Community and life changes happen through KALAHI activities

DT | Community and life changes happen through KALAHI activities | LUBUAGAN, Kalinga – Barangay Mabilong is in the mountains, and this mother of two, along with more than 30 other families, will always be grateful to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for “KALAHI-CIDSS,” which stands for “Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services.” It was KALAHI-CIDSS that led the way in changing their community.

A 300-meter footpath that changed how people in the village lived was built with their help over the course of a month.

Before, this road was scary. According to Aida Buliwan, leader of the 36 volunteers who helped with the trail project, several people fall by the road because it used to be a very narrow and slippery dirt path.

“Even though there was no pay, we were happy to help.” Because it would make the people who live there safer, especially the kids, we pushed for the project and were against building a barangay village hall. They can now easily carry their rice crops without worrying about falling off the cliff, Buliwan said, pointing to the mountain.

It was reported by KALAHI that Oliver Dickly, the chief of Barangay Antonio Canao, said that the village already has a hall where important papers can be kept and where people can voice their worries.

This used to depend on where the village chief lived when it came to where the barangay hall was moved.

Our gratitude goes out to KALAHI because there used to be no fixed barangay hall here. They are now using a part of the first floor of the three-story barangay hall because we finished it, he said.

In the low-lying parts of the village, there is also a trail that leads to the community. This used to be a smooth road, but thanks to the DSWS program, it is now made of concrete.

There are KALAHI projects in 831 villages in the Cordillera Administrative Region, including Barangay Mabilong and Barangay Antonio Canao. The district has 1,178 villages.

And Imelda Tuguinay, KALAHI-CIDSS regional program coordinator, says that the program is special because projects are picked by the community based on how important they are.

She said that the work on the projects is done with the help of the people who will benefit from them.

“Development of people’s skills is the most important thing that the project left behind, and this will last for decades after the project is over,” she said.

Through the DSWD, the national government runs the KALAHI CIDSS program to help people get out of poverty.

“It was a blessing that we were put in the KALAHI areas.” According to Teddy Gullay, who is in charge of Kalinga province, “KALAHI took into account what the barangays need.” (via PNA)