House of Representatives. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers are pushing for the involvement of marginalized communities in the planning, budgeting, and implementation of projects in the community, saying this could “combat poverty.”
Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte, in a statement on Thursday, said this approach is called the Community-Driven Development (CDD).
The institutionalization of this strategy is underscored under House Bill (HB) No. 500, which was filed by Duterte, along with Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, and ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Edvic Yap.
“Poor and far flung communities should get a say on what should be done to alleviate poverty in their areas since they know what’s happening on the ground and what problems need urgent action. This is the true spirit of inclusive growth,” Duterte said.
“Allowing them to identify, plan, budget and implement small development projects will not only give them a sense of empowerment, but would also ensure that they maintain and sustain these projects well. Since they are involved in all the aspects of the project implementation, they would make sure that their hard work would not go to waste,” he added.
These projects include the construction of water systems, schools, street lighting, community health centers and farm-to-market roads.
Meanwhile, in their explanatory note in filing HB No. 500, the lawmakers pointed out that the measure will provide “community empowerment” as it will enable groups to increase control over factors and decisions that “shape their lives.”