The newly launched Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) aims to bring long-term development to far-flung and poor communities while promoting transparency and accountability.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Panahon ng Pagkilos — the successor to the long-running Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) — empowers communities by letting them identify their needs and implement projects themselves.

“In the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., long-term solutions to poverty are very important. If we don’t address these micro-subprojects, we cannot bring development to the countryside and to remote areas,” Gatchalian said. “I’ve visited many of these community subprojects. What may look like a small hanging bridge to some can change lives. When children no longer have to cross running rivers just to get to school, that changes lives — and that is development.”

The DSWD chief explained that Panahon ng Pagkilos is a community-driven development program designed to empower grassroots communities and help them build climate-resilient environments.

“One, we are empowering the communities because they choose the projects that fit their needs. It uses a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down one,” Gatchalian added.

With an “open menu” of allowable subprojects  — aside from items on a negative list — the program gives communities the freedom to decide what they need most.

Another key objective, Gatchalian said, is to bring development to poor communities and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

“Second, it brings development. These are far-flung, remote areas. If we don’t use this development platform, they might be overlooked because they are far from city centers. Many of them are in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas — mountains, islands,” he said.

Gatchalian also highlighted the program’s community procurement mechanism, which promotes transparency.

“It is transparent because the procurement is done by the community itself, not the national government. We train them, they choose, they procure, they build, and then they operate and maintain the project,” he said.

“It empowers communities, brings much-needed development to remote areas, and ensures a more efficient use of government funds,” he added.

What sets Panahon ng Pagkilos apart?

While KALAHI-CIDSS built on two decades of community-driven development success, Panahon ng Pagkilos introduces a crucial new focus: Resilience in the face of climate change and disasters.

“This time, projects will account for community resilience against climate change and natural disasters. We want communities to understand how to plan projects that respond to changing climate conditions and hazards so that their communities become resilient,” Gatchalian explained.

He cited examples such as water systems, footbridges, and community lighting, which will now be designed and built with hazard exposure, future climate impacts, and local vulnerabilities in mind.