DSWD to facilitate learning exchange between ComVal, Albay

DAVAO CITY -- A Memorandum of Understanding to set up a learning exchange was signed Tuesday by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary Camilo Gudmalin, Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy and Albay Governor Joey Salceda at the Marco Polo Hotel.

The learning exchange, which will run for six months, is intended to be a mechanism for the two provincial governments to share their knowledge and experiences in the implementation of the community-driven development (CDD) strategy.

The CDD is a development approach that has been proven effective by Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), one of the three core poverty alleviation programs of the DSWD, along with Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya) and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

DSWD, through Kalahi-CIDSS, will be responsible for facilitating the exchanges between Albay and Compostela Valley, with technical support coming from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Aside from discussing their experiences in CDD implementation, Compostela Valley and Albay will also be sharing their knowledge and experiences in handling critical issues, including but not limited to disaster risk reduction and management.

Both provinces have experiences in handling rehabilitation efforts following disasters. Compostela Valley is still in the recovery period following Typhoon Pablo in 2012. Albay, on the other hand, is frequently visited by natural disasters such as typhoons and landslides. Such occurrences strongly contribute to the level of poverty of the residents.

Earlier this year, Albay and Compostela Valley were chosen to be part of the DSWD pilot testing of the enhancement of the PLGUs’ roles in CDD implementation.

According to DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, the provincial governments can serve as the “missing link” that will be able to better connect the local government units with the national government to address the needs of the citizenry, particularly those affected by poverty.

She said, “By engaging PLGUs in CDD, we will be able to ensure that the needs of the common citizens will be taken into consideration when the provincial development plan is made. In that way, we will be able to see to it that no one will be left behind in development, not even those who live in the hinterlands”.

After 10 years of implementation, Kalahi-CIDSS is now preparing to scale up its operations into the National Community-Driven Development Program (NCDDP), which will expand its reach to cover the poorest municipalities in the Philippines.