The Bayani Ka! Awards recognized community volunteers and local leaders for their work in areas including Gender and Development, environmental protection and disaster risk reduction and management, Indigenous Peoples welfare, senior citizens and volunteerism.
The Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Awards honored top-performing municipal, barangay and provincial LGUs for co-funding community projects and institutionalizing the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach. Among the recognized LGUs were Lopez Jaena in Misamis Occidental, Claveria in Masbate and Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental.
A key highlight of the event was the launch of the Performance-Based Grant for Sustainability, which provides direct grant funding to high-performing LGUs to maintain community infrastructure, strengthen participatory governance and improve local disaster resilience.
KALAHI-CIDSS, or Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, is one of DSWD’s flagship poverty alleviation programs.
The program uses the Community-Driven Development approach, empowering communities to identify local problems, design and implement solutions, and manage resources for sustainable development.
The ceremony was also attended by DSWD Undersecretary for Operations Pinky Romualdez, Assistant Secretary for Promotive Programs Edmon Monteverde, KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Manager Atty. Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin, Deputy National Program Manager for Technical Support Didith Bosoen and regional directors from DSWD field offices nationwide.
