The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in a statement on Saturday, April 27, held an awarding ceremony in Mandaue City, Cebu to recognize the dedication and hard work rendered by Regional Program Management Offices (RPMOs) and Area Coordinating Teams (ACTs) across the nation.
To honor the unsung heroes of its community-driven development (CDD) program, in a video message, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed his gratitude for the ACTS, referring to them as "KALAHI-CIDSS’ Angels in Red Vest" who work tirelessly on the ground.
He emphasized that they embody the spirit of CDD by engaging with people, facilitating meetings, providing technical assistance, and empowering local leaders.
The KALAHI-CIDSS program, which empowers community members in poor and marginalized localities to be active partners in development, achieved a milestone accomplishment in the past year.
According to Gatchalian, the program was able to accomplish 16,320 subprojects benefiting 5.56 million households in 2023 alone - more than three times the average annual accomplishment.
“This is the highest rate of accomplishment – more than three times the average annual accomplishment of 5,000. This is a result of our combined efforts and retooling strategies,” Gatchalian added.
The closing ceremony of the KALAHI-CIDSS Summit was graced by Senator Imee Marcos, who commended the importance of the program in empowering communities and its contribution to government anti-poverty initiatives.
She pledged support for the next version of KALAHI-CIDSS using newer and better processes and monitoring tools.
“We must push forward for community-driven development – stronger, bigger, and faster,” Marcos said.
The senator also assured her support for the next version of KALAHI-CIDSS using newer and better processes and monitoring tools.
DSWD added that the summit provided a platform to equip over 1,000 members of RPMOs and ACTs with knowledge and tools to drive CDD endeavors forward that showcased best practices and accomplishments of the program while highlighting the unity and resilience of poor Filipino communities.