As told by Aristohe Garcia, Monitoring & Inspection Team
Brgy.Calategas, Narra, Palawan
Kalahi-CIDSS, one of the poverty alleviation programs of the DSWD, has been in Narra, Palawan for almost a year now. With the primary goal of empowering communities through participation of people in local governance, I must say that this program is one of a kind, probably the best in all anti-poverty programs out there.
How can I not say it is not the best? Well, people in our barangay are encouraged to participate in its barangay assemblies, thereby making their voices heard. From the 1st barangay assembly down to the 5th assembly conducted all decisions came from the people, from identifying the needs to posing solutions which we deem is necessary.
We, in the community, have also undergone trainings on procurement and finance, as part of the capacity building measures of the project. I was taught things that I never knew before, specifically in the engineering part. I really never thought that I can be an engineer even for just a week! The trainings were particularly helpful and I was glad that I was part of it.
Aside from these things, what made Kalahi-CIDSS the best is the fact that it unites the people themselves and bringing them closer to the barangay local government unit. Alleviating the area from poverty, which was an individual endeavor, became a shared goal of the barangay. Knowing that we too, can partake in development initiatives of our community, gave us inspiration to push forward and continue and apply what we learned in Kalahi-CIDSS.
We are glad that through the process of Kalahi-CIDSS, we were able to address our need for potable water through a construction of a potable water system. We have water for bathing and washing clothes, yet none of which we could drink safely from.
Though Kalahi-CIDSS sounds really good, I was quite hesitant to participate and perform my functions. I was voted to be part of the Monitoring and Inspection Team (MIT). I want to serve the community but something hinders me. I live far from the barangay and that would mean I have to travel back and forth to attend to some concerns of the sub-project. And since we are volunteers, there is no salary that would compensate us. We have to shoulder our own expenses. Consequently, this would add burden to the meager income of my family.
The uncertainty faded when I saw an old lady fetching water from a deepwell. This moving scenario definitely put me back on course. I was deeply moved by what I saw. This lady, even at her old age, still fetches water for her family. I realized then that I do not want to see men and women doing the same thing as that of the old lady. My barangay needs that water system more than anything else. I wouldn’t mind spending of what is left of me, just so that I can assure the community that there will be a water system in the barangay soon.
Besides, what also pushed me to do better in Kalahi-CIDSS was the support given by the barangay local government unit. The barangay captain even gives transportation fares to the Barangay Sub-project Management Committee team members who live far from the barangay, just for them to head the implementation of the sub-project. The barangay attests that they could not let this opportunity to pass just because the members do not have money for transportation.
Certainly, we would not waste what the barangay and Kalahi-CIDSS gave us. I only have praises for both. ###
