Kalahi-CIDSS Molds People in the Community to Be a Good Public Servant

“Ang problema adunay utlanan ug kasulbaran kini ang gidala sa DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS sama sa usa kaadlaw nga naghatag ug paglaum ug kahayag sa katawhan taliwala sa mga problema sa komunidad (Every problem has a solution. This is what the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS brought to our country. It is like the sun that brings light and hope to the community people amid the problems they encountered),” said Lucil Denampo, Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee (BSPMC) Chairperson of Barangay Umampas, Municipality of Samboan. She shared her views of the program during the Regional Community Volunteers Congress of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-
CIDSS) held at Golden Prince Hotel.

The CV Congress is an event where all the community volunteers of the entire region get the chance to meet and also share their views and experiences as volunteers of DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS. Its main objective is to measure the degree or level in terms of empowerment and also to showcase their gains from the program. Lucil added that if she did not become a community volunteer of DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS, she would have not experienced attending this kind of event where they will meet their fellow CVs from other municipalities.

According to her, she also gained a lot of confidence through the Kalahi-CIDSS trainings she attended. As a housewife she was not exposed to speaking in public and sharing her views to different people. In the sub-project implementation, she never thought she will be able to handle different personalities and attitudes. She thanked the program for letting her discover her potentials.

The Kalahi-CIDSS is one of the main core programs of DSWD. Its main objective is to give ordinary citizens the power to stand up, to voice out their opinions and to actively participates in the decision making of the development of their potentials in serving public through volunteerism.

Since the program started in 2014 there have been a lot of community volunteers who already engaged in the political affairs of the communities. Some of them have been elected as barangay officials because the people have seen their community involvement and their potential to be a good public servant.