ILOILO — More than 1.4 million households across Western Visayas have experienced improved livelihoods, stronger disaster resilience, and better access to services following the completion of over 2,000 community-driven projects under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program from 2020 to 2025.
Data from DSWD showed that the program completed 2,020 projects regionwide during the five-year period, with road infrastructure emerging as the biggest intervention benefiting 596,236 households.
The upgraded farm-to-market roads significantly improved the transport of agricultural products such as bananas, sugarcane, and vegetables from remote barangays to trading centers, helping farmers increase productivity and sales.
In addition to infrastructure projects, more than 180,000 households benefitted from cash-for-work programs that provided temporary employment and income opportunities for struggling families.
The program also strengthened pandemic and disaster preparedness across the region. More than 109,000 households benefitted from the construction of isolation and quarantine facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, while over 99,000 households received support through disaster-response initiatives. Flood control projects likewise protected more than 86,000 households from climate-related threats.
Annalyn Fajardo, a barangay kagawad of Barangay Alabidhan in Bingawan, Iloilo, underscored the importance of the road projects to farming communities.
“With the improved road infrastructure, it has become so much easier for our farmers to bring their produce to market,” Fajardo said.
She added that the improved accessibility has strengthened economic activity while boosting morale among residents.
Meanwhile, Mary Jane Francisco shared how the KALAHI-CIDSS cash-for-work initiative for persons with disabilities (PWDs) helped sustain her family’s daily needs and her child’s schooling.
“This program has given us hope and the means to provide for our needs,” Francisco said.
DSWD said the KALAHI-CIDSS Program continues to focus on empowering communities through participatory development projects aimed at reducing poverty and promoting long-term growth in underserved areas of Western Visayas./PN
