sitio Proper.

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During the turnover ceremony of the P2 million road concreting in Brgy. Jeana Norte. (Photo courtesy by Jamindan Today facebook page)
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Zabala shared that before the construction of the concrete road going to the elementary school, they had low enrollees and some of the students opted to enroll in other barangays or transfer to the Gen. Camp Macario Peralta, which is three kilometers away from the Sitio Proper. 

“Wala nakapa enroll ang mga kabataan kay malisud ang dalan kapin na kung mag tudo ang ulan grabe ang lutak kag madanlog ang dalan, may foot walk man tani pero naguba man (The students were not able to enroll because of the slippery and difficult roads to traverse during the rainy season. There was once a footwalk but it was also damaged),” Zabala added.

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The Kalahi-CIDSS has granted a total of P18,338,500.00 for the subprojects in 26 villages of Jamindan town, where the municipal and barangay LGUs also gave a counterpart contribution of almost P5 million. 

Aside from reducing poverty and building infrastructure projects, the program also puts community members at the center of the development process. 

According to the DSWD, to successfully empower community members, Kalahi-CIDSS provides various capacity-building opportunities.These interventions provide community members with the tools and resources they need to better understand and identify the most pressing issues in their community.

The stories shared by Nacionales and Zabala as primary beneficiaries of Kalahi-CIDSS portray the continuous efforts of the government in helping the communities and empowering the people anchored on its ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ advocacy, realizing what President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has uttered in his speech during the kick-off ceremony of Bagong Pilipinas, “Sa Bagong Pilipinas, may pag-asa ang lahat. Ang pag-asa ng bayan ay nasa ating lahat (In Bagong Pilipinas, everyone has hope. The hope of the nation lies in us all),” President Marcos said. (AGP/PLF/PIA Capiz)

About the Author

Pia Lorraine Francisco

Information Officer

Region 6

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