DSWD7: No Politics Involved in KC-NCDDP

A ranking government official assured there’s no politics involved on all programs implemented by the Department of Social Services and Development (DSWD)7 especially over the launching of the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services National Community Driven Development Program (KALAHI CIDDS-NCDDP).

KC-NCDDP Deputy Regional Project Manager Engr. Macrino Sumagang, said the KC-NCDDP, one of the poverty alleviation programs of the national government launched last September 17, 2014, aimed at empowering the barangay folks nationwide.

With this new project, Sumagang said the DSWD 7 hired more than 800 workers who will be assigned in the different barangays in region seven to lead in the implementation of the KC-NCDDP.

He said that normally, the DSWD workers will have to coordinate with the barangay captains and all barangay officials to lead them to the barangay leaders.

According to Sumagang, once the DSWD representatives will identify the concerned people in the barangay they ought to be their partners, they have to start their mission even without the participation of the barangay officials.

Sumagang said the DSWD barangay workers will gather all barangay folks to pinpoint the biggest problem they are facing, which agrivated their poverty status.

Some of the projects to be funded by the DSWD are barangay road, water, power, school building,manufacturing and different infrastructures which may help augmenting the livelihood status of the barangay residents.

The KC-NCDDP deputy project manager said once the biggest problem is identified, the folks shall be given the chance to estimate the total amount which the government may aid to them.

Sumagang emphasized that being the coordinator between the DSWD and the barangay residents, all information they gathered from the barangay will automatically be referred to the DSWD office for evaluations.

He also added that once the proposed project is approved together with its budget by the DSWD, the next thing to happen is the implementation of the said project with or without the aid of barangay officials.

“This is a purely apolitical project implemented by the national government directly to the poor barangays in the country”, Sumagang said.

He said if the barangay officials are not interested to help the DSWD workers in organizing the barangay residents to pinpoint their problems, “don’t force them, anyway they are not the ones who will provide the budget but it is the national government” Sumagang added.

Sumagang also said that the national government has earlier negotiated a $5 billion loan from the World Bank just for the purpose of its poverty alleviation program.

Sumagang said this is just to show that the government is now serious on its drive to really alleviate the poorest among the poor in the country.