WHEN Secretary Rex Gatchalian of the Department of Social Welfare and Development visited Janiuay town in Iloilo Province last week, the spotlight was not on grandiose highways or billion-peso mega-projects. Instead, it was on two modest bridges — the Kuyot-Calmay Hanging Foot Bridge and the Carigangan Bridge — built years ago under the KALAHI-CIDSS program. Simple structures, perhaps, but lifelines to the people they serve.
For residents of three barangays linked by the hanging bridge and seven villages connected by the Carigangan Bridge, these pathways across rivers are also routes to schools, markets, health centers, and ultimately, to opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach. What may look like “small” projects on paper are, in reality, transformative infrastructures that stitch together the fabric of rural life.
Iloilo Province’s own development trajectory affirms this. Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has consistently underscored convergence and collaboration as cornerstones of a progressive, resilient province. Infrastructure that is rooted in community needs — whether it is a bridge, a farm-to-market road, or a water system — empowers people not only to survive but to thrive. These projects show that development must begin where people live and struggle daily, not only in the bustling city centers.
The lesson: if we want to “poverty-proof” our communities and make them climate-ready, rural connectivity must be a priority. A bridge in a remote barangay may not attract the headlines of a sprawling expressway, but for a farmer bringing produce to market or a child walking safely to school, it is every bit as vital.
As the DSWD pushes forward with its Panahon ng Pagkilos-Philippine Community Resilience Project, government must resist the temptation of focusing solely on high-profile infrastructure and instead double down on these community-driven initiatives. The challenge for both national and local leaders is to ensure that projects like the ones in Janiuay are not exceptions but the rule — a standard of governance that values accessibility and inclusivity.
Because at the end of the day, bridges symbolize the promise of connection, the breaking down of isolation, and the opening up of futures once thought unreachable. In Iloilo and beyond, investing in such small but transformative projects may well be the surest way to build communities that are not only resilient but also truly prosperous.
