Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office III (DSWD FO III) held a consultative meeting with the Australian Civilian Corps (ACC) Adviser, Mr. Ross Hardy, today, August 18, 2016 at the Conference Room of the field office.

DSWD FO III Regional Director Gemma B. Gabuya welcomed the specialist on Disaster Response Systems Development, and then laid emphasis on the importance of awareness and readiness of the department during crisis and disaster.

The consultation meeting is an introduction for the two-day writing workshop on the Manual of Disaster Operations and Systems to be held on August 30-31, 2016.
The DSWD Office III is the pilot region with regards to the facilitation of Development of Draft Field Office Manual on Disaster Response. Mr. Hardy and his team will be visiting other DSWD field offices, afterwards.

“To better address the needs of those who are affected by the disaster, especially the most vulnerable group – for a well-coordinated response,” is the very objective of the upcoming workshop, said Mr. Hardy.

The consultation meeting was attended by Ms. Edna Manalo, head of the Disaster Response and Management Unit (DReaMU), the Quick Response Team (QRT) leaders, and the Social Welfare Officers II of the field office. ### (Andyleen C. Feje)

The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office III has provided P776,454.00 worth of family food packs to the affected families of the Southwest Monsoon which occurred on August 12.

A total of P610,470.00 worth of relief goods went to the Province of Bataan and P165,984 relief aid to Pampanga. Meanwhile, P1,127,128.50 worth of relief assistance from the combined resources of the provincial and municipal governments were provided to their respective affected areas. Further, P280,000 worth of assistance was provided by the non-government organizations to the victims in the Province of Bataan.

DSWD has also prepositioned 17,491 family food packs to its provincial extension offices in Aurora (11,976 packs); Bataan (400 packs); Tarlac (980 packs); and Zambales (4,135 packs).

As of 3:00 PM disaster monitoring report, the Southwest Monsoon has affected 26,747 families composed of 112,973 persons in 39 municipalities of the provinces of Bataan (10,088), Bulacan (4932), Pampanga (10,382), Tarlac (79), and Zambales (266).

Of the 96 evacuation centers set-uop by the LGUs, 38 are still in operation serving 786 families or 3,336 persons. Meanwhile, a total of 2,422 families or 13,792 persons are being served in their respective communities. There were no reported damaged houses or o casualties as of this report.

DSWD FO III has reactivated its quick response teams (QRTs) at the field office and provincial extension offices which are now monitoring the situation in the affected provinces. The Field Office continues its close coordination with the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) at the regional level and Local DRRMC at the provincial/municipal level. ### (Evelyn T. Manalo)

Unlike other community volunteers who were accompanied by their colleagues during their presentation of ideal barangay, Renato Carolino from Barangay Villa Boado, Talugtug, Nueva Ecija went on stage with his son Piolo. At a tender age of 14, Piolo innocently held his father’s manila paper as his father started his speech.

Listeners can surely feel the conviction in every word of Renato’s speech. It was scorching 2 o’clock in the afternoon at Umali Gym and one would expect the audience to be heavy-eyed or distracted. However, this was not the case when Renato took over the stage. With his public-speaking skills, some may even think of him as an experienced politician, but he is not. He is a community volunteer of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) who is willingly giving his time and effort for a sole purpose – to give his child, Piolo, a better future.
“Para saan ba ang lahat ng ginagawa nating ito? Simple lang naman—para sa ating mga anak at sa susunod na henerasyon. Para hindi nila maranasan ang paghihirap na dinadanas natin (What is the reason of all these? It’s simple—for our children and the next generation. These are to prevent them from going through all the hardships that we have experienced),” Renato, 48, said in his speech.
In an interview, Renato said that being a community volunteer of the KALAHI-CIDSS is no joke. “Noong una, ayaw ng asawa ko. Wala rin akong oras kaya kung minsan, tumatakas lang ako sa trabaho (At first, my wife does not approve of this. I also don’t have a lot time that’s why sometimes; I have to escape from work).”
Renato has been an active community volunteer since 2014. Despite some of his fellow volunteers leaving when their sub-project was not prioritized in the first cycle, Renato still held his unwavering perseverance and continued his quest to give his child the comfort he never had.
Piolo, along with all the students from their barangay, walks for an hour to get to school every day. This is why his father proposed an access road as their sub-project. Sadly, their sub-project was not prioritized in the first cycle of project selection.
However, with a kind heart, Renato understood why their sub-project wasn’t chosen. “Alam naman naming na mas kailangan ng ibang barangay yung proposed [project] nila (We understand that some barangays have a more urgent need to accomplish their proposed sub-projects),” Renato said.

