SK coastal town to benefit P39.5-M Kalahi-CIDSS projects

LEBAK, Sultan Kudarat — Dahil sa layo ng aming lugar sa
bayan, hindi na umabot ng buhay ang aking isang anak habang papunta kami sa
pinakamalapit na ospital dahil sa sakit na diarrhea, ( Because our village
is far from the town proper, I lost my child while on our way to the nearest
hospital) says Aurelio C. Candado, 56, a resident of Barangay Villamonte here.Villamonte
is located in the northeastern part of town, which is 42 kilometers away from
the town proper and considered as the farthest and hardest-to-reach village
among 27 barangays of Lebak.

Agitating
the situation of Candado and the rest of the villagers of Villamonte, is the
fact that they need a huge amount for vehicle rental in order to bring a person who needs
immediate medical care to the nearest hospital, ranging from P6, 000.00 to P7,
000.00.

The
struggles of Villamonte’s villagers will soon to be thing in the past after
their proposed one unit rescue vehicle with amenities amounting to P P1.35
million has been chosen as one of prioritized projects during the town’s recent
municipal inter-barangay forum (MIBF) conducted under DSWD-Kalahi-CIDSS Program
in towns of Lebak and Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat.

MIBF
is a prioritization process employed by DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS in which instead of
local officials that determine which villages will avail the funds and projects
it is given in the hands of ordinary people of barangays.

Other
community projects that will be funded under the Program in Lebak town include
garbage compactor truck (P.62 million) of Poblacion III, T-breakwater (P4.24
million) of Tibpuan, health centers of
Christiannuevo (P1.2 million) and Bolebak (P1.57 million) and an evacuation
center (P1.87 million) Barurao-1.

Village
of Poloy-Poloy will also soon have rescue vehicle (P1.35), solar street lights
for Pasandalan (P2.22 million) and Pansud (P1.71 million) while Purikay
villagers will soon have water refilling station (P1.31 million) and water
system for Nuling amounting to P502 thousand.

Pearly
Santillana, the town’s area coordinator said that these projects, which are in
far-flung communities , are considered to be most pressing needs with the total
amount of P20.65 million.

We
hope that these projects to address the struggles of villagers and be the
vehicles to access other government services and programs, Santillana said.

Meanwhile,
Genelyn Concemino, the town’s program area coordinator in Kalamansig said that some
P18.85 million of community projects will be benefited by 11 villages under
DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS Program.

Concemino
said that villagers of Santa Maria will soon have training center with
amenities (P2.10 million), a rescue vehicle with amenities (P1.34 million) for
Hinalaan, while darkness will soon to be thing in the past for villagers of
Obial and Cadiz with solar street lights amounting to P1.69 million and P1.68
million, respectively.

Solar
driers will also be constructed in villages of Datu Wasay (P2.05 million) and
Sangay (P2.95 million), birthing clinic in Limulan (P1.49 million), sanitary
toilets and pitcher pumps in Dumanggas Nuevo (P1.47 million), and nutrition
health posts with amenities in Datu Ito Andong (P1.29 million).

Concemino
added that villagers of Nalilidan and Santa Clara will have potable water
system amounting to P1.44 million and 1.30 million, respectively.

Kalahi-CIDSS,
which stands for Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-A Comprehensive and Integrated
Delivery of Social Services, is a national community-driven development program
of DSWD in partnership with the local government units.

The
program aims to bring together different stakeholders so that grassroots
communities work cohesively and transparently to move toward progress, leaving
no one behind in terms of development.

Like
in Candado village, their long-awaited rescue vehicle has finally come into
reality. At the least, he hopes that no more father to feel the excruciating pain he experienced because of the absence or
lack of government project to help them. (Hilbert T. Estacion, regional social
marketing officer, DSWD 12)