A total of 329 barangays in Negros Oriental will participate in the municipal inter-barangay forum (MIBF) of Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service (Kalahi-CIDSS).
The MIBF started last Nov. 6 in Ayungon and Jimalalud towns. It will continue in Mabinay town today, Nov. 8; Basay, Manjuyod and Pamplona towns on Nov. 9; Dauin on Nov. 10; Bindoy and Zamboanguita on Nov. 13; Vallehermoso on Nov. 14 and Sta. Catalina on Nov. 15.
In this forum, representatives from the different barangays will present and propose community projects, and afterwards vote for the “best and most urgent” community project that will be prioritized by the grant from Kalahi-CIDSS.
“The MIBF is a milestone of the community empowernment activity cycle since it gives the people an opportunity to decide on the problems and issues of their community that need to be addressed through the projects funded by Kalahi-CIDSS,” Levi de los Santos, regional Community Development specialist of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), said in Cebuano.
The MIBF consults the people of the community and relies on them in determining which community projects need to be prioritized for funding.
After the forum, the mayor of a particular municipality would declare the winners or the prioritised community projects.
The barangay captains, on the other hand, would automatically become members of the Barangay Representation Team (BRT) that would present the community project and facilitate the voting.
The MIBF is similar to the polls. Representatives from the different barangays stand on stage and encourage others to vote for their community project. They would explain the condition of their community and discuss how their proposed community project help alleviate their situation.
After the plenary activity, the representatives would then cast their ballots to vote for the community project which they think needs the funding most.
The Kalahi-CIDSS project provides a grant of P450,000 for the priority projects.