More than 60 local government units (LGUs) from the Bicol Region participated in the 2025 Local Chief Executive (LCE) Forum cum Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Awards and National Launching of Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP) on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Cebu City.
With the theme “Sustaining Gains for Resilient Communities,” the event highlighted the program’s commitment to strengthening the capacities of communities for resilience through the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach.
Representing the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office V through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), Regional Director Norman S. Laurio and Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) staff joined the municipal mayors and Provincial/Municipal LGU representatives in various breakout sessions.
The focus group discussions tackled themes such as KALAHI-CIDSS lessons for newly engaged local leaders, LGU best practices, Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) Connect, and Stakeholder Engagement and CDD Institutionalization.
Municipal Mayor Ronnel U. Lim shared his experiences in implementing KALAHI-CIDSS to the newly elected mayors during the breakout session.
“…the KALAHI brand of Community-Driven Development and deliberative participatory budgeting might help bring back again the trust of communities to the government,” he explained.
He also noted that the CDD approach will definitely rebuild the goodwill in the community and the goodwill of all.
Regional Director Norman S. Laurio also highlighted the powerful impact of KALAHI-CIDSS in sustaining the projects that the communities have implemented.
“Communities learn the sense of ownership when they are involved in the planning, implementation, and sustainability of the projects, which strengthens the lasting change in the people,” Director Laurio noted.
Besides the breakout sessions, the participants also witnessed the ceremonial turnover of the 20-year journey coffee table book of KALAHI-CIDSS entitled “Sulong Komunidad” and the launching of the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP).
The program likewise celebrated the sustained principles of CDD through the Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Awards, wherein municipalities and community groups from the different regions were recognized for their subproject functionality, organizational effectiveness, institutional arrangements, and impact benefits.
For the Field Office V, LGU Bombon in Camarines Sur was selected as the regional awardee for their Level II Water System project managed by Pagao Waterworks and Sanitation Association (PAWASA) Inc., a community-led group formed in Barangay Pagao.
According to Municipal Mayor James Paul A. Ranin, the program creates opportunities to reach sitios and puroks that the local government’s services could not previously reach.
“At dahil sa mga proyekto na ibinibigay, maraming mga community volunteers ang natututo na gumawa ng iba’t ibang dokumento para sa proyekto at nasisiguro na ang proyekto ay natatapos at may kalidad at pangmatagalan,” he said.
(Because of the projects implemented, many community volunteers have learned to prepare various project documents and ensure that projects are completed with quality and built to last.)
PCRP, the successor project of KALAHI-CIDSS, will be implemented in the Bicol Region in two batches: 53 municipalities for Batch 1 and 26 municipalities for Batch 2.