Guillermo Caridad, a community volunteer from the Municipality of Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro discussed his output on one of the creative workshops during the event. (DSWD MIMAROPA)
Can one individual make a difference? Could that be you?
On Bayani Parangal 2022, the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) honored their Community Volunteers (CVs) from all regions in the Philippines, who have been supporting the program over the years and making an impact to the communities.
Four CVs represented the MIMAROPA Region namely Rey Traballo, Guillermo Caridad, Jessie Aragon, and Norlyn Urieta. They graced the event by sharing their inspiring stories of volunteerism and empowerment.
Rey Traballo, a community volunteer from the Municipality of Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro draws his story of volunteerism. (DSWD MIMAROPA)
Community volunteer turned elementary school teacher
During the ceremony, Norlyn Urieta narrated that it was in 2007 when the KALAHI-CIDSS was launched in the Municipality of Sablayan. Since then, she has been an active community volunteer of the program and led various implementations of the KALAHI-CIDSS project as the chairperson in their municipality.
The CVs identified one of the main problems in Sitio Sahing, Brgy. Sta. Lucia in Sablayan. Elementary students had no classroom and sat on the floor during their classes. Through the use of the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach, the community volunteers were able to propose a conducive environment for learning. They built one unit of education facility with two classrooms for students. Furthermore, Urieta is currently working as an elementary school teacher, who empowers children, especially girls to take the lead in nation-building.
“Hindi po kayang bayaran ng salapi ‘yung experience ko na maka-attend sa napakagandang event [National Community Volunteers’ Congress 2022] na ito. ‘Yung feeling na hindi lang sarili ko ‘yung nandoon. Dala-dala ko ang lahat ng volunteers ng aming LGU. (My experience in attending this wonderful event [National Community Volunteers’ Congress 2022] is priceless. I feel that not on my own here. I am representing all the volunteers of our LGU.)” Urieta said.
The Municipality of Sablayan under the leadership of Mayor Walter B. Marquez adopted the CDD approach of KALAHI-CIDSS through the institutionalization of a municipal ordinance and the creation of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
Jessie Aragaon, a community volunteer from the Municipality of Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro shared his experience and knowledge in front of all national delegates. (DSWD MIMAROPA)
On December 11-14, 2022, the four CVs attended the National Community Volunteers’ Congress titled Ugnayan. It is a creative workshop intended for the CVs and selected KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) personnel to share their experiences and success stories, learn from each other, and help promote the process of CDD as well as plan strategies for adopting the CDD strategy in their localities.
“Masaya po ako sapagkat sa unang pagkakataon ay aking nakadaupang-palad ang aking mga kapwa volunteer na dumalo sa isang mahalagang pagpupulong na ito. Sana ay maulit muli sa susunod na taon (I am happy because I was fortunate enough to meet my fellow volunteers [from different regions] to attend this important event. I hope to be here again next year),” said Jessie Aragon, community volunteer from Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro.
As part of the culmination at Bayani Parangal 2022, chosen regions were selected to present their output. The delegation of DSWD MIMAROPA performed the song they composed with the central message of institutionalizing the CDD in 2023.
All KALAHI-CIDSS volunteers champion the CDD approach to empower their community, fight corruption, and produce anti-poverty projects that would uplift the quality of lives in their community. (DSWD MIMAROPA)
