“We say congratulations to the LGU for successfully implementing these projects for the people,” Department of the Interior and Local Government XII Regional Director Josephine Cabrido Leysa, CESO III said as she lauded Kabacan town in Cotabato Province for turning-over 14 completed local projects funded by DILG to its barangays.
Last February 17, Kabacan formally turned-over one evacuation center, three local access roads, two Level II potable water systems, and eight rehabilitated and enhanced potable waterlines to its 12 barangays during a turn-over program hosted by the LGU at Waterland Resort, Barangay Osias of the said town.
Prior to the program, the local government unit conducted a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on one of its water system projects located in Barangay Dagupan to symbolize the formal turn-over of the projects to the barangays.
Director Leysa led the said ceremony together with Kabacan’s League of Barangay President and First Lady Evangeline Pascua-Guzman who represented town mayor Herlo Guzman.
“This ceremonial turn-over of projects funded by the DILG is a manifestation of the Department and the LGU’s goal to address grassroots concerns, and provide communities with better life and opportunity,” Director Leysa said.
“I know that these projects are still not enough to answer all the communities’ concerns. Still, I am glad that we were able to implement the projects for this also mean one community problem solved; one less community problem to worry about,” she added.
Apart from Dagupan other recipient barangays include Pedtad, Kayaga, Bannawag, Pisan, Buluan, Malanduague, Upper Paatan, Bangilan, Sanggadong, Simbuhay, and Nangaan. An estimate of 4,397 households are expected to benefit from the projects, Director Leysa said.
Worth Php 49,184,479.00 in total, these projects were funded and implemented between 2016 to 2020 through the Assistance to Disadvantaged Municipalities (ADM), Assistance to Municipalities (AM), Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB), and Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig Para sa Lahat (SALINTUBIG) programs of the Department, DILG XII’s Project Development Management Unit (PDMU) revealed.
“I expect the barangay officials’ commitment for the sustainability of these projects,” the director said, as she encouraged both barangay leaders and community members to “maintain and sustain it” for their children and their future generation.
Sustainability plans should be in place to ensure that the projects are maintained, the Director reminded, including the creation of water and sanitation associations for barangays who are recipient of the potable water system projects.
As response, Barangay Dagupan resident and association chairperson of the turned-over rehabilitated water system assured DILG and LGU-Kabacan that it will take care of the project and will not waste the support given by partner agencies.
“Kami ay natutuwa dahil sa tubig na yan…Nawa’y pagpatuloy ninyo ang inyong pagsuporta sa amin dahil aalagaan naming ang inyong binigay dahil water is life. Kami po ay taos-pusong nagpapasalamat dahil ito na ang naging bunga ng paghihirap ng mga opisyales,” she said.
From 2012 to 2020, Kabacan received Php 68,884,479 worth of financial assistance from the national government through the DILG to implement various infrastructure projects in communities. In 2019, the LGU ranked 15th in the implementation of AM projects region-wide.
