Local Champions Institutionalizing Community Driven Development (CDD) in Cebu and Bohol

Ana Leah D. Cuizon

Assistant Professor of Public Administration, University of the Philippines Cebu

Discussion Paper Series 2025-23

RATIONALE AND BACKGROUND

The institutionalization of local initiatives is at the core of academic discourses across levels of governance. Institutionalization is the process of turning initial assumptions into practical programs recognized as effective for reaching shared goals (Haghighi and Takian 2024). Similar to automation, ideas and procedures become embedded within formal organizational structures, leading to automatic actions. The deeper an idea is institutionalized, the less individuals need to think independently and reflect critically before acting.

Institutionalization breeds sustainability. The integration of local initiatives with existing formal government arrangements such as legislation depends on the support it can generate from the members of the legislature. These innovations, particularly coming from the community, are judged not on merits nor benefits for the majority, but for its alignment with the priorities of those who hold political power.

In most cases, community initiatives fail to thrive due to unfavorable conditions among legislative bodies across national, regional, and local levels. These efforts remain individualistic and group or community-led, without recognition and partnership from authorized public instrumentalities. Buyin from legislators and Sanggunian (Council) members in transforming local initiatives as urgent “cause” for legislation remains to be the biggest challenge in sustaining these efforts. The multi-faceted process of institutionalization is a grueling procedure, especially for community volunteers whose simple intent is to contribute