Butuan City- As the classes for the school year 2014-2015 commenced on June 2, 2014, the newly-constructed and completed 1 unit 2 classroom sub-project under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services- Community-Driven Development (Kalahi-CIDSS CDD) Urban Pilot Project also opened for the 3rd and 4th year students of Agusan Pequeño National High School (APNHS) annex campus in Brgy. Pagatpatan, Butuan City.
This 1.4 M worth sub-project was implemented by the community volunteers through the converged funding assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) amounting to Php 1, 000, 000, the city local government unit (CLGU) of Butuan with a local counterpart contribution (LCC) of Php 200, 000, the barangay LGU of Pagatpatan with Php 166, 000 LCC, and the community residents’ In-Kind contribution amounting to Php 46, 956.
Proper turn-over and ceremonial inauguration was held on June 6, 2014 at the barangay hall in Pagatpatan.
In attendance during the activity were KC-NCDDP National Program Manager and Director Benilda Redaja and her deputy Juan Ceciro Aguilar, World Bank Senior Social Development Specialist Ma. Loreto Padua, DepEd-XIII Regional Tech.Voc Officer Elizabeth Bautista, Regional Project Manager Mita Lim with her staff, Punong Barangay Romanito Amante, Jr., barangay officials, community volunteers, APNHS students, and other residents.
Dir. Brigoli and Dir. Redaja both congratulated the volunteers for successfully completing the sub-project despite the challenges and circumstances that they encountered especially during the procurement and construction stages.
“The efforts of our volunteers finally paid-off as these classrooms are expected to benefit the 786 households in the barangay of which 252 are Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries”, said Brigoli.
Ms.Padua also encouraged the residents to share to others about the gains of implementation using the CDD way.
“The residents in Pagatpatan are so thankful to DSWD for providing this huge project in our barangay,” expressed Gloria Tomolin, Project Implementation Team chairperson, during her sharing of impression.
Tomolin also shared that one reason she volunteered in Kalahi-CIDSS, despite no monetary gain, is that she has the future of her 12 children in mind. She knew very well that her sons and daughters will benefit the classrooms.
Some 3rd year and 4th year students of APNHS also presented a chant to express their gratefulness to those involved in the realization of these concrete classrooms.
“Our high school students can now experience concrete and flood-resilient classrooms which are far from their nipa-roofed rooms that we use,” said Zenaida Jamero, APNHS teacher, and Community Sub-Project Management and Implementation Committee (CSPMIC) chairperson.
“We did not only benefit classrooms, but the people from the grassroots sector who actively and selflessly volunteered in this Project were also empowered. I am always amazed by the CDD approach used by Kalahi-CIDSS of which lowly residents will be entrusted to man a million-worth project to help them achieve not only community development, but personal improvement as well.” Jamero added.
Kalahi-CIDSS CDD Urban is a pilot project in Butuan City which aims at bringing the CDD strategy, used in implementing development projects in rural areas, to the urban area. This is implemented at barangays with the highest population density and poverty incidence in the targeted cities.
In the country, this Project is pilot tested into four (4) regions namely Region V, Region VI, Region X, and Caraga. ###(Eunice G. Montaos/Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office Caraga)
