Tubungan Mayor Roquito Tacsagon has asked for the support of legislators in the institutionalization of the Community-Driven Development approach in implementing poverty alleviation programs in rural areas.

Tacsagon made his appeal during the turn-over of a quarantine facility in Barangay Male. The quarantine facility with communication equipment and medical amenities is only one of the three COVID-19 projects funded by Kalahi-CIDSS in the town.

Kalahi-CIDSS is a good program. “I hope that legislators will find a heart to support this program. “As your local chief executive will show my 100% support for the institutionalization of this Program, “said Tacsagon.

CDD approach is the strategy employed by the Kalahi-CIDSS of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in implementing its projects in rural areas.

It is a strategy where local communities take control of the planning, implementation, and resource investments for their local development.

CDD ensures that programs integrate the principles of local empowerment, participatory governance, demand-responsiveness, administrative autonomy, greater downward accountability, and enhanced local capacity.

The mayor said he appreciates not only the provision of the sub-projects but the process of implementing them. The process in Kalahi-CIDSS is very clear and ideal that the voice of the people and the majority should always prevail.

Tacsagon said people in the communities were able to assert their needs during consultations and deliberations. It pushes the local government to respond to their needs.

Despite their political indifferences and individual beliefs, Tacsagon said he and the local leaders are united when it involves the welfare of the people.

Tacsagon said Kalahi-CIDSS is one of the best things that happened in Tubungan. “We are hitting two birds with one stone. He hinted at their incapacity to fund projects such as those identified as the town’s COVID-19 response projects.

The mayor said developments in Tubungan would have taken several years had it not for the intervention of Kalahi-CIDSS. The local government unit is dependent on its Internal Revenue Allotment, which is more or less P20 million.

Early this year, Tubungan has identified three major COVID-19 response projects amounting to P8,676,000. Of the P8,676,000 total costs, P8,616,000 is sourced out from the Kalahi grant. While the municipal government also extended a cash counterpart of P60,000. #