The first-ever hybrid Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) sub-project in Barangay Gilotongan, Cawayan, Masbate will provide safer drinking water for 836 households and valuable implementation experience for future innovative technologies and community-based solutions of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).
With a total project cost of PHP 19,036,320.84, the AWG was funded through the KALAHI-CIDSS Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay—Community-Driven Development (KKB-CDD) modality and the local counterpart contribution of the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Cawayan. It was developed as a pilot intervention to address the community’s long-standing problem of accessing safe and reliable drinking water.
Aside from the AWG, which was supported by the solar photovoltaic (PV) system, on-grid power source, and backup generator, the sub-project also includes the construction of a powerhouse and perimeter fence to support and secure the facility.
DSWD Secretary REX Gatchalian on Monday, September 28, 2026, highlighted the importance of the pilot technology as a model for other municipalities across the country facing similar challenges in accessing a stable water supply.
“Importante ito (AWG) kasi ito ang model unit natin. Hopefully, magamit namin ang template na ito maipakita namin ito sa ibang lugar munisipyo na malalayo sa buong Pilipinas na may problema ng tubig para makopya natin at once and for all mabigyan natin ng stable, maaasahan, malinis at kumbinyenteng suplay ng tubig,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
(This is important because this is our model unit. Hopefully, we can use this as a template that we can showcase to other municipalities in remote areas across the Philippines that are experiencing water supply problems, so that it can be replicated and, once and for all, provide them with a stable, reliable, clean, and convenient supply of water.)
He further emphasized that the KALAHI-CIDSS program allows communities to identify and implement solutions to their own needs. In Barangay Gilotongan, for instance, the community identified the limited drinking water supply as a priority concern and found a solution to address it, while the DSWD provided options, including the Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) technology.
During the sub-project’s inauguration, Secretary Gatchalian, together with Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, Regional Director Norman S. Laurio, and Assistant Regional Director for Operations Atty. Michael Gerome B. Bellena, witnessed the demonstration of the AWG and engaged with the community stakeholders involved in the project. The activity aimed to better understand the technology and observe its operations, while also providing an opportunity to discuss the sustainability of the project, regarding its use and management.
Baby Jane F. Sayam, a community volunteer who implemented the sub-project, shared how the intervention became a symbol of their collective action.
“Para sa akin, simbolo rin po ito kung ano ang kayang gawin ng isang komunidad kapag ang bawat isa ay handang makilahok at tumulong. Ipinagmamalaki ko po na ako po ay isang beneficiary at naging volunteer din dahil nakita ko mismo mula sa pangangailangan ay nagkaroon ng solusyon,” she explained.
(For me, this is also a symbol of what a community can achieve when everyone is willing to participate and help. I am proud to be both a beneficiary and a volunteer because I have personally witnessed how a need can be transformed into a solution.)
The KALAHI-CIDSS is a program of DSWD that uses the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach to increase the participation of community members in the planning, implementation, and sustainability of interventions that directly address the needs of the barangays.
The program supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to bringing responsive interventions and essential services closer to communities, particularly those in geographically isolated and underserved areas.
For over 15 years of KALAHI-CIDSS implementation in Cawayan, Masbate, the program has strengthened community empowerment and improved access to basic services and infrastructure, with 10,132 community volunteers mobilized and 200 sub-projects completed amounting to PHP 197.77 million.
As of now, the municipality of Cawayan is one of 53 municipalities that implement the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP), a successor project of KALAHI-CIDSS, which aims to strengthen community capacities for participatory resilience planning and increase access to resilience investments in vulnerable areas.