Empowered grassroots implement 27M-worth
projects in Caraga
By Eunice G. Montaos
BUTUAN CITY, July 27 (PIA) - A total of 38
projects amounting to Php 27,080,000.00 were realized in 2013 through the
active participation of the grassroots sector in Caraga with the inclusive
growth-implementation strategy of the KALAHI CIDSS- National Community-Driven
Development Program (KC-NCDDP) under the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD).
DSWD-Caraga regional director Minda Brigoli said
that funding source of the said projects were from the Grassroots Participatory
Budgeting Process (GPBP) of the national government.
“Most of the implemented projects are day care
centers (DCCs). Others include rehabilitation of early childhood care centers,
acquisition of learning materials for some DCCs, livelihood center, evacuation
center, and multi-purpose halls,” Brigoli disclosed.
In Caraga region, Brigoli said 12 areas were recipients of the
KC-NCDDP-facilitated GPBP projects which are the following: Butuan City,
Cabadbaran City, Jabonga, Surigao City, Gigaquit, Basilisa, Dinagat, Esperanza,
Loreto (Agusan del Sur), Barobo, Tagbina, and Bislig City.
KC-NCDDP regional program manager and assistant
regional director for operations Mita Lim mentioned that the engagement in
KC-NCDDP-led GPBP areas started in March 2013 of which a regional level GPBP
consultation was conducted.
“All the projects were completed in May 2014 and
series of inaugurations and turn-over ceremonies were conducted from April to
July 2014,” Lim quipped.
“Fulfillment and satisfaction were strongly felt
by the community volunteers in the barangays who implemented the projects. Most
of them commented that such experience of leading and managing
government-funded projects was their first time and their community’s fresh
experience as well,” she shared.
According to Jean Paul Parajes, DSWD-GPBP focal
person, the active participation of the barangay/municipal/city local
government units (LGUs) through the provision of technical assistance to the
volunteers and the local counterpart contributions (LCCs) for the projects
should also be recognized.
“CDD became a venue in building our capacities
and actualizing our full potentials. With this project of the national
government, we are well-informed of the whereabouts of the intended funds and
we are ensured that those funds are utilized fully for its very purpose. Of
course, we are the ones who managed it,” testified Joel P. Bagayawa, community
volunteer in Libuac, Surigao City.
GPBP, formerly Bottom-Up-Budgeting (BUB), is an
anti-poverty program of the national government. This program is by nature participatory
as its prime movers are the grassroots sector, especially the Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs), in partnership with the LGUs and the national government.
(KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP/Social Marketing Unit/DSWD-13/PIA-Caraga)
