Tacloban City – Nine municipalities represented by their local chief executives, confirmed their commitments to do their part to support the Makamasang Tugon modality of the KALAHI-CIDSS during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement held July 22, 2011, this city.

These municipalities are Bato, Javier, Kananga, Leyte, and Tabango of Leyte Province; Paranas and Tarangnan, Samar Province; Sulat, Eastern Samar and Cabucgayan, Biliran.

These towns, all veterans of KALAHI-CIDSS implementation are now going to take the lead role in the community-driven development poverty reduction initiative.

The nine towns are all veterans of the KALAHI-CIDSS Project and are ready to initiate the community-driven development initiative. The Makamasang Tugon modality is an incentive extended to municipalities with satisfactory implementation of the KALAHI-CIDSS Project.

According to Assistant Regional Director Jaime Eclavea of the DSWD Field Office Eight, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent funding agency of the US, will fund the year-long Makamasang Tugon in these municipalities.

Eclavea also disclosed that other municipalities that will be implementing Makamasang Tugon this year. These are Julita, La Paz, Mahaplag, Mayorga, San Isidro, Tabon-tabon, and Tabango, Eclavea also disclosed.

Also present during the signing of the agreements were Board Member Atty. Roque Tiu who represented Leyte Governor Jericho Petilla. Other guests included municipal officers of the participating municipalities.

All the nine mayors and the Leyte Provincial Government thru Board Member Tiu expressed their commitment to support the project and they thanked the DSWD for giving them this opportunity.

The participating Leyte mayors were Mayor Arnold James Ysidoro of Leyte,   Mayor Leonardo Javier, Jr. of Javier, Mayor Elmer Codilla of Kananga, Mayor Nathan Gertos of Bato, and Mayor Ma. Corazon Remandaban of Tabango.

The Samar local executives present were Mayor Emmelly Olaje of Tarangnan and Mayor Felix Babalcon of Paranas. Mayor Gemma Adobo of Cabucgayan of Biliran and Mayor Virginia Zacate of Sulat, Eastern Samar were also on hand to represent their respective towns.