The Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Service through the Asian Development Bank has provided P1.4 billion worth of projects in the province of Iloilo.

The P1.4 billion covers the construction of 1,994 small-scale projects in 33 municipalities from 2014 to the present. Of the 1,994 projects, 299 are still left for completion. Kalahi-CIDSS implementation under the ADB mode will end on June 30,2018.

Kalahi-CIDSS Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist Mark Catague presented the status of the ADB sub-projects for the municipalities included in the province during the “Pag-sugidanon: Forum of Local Government Units (LGUs) Implementing Kalahi-CIDSS Program 2018.”

The municipality of San Dionisio got the biggest share of the grant amounting to P79.7 million. However, the town has still 19 uncompleted sub-projects.

“In line with the ADB closure and with the statistics presented to the local government units, it is our responsibility to hasten the completion of these sub-projects considering that there is a deadline, he said.”

Catague reiterated before mayors and representatives of the local government units that the decision on whether to go on or waived the construction of the sub-projects depends on them considering the timeline.

“Once you failed to meet the deadline, the LGU will be shouldering the remaining expenses,” he said.

If allocated funds are unused, it will be returned to the national treasury.

The largest portion of the fund went to the construction of roads with 748 sub-projects. It is followed by flood and river control with 277 sub-projects , 192 for electrification and 182 for the construction of school buildings.

Other sub-projects include the installation of coral reef sanctuaries, repair of barangay halls, bridges, churches or chapels, municipal buildings, multi-purpose buildings, day care centers, footpaths, health stations, public markets, railings, recreational facilities such as playgrounds and theaters, sanitary toilets, seawalls, small scale irrigations, solid waste management facilities, riprap walls or erosion control, spillways or overflow bridges, tribal housing and water systems.

Furthermore, the grant was also used for capability trainings, feasibility studies and livelihood trainings. Also for the acquisition of boats, disaster response equipment, multi-purpose land vehicles, pre and post-harvest facilities, and other facilities and equipment requested by the LGU.

Catague also hinted that some of the projects have yet to be implemented. “Further delays in the commencement of these projects will affect our timeline.”

Some of the projects like construction of road entails time. “It is difficult to finish this on-time, he said.”#