In two consecutive days, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with the Provincial Local Government Unit of Leyte swiftly moved to two municipalities, namely Alang-Alang and Matag-ob to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the 2nd Cycle of the Kapit-Bisig Laban Sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) sub-project implementation last August 6 and 7 respectively.
In Alang-Alang, the MOA was signed by the DSWD Regional Director, Remia Tapispisan, Municipal Mayor Loreto Yu and Board Member Bob Abellanosa who represented the Leyte Governor. This was witnessed by the DSWD Assistant Regional Director Nestor Ramos, who is the KALAHI CIDSS Regional Project Manager at JAM Farm, P. Barrantes Hall. The MOA Signing was immediately followed by the Municipal Tatsulo Advisory Committee Planning Workshop. This committee is DSWD’s strategy to converge three core programs in fight against poverty namely, Pantawid Pamilya, Sustainable Livelihood and KALAHI-CIDSS wherein stakeholders for each program at the municipal level are members.
While in Matag-ob, another MOA for Cycle 2 implementation was signed by the DSWD Regional Director, Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla, and Municipal Mayor Agustin Pedrano at the Senior Citizen Hall. This was immediately followed by a Water System Turn-Over in Brgy. Malazarte. The project composed of 11 top stands, or what is called an 11 gravity fed level 2 water system.
Governor Petilla shared his thoughts on the essence of convergence from the national down to the community level in the fight against poverty. Through the KALAHI-CIDSS project, the needs of the community are addressed and at the same time the community is empowered to speak out problems with the intervention of the local government unit both from municipal and provincial level. Petilla also emphasized that the province wholly supports KALAHI-CIDSS and would even want funding for sub-projects be implemented in Leyte.
Meanwhile, Director Tapispisan expressed gratitude and appreciation with the community and the LGUs efforts in making KALAHI-CIDSS sub-projects materialized at their level. According to her, she is so grateful to see the “fruits of our labor”.