The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to integrate Community-Driven Development (CDD) in the barangay development planning process.

CDD is the approach used by DSWD’s KapitBisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) Program which provides opportunities to poor villages to actively participate in identifying and prioritizing their community problems and allow them to design, implement, and manage solutions to their identified needs.

Under the MOU, DSWD and DILG will form a technical working group to review the Barangay Development Planning Process in order to harmonize its elements with CDD. This will help address the gaps in the implementation of laws and policies at the local level by improving the effectiveness of existing participatory local governance principles and practices.

Moreover, integrating CDD will also strengthen people’s participation and lead to a more empowered community as it welcomes a more diverse set of representatives in the local development and planning process.

Through the CDD approach and Kalahi-CIDSS, the Department will continue to ensure the attainment of people-centered development by providing technical assistance, capacity-building, and implementation support to poverty-disadvantaged and disaster-affected municipalities. ###