“Ipagpapatuloy ko pa rin ang suporta ko sa adbokasiya ng KALAHI-CIDSS. Para naman maipakita ko sa susunod na henerasyon na kaya nating magsama-sama para sa kinabukasan nila. (I’ll just continue to support the advocacy of the KALAHI-CIDSS to show the next generation that we can be united to give them a bright future).” ### (MA. DENNIELLE M. LOMBOY)

“Isang pamayanang malusog, maunlad, [mayroong] nagkakaisang barangay at munisipyo, mataas na kalidad na edukasyon, malinis na kapaligiran, respeto sa isa’t isa, katahimikan, mabilis na pag-abot ng mga serbisyo na ibinibigay ng barangay, munisipyo, at karatig-bayan, [at] mataas na antas ng pagsasaka.”

(A community that is healthy, progressive, has a unity between the barangay and municipality, quality education, clean environment,citizens that respect one another, peace, access on services from barangay, municipality, and neighboring municipalties, and quality farming.)

After hours of intense and participative discussion, the community volunteers in Talugtug, Nueva Ecija came up with this vision of their dream community during the Criteria Setting Workshop (CSW) last July 19 and 20. Lengthy as it may seem, this vision encompasses the solution of all the problems that these citizens have been facing. With the help of the KALAHI-CIDSS, a community-empowerment program of the DSWD, the volunteers hope to achieve this vision.

“Kailangan, kapag nag-iisip tayo ng vision, hindi lang ang sariling barangay natin ang iniisip natin. Dapat iniisip natin ang kabuuang ikabubuti ng munisipyo (When formulating a vision, we should not solely think about the benefit of our own barangay. Instead, we should consider the welfare of our municipality as a whole),” said the community volunteer from Barangay Mayamot II.

After agreeing on a vision, the community volunteers created their own list of criteria for the selection of sub-projects to be prioritized by the KALAHI-CIDSS. In setting criteria, the community volunteers considered various aspects in the community, such as security, health, education, environment, and livelihood.

The participants also came up with a creative method on the presentation oftheir barangay’s sub-project proposal. As agreed, the Municipal Inter-Barangay Forum – Participatory Resource Allocation (MIBF-PRA) will be held on October 14 at Umali Gym, Talugtug.

Before the CSW ends, some of the volunteers gave their own reflection on the event. According to a community volunteer from Barangay Saguing, “Karamihan sa mga tao sa barangay namin, ayaw maniwala sa ganitong programa. Kaya ako nagtitiyang lumahok sa ganitong workshop para maipakita sa kanila na may kabuluhan ang lahat ng ito (Most of the people in our barangay don’t believe in these programs. This is why I patiently join these kinds of workshop to show them that all of these are worthwhile.”

The participants also thanked KALAHI-CIDSS, most especially the Area Coordinating Team (ACT), led by Talugtug Area Coordinator (AC) John Carlo Maglatang, for equipping them with tools and knowledge to become empowered members of the society. ### (MA. DENNIELLE M. LOMBOY)

SMILES OF SUCCESS. The community volunteers, along with the Area Coordinating Team (ACT) pose for a photo as the cycle two Criteria Setting Workshop (CSW) ends on Tuesday, July 20. After two days of intense discussion, the community volunteers came up with their own list of criteria for the selection of projects to be prioritized by the KALAHI-CIDSS, a community-empowerment program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). ### (MDMLomboy)

In his welcome address during the cycle two Criteria Setting Workshop (CSW) last July 19, Talugtug Municipal Mayor Quintino S. Caspillo Jr. encourages the community volunteers to determine the pressing problems in the community and work together to solve it. He also pledges support to the KALAHI-CIDSS in all its endeavors to empower the citizens in the community. ### (MDMLomboy)

To ensure full compliance on official procurement procedures, the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) Region 3 held its fourth Regional Fiduciary Workshop (RFW) last July 19-22 in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

“We need to do this to determine and solve even the smallest loopholes in the procurement process,” said Hyacynth Rivera, regional capability building specialist of the KALAHI-CIDSS Region III.

Along with Rivera, the event was participated by Regional Finance Analyst Keisha Morales, Regional Community Infrastructure Specialist Ranel Lombres, finance analysts, area coordinators, community finance facilitators, and administrative officers.

The team conducted intense and participative discussions to determine the frequently occurring finance and procurement issues. Moreover, they devised ways on how to address these issues and prevent them from happening in the future.

“We should implement strict review standards of the procurement documents. From the documents, signatures, and stamping, we should make sure that all the requirements are complete,” suggested Peejay Morales, FA III.

Finance Analyst Keisha Morales also added, “Finance officers must reach out to all community-based finance and procurement personnel and educate them further on due process to prevent issues”.

As the RFW ended, the team was able to develop a proactive strategy on how to achieve full compliance from all concerned personnel in the finance and procurement process. ### (Ma. Dennielle M. Lomboy)