Pasig City – A total of 99 local chief executives (LCEs) and representatives participated in the recently conducted Mayors’ Forum for the 62 eligible municipalities targeted for inclusion in the KALAHI CIDSS-National Community-Driven Development Program (KC-NCDDP). The activity was divided into two parts, with the morning session focusing on the recovery and rehabilitation of areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda and the afternoon session concentrating on the discussion of KC-NCDDP.
The activity entitled “Municipal Mayors’ Forum on LGU Coordinated and Community-Driven Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Development” aims to engage and discuss with LCEs how their LGUs can be supported in their early recovery and rehabilitation efforts after Typhoon Yolanda. For Region IV-MiMaRoPa, three provinces were affected. These municipalities will start the KC-NCDDP implementation this June.
DSWD IV-MiMaRoPa Regional Director Wilma Naviamos gave her opening remarks noting climate changes are strongly challenging everyone to be more responsible in caring for the environment. Consequently, these environmental conditions pose hazards to people. Naviamos said that while these may happen, there are projects that have been completed to cater people affected by the disaster. She calls for everyone to rethink on the best way to prepare, respond, rehabilitate, and mitigate.
Usec. Francisco Fernandez of the Department of the Interior and Local Government was invited to discuss about the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Program (GPBP) which is an avenue for harnessing National Government Agencies (NGAs) support for rehabilitation. Similarly, Assistant Director Dennis Villasenor conferred about the hazard-informed land use and comprehensive development planning of local governments for their early recovery and rehabilitation.
Nonetheless, the Municipal Mayor of Coron, Palawan Clara Reyes, shared their LGU experience and lessons after Typhoon Yolanda struck their municipality last November. She also discussed how these lessons may also help other localities which were also on their way to recovery and rehabilitation.
In the afternoon, National Program Manager of KC-NCDDP Benilda Redaja discussed the rehabilitation of areas in the context of NCDDP. Small group discussions were held with the mayors afterwards.
Some of the issues and concerns of the mayors that were raised were the local counterpart contribution, the year of implementation, and the requirements needed for enrollment to the Program. These were consequently addressed by the Kalahi-CIDSS staff.
Hon. Hercules Umali of Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro closed the activity by encouraging the LCEs of new coverage areas to support the KC-NCDDP.
NCDDP is the scale-up of operations of the CDD approach used and proven effective by the KALAHI-CIDSS. ###
