By Maricar M. Calubiran

THE concerted participation of local officials from the barangay to municipal levels in the Kalahi-CIDSS projects frees them from suspicions of graft and corruption typical in other government projects implemented in the local levels.

Village Chief Ariel Ilaran of Barangay Napnot, Madalag, Aklan affirms the said observation, saying the innovative features of the Kalahi-CIDSS even managed to let politicians from opposing parties work together for the good of the communities involved.

He says the distinct system of Kalahi-CIDSS is slowly helping barangay officials improve their reputation as the community volunteers take part in the project, ensuring transparency and accountability at all levels.

He notes that it is common for the barangay residents to doubt the village chief every time one spearheads a project for they think these are done because of some ulterior motives such as “kickbacks” or “profit.”

Yet true leaders will recognize the value of Kalahi-CIDSS in addressing poverty in the communities, Ilaran says.

TRANSFER OF FUNDS

“Ang pundo wala et gaagi sa barangay kapitan. Deretso ga kadto sa barangay account. Ang kapitan indi man signatory sa tseke. Gani indi man kami pag suspetsahan nga ginbulsa namon kwarta et barangay (The barangay captain does not handle the money. Instead, it goes directly to the barangay account. The barangay captain is also not the signatory of the check. As such, we cannot be accused of pocketing the barangay’s money),” he says.

Ilaran is one of the barangay leaders who welcome the entry of Kalahi-CIDSs in Madalag while Napnot is one of the 14 out of the 25 barangays in Madalag that were prioritized in the first cycle of Kalahi-CIDSS-Millennium Challenge Corporation implementation in Aklan.

While there are those who may complain about the cash flow process implemented by Kalahi-CIDSS, Ilaran says it is more important that the projects are materialized and completed.
“Wala man problema sa akon kon wala ea gaagi sa akon hay basta ang proyekto gatupa (It’s not a problem if the money is not coursed to me, what is important is the project pushes through),” he says.

He notes that before their village project was implemented, the community is briefed on how Kalahi-CIDSS works, including how the budget is raised and spent, how the Internal Revenue Allotment fund would be spent, and the need of the community to provide a local counterpart contribution for the 1.627 kilometer farm-to-market road in Sitio Dum-eag.

Ilaran also notes how the conduct of barangay assemblies helped his constituents understood the Kalahi-CIDSS project, including the process when they will determine what type of project they want in the village.

“Bago man ea sa amon nga pumuluyo ang gakilala sang kinahanglanon nga proyekto sang barangay (Being asked to identify what projects are needed in the barangay is a new experience to us),” Ilaran says.

EMBRACING THE Kalahi-CIDSS PROCESS

Kalahi-CIDSS adheres to its process known as Community Empowerment Activity Cycle (CEAC), which is composed of five stages: Social Preparation, Project Identification and Planning, Project Prioritization, Project Implementation and Transition.

While the concept is new to the residents of Napnot, they quickly participated in the process, seeing the transparency and people participation-centered approach which set Kalahi-CIDSS distinct from other types of government programs.

Ilaran also notes how the transparency of Kalahi-CIDSS made it easier for landowners to donate a portion of their properties for the village’s farm-to-market road project. The village council, he says, talked to more than 10 landowners to ensure the smooth implementation of the project.

With the village’s farm-to-market road project, he says it made the transport of farm products easier. He stresses the importance of the project for an agricultural community like theirs since the income of the villagers depends on how well they can sell their crops such as rice, copra, abaca and root crops in the market.

When it rains, and with the absence of farm-to-market road, the villagers suffer huge losses in their income, he says.

As such, the arrival of Kalahi-CIDSS in the community was met with excitement.

“Adlaw-adlaw gakadto ako sa project site kag ginalantaw ang obra sang contractor para masiguro nga tama ang pag-obra sang proyekto sang barangay (Every day I go to the project site to check and monitor on whether the contractor does the project properly),” he says.

At 38, Ilaran hopes to help his community more through Kalahi-CIDSS. As a leader, he believes it is his duty to help in the implementation of the project for after all, it is the entire community that will benefit.

Ilaran, a second-termer barangay captain, proudly admits that he is actively rallying for the support of other barangay captains in the proper implementation of the Kalahi-CIDSS in their municipality.

“Nami manea hay ang pagpili sang proyekto nga pagapundohan hayag nga ginahimo. Kon hindi ikaw ka partido sang mayor budlayan man ikaw kakuha sang proyekto (It is good that the selection of projects for funding is made transparent. In the past, it was hard to get projects for your barangay if you do not belong to the same party with the mayor),” he says.

“Indi na magasto pamasahe pa balik-balik sa politico pangayo sang proyekto. Ari na ang Kalahi-CIDSS (We do not have to spend money in transportation expenses to go to politicians to ask for projects. Kalahi-CIDSS is here),” Ilaran quips.

Ilaran says he is looking forward for more projects in Napnot, in line with Kalahi-CIDSS desire to empower even the most impoverished barangays in the countryside.

WB STUDY CONFIRMS Kalahi-CIDSS IS ANTI-CORRUPTION

According to a study conducted by a consultation team for the World Bank, the existing program control measures employed by Kalahi-CIDSS were found to be highly effective to curb corruption.

The team looked into the governance and anti-corruption risks within the Kalahi-CIDSS’s CEAC.

Initial study results showed that the control employed by Kalahi-CIDSS is highly effective in being free from corruption due to the various levels of monitoring and evaluation built into the process, the existence and strict adherence to the project’s guidelines, and the commitment of the staff and community volunteers who serve as watchdogs against irregularities.

The study also cited that while there have been attempts to commit anomalies at the local level, these have been quickly prevented due to the vigilance of the communities against corruption.*