The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Eight (DSWD FO 8) partnered with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Alangalang for the implementation of the department’s banner anti-poverty project, the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).

The DSWD and Alangalang LGU entered into a memorandum of agreement on February 28, of this year, at the covered court of the said municipality.

Stipulated in the MOA are the different roles and responsibilities of the parties involved. One of these is the timely provision of the local cash counterpart for the sub-project implementation, with 30 percent of the total sub-project cost coming from the LGU.

Verwena Bibar, Executive Assistant of Alangalang Mayor Loreto Yu and Gender and Development Focal Person, said that Alangalang, a third-class municipality, is lucky to have been picked as one of the municipalities to implement KALAHI-CIDSS.

DSWD Regional Director Leticia Diokno admitted that not all municipalities in the region are implementing the project, only those who have high poverty incidence.

Meanwhile, Matt Bohn, Millenium Challenge Corporation Country (MCC) Director expressed his support for the project and congratulated the LGU and the people of Alangalang, adding that MCC is very much willing to help reduce poverty in the municipality.

MCC is an innovative and independent United States foreign agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty. It has a compact agreement with the Government of the Philippines and is funding the implementation of KALAHI-CIDSS in some areas in the region through the Millenium Challenge Account-Philippines (MCA-P).

Other guests who came to witness the significant event are Cassandra Butts, MCC US Washington Senior Advisor; Marivic Aňonuevo, MCA-P Managing Director and CEO; Bingle Gutierrez, MCA-P Deputy Managing Director for Operations; Andy Moll, MCA-P Project Director for KALAHI-CIDSS; and Andy Saracho, Communications and Outreach Specialist.

KALAHI-CIDSS is an anti-poverty project that promotes and advocates the Community Driven Development (CDD) process through participatory, transparency and accountability. It aims to enhance local governance, empower the community and reduce poverty.