Mangyan mom becomes community leader through DSWD dev’t program

A simple mom in the town of Cajidiocan, Romblon is now an active partner of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Exaltacion Rabino, a 52-year-old member of the Mangyan Indigenous community, found herself becoming a volunteer, serving as an integral part of the Project Implementation Team for the DSWD's Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services program.

KALAHI-CIDSS is a program that utilizes the community-driven development approach, which empowers community members to actively participate in identifying and prioritizing their locality's problems.

The program actively engages residents in poor communities to design, implement and manage solutions to their priority programs.

Exaltacion, now an advocate of community volunteerism, participated in projects aimed at addressing pressing challenges within the community, helping elevate her skills and capabilities in the process.

Among the various sub-projects she became a part of were the construction of a water system with filtration box in 2010; construction of an elementary school in 2011; and construction of a slope protection in 2012, where she served as a member of the procurement team.

"Ang pagiging isang community volunteer ay higit pa sa simpleng pagtulong; ito ay pagiging bahagi ng pag-unlad at pagbabago,(Being a community volunteer is more than providing simple assistance; it is being a part of progress and change.)" Exaltacion said.

In 2017 to 2018, Exaltacion was appointed Head of the Project Preparation Team.

"Sa paglilingkod ko, natutunan ang maging bukas at makipag-ugnayan sa mga mataas na opisyal ng bayan (In my service, I learned to engage with the higher officials of the town.)" Exaltacion recalled.

The 2019 elections marked a turning point in Exaltacion's life when she ran for and won as a barangay kagawad. Spearheading a campaign without financial backing, she was not only elected but also emerged as the top candidate in the ballot count.

The years 2021 to 2022 brought new hope to the people of Cajidiocan because of the introduction of the KALAHI-CIDSS Additional Financing.

As the Phase 1 implementation unfolded, Exaltacion found herself at the helm of the project as chair of the Bid and Awards Committee. Today, the community benefits from the completion of the improved water system project.

"Malaking pasasalamat ang nararamdaman ko sa KALAHI-CIDSS dahil dito, natuklasan ko ang kahalagahan ng bawat isa sa aming komunidad (I feel immense gratitude to KALAHI-CIDSS because through it, I discovered the importance of each individual in our community.)" Exaltacion said.

Exaltacion also serves as an inspiration in her community as one of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries who graduated from the program last August.

Since its inception in 2003, the KALAHI-CIDSS program has accomplished over 76,000 community sub-projects, involved over 2.4 million community volunteers and reached more than 22 million poor households as of October 2023.