BAGUIO CITY(PIA) — The sustainability evaluation tool (SET) of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) enables local government units to ensure quality, and inclusivity of local projects.
Beneficiaries of the Department of Social welfare and Development (DSWD)- KALAHI-CIDSS program in Cordillera testified how the SET pushes local government units to play a crucial role in the assessment and evaluation of ongoing projects.
Representatives from local government units of Kibungan, Benguet, and Tadian and Bauko, Mountain Province, explained during the knowledge exchange forum on October 16, 2024 in Baguio City how the SET was able to ensure the long-term impact of the KALAHI-CIDSS projects in their respective areas.
“This set of KALAHI enhances the local monitoring of the BLGU because this involves all the stakeholders, both the municipal and the barangay, and community, and there has to be a representative from CSOs(civil society organizations) in the operation and maintenance of the projects,” Glenda Lomino, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer of Tadian said.
“For Tadian, if we implement the SET, the mayor issues an executive order constituting the members of the multisectoral stakeholders inspectorate team, they will do the monitoring of projects. We need to monitor the projects to identify gaps as early as possible during the implementation, so we can immediately respond whatever issues and concerns, in compliance with the standards of the project,” she shared.
Kibungan Municipal Engineer Antonio Kito also praised the SET. He also hopes for this to be contextualized for the local level to understand.
“This tool actually is a good tool that can be adopted by the local government unit in the implementation of their local projects. We need to move forward in institutionalizing the conduct of SET, we could also design in context to fit this in the local level,” he said.
The SET is a critical component of the KALAHI-CIDSS program aimed at assessing the sustainability of community-driven development projects.
This evaluation which is being done in a survey form, through a focused group discussion, and the actual inspection of subprojects, is conducted in three rounds- six months after project completion, and then one year after for two consecutive years.
This is specifically designed to assess the status and actual utilization of the completed subprojects, and the determination of proper assistance to the operations and maintenance organization, and the barangay LGU which enables them to operate the constructed subproject in a sustainable matter. (JDP/CVBT-PIA CAR)
