Millennium Challenge Visits Jimalalud in NegOr

A team from the Millennium Challenge Account –Philippines (MCA-P) recently conducted a supervision visit in the communities of Banog and Apanangon in Jimalalud town, Negros Oriental.

Simeon A. Remata III Regional Social Marketing Officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 said the purpose of the visit was to gather issues regarding difficulties encountered in the project’s implementation in the field, and to provide solutions to address these concerns.

Remata said the MCA-P is the organization that handles the funds from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a funding agency that supports the implementation of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS).

He explained that Kalahi-CIDSS, which is a poverty reduction program of the DSWD, has been recently scaled-up into a national program now called the National Community-Driven Development Program (KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP).

MCA-P Director Andy Moll headed the group which visited first Barangay Banog to witness an on-going work of
farm-to-market road community project.

Area Coordinator Abner dela Cruz said “technically, the community project is located outside the geographical jurisdiction of Barangay Banog and is already part of the adjacent Barangay Malabago.

The reason why the community decided on this because Malabago serves as an entrance leading to their barangay and to other hinterland communities,” Dela Cruz said.

Remata also said that Director Moll sat down with the community volunteers and barangay local chief executives of Banog and commended them for having a concrete example of inclusive development.

“Communities help each other by pooling their resources. We can proudly report this story to MCC and to the taxpayers of the United States where the grant money comes from,” Moll said.

He stressed that as part of the operation and maintenance, Barangay Malabago will annually allocate a portion of its Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for the maintenance, rehabilitation and possible extension of the road project. He added the MCA-P team proceeded to Sitio Irene in Barangay Apanangon, the farthest barangay from the town proper of Jimalalud.

Remata also recalled that during the discussion, the community volunteers told Mr. Moll’s group that they rarely see visitors because of their community’s remote location.

“We are very happy that we have visitors and we are also thankful that we are given the opportunity to have projects we ourselves have identified,” community volunteer Ginalyn Gonzaga Pacunia said.

The community proposed the construction of a 3,500 meter concrete pathway which will help deliver their farm goods to the barangay proper. When completed, the community project is said to be the longest pathway project funded by MCC in the country, Remata said.

Aside from the town of Jimalalud in Negros Oriental, MCA-P covers 159 other high poverty incidence rate municipalities in various provinces in the Philippines as monitored by DSWD together with MCA-P which oversee the implementation activities of the program.

Photo above: MCA-P Director Andy Moll (2nd row, 5th from left in yellow), together with DSWD national and regional staff, poses with the community volunteers and municipal and barangay local chief executives in Barangay Apanangon in Jimalalud, Negros Oriental” (Photo from fo7.dswd.gov.ph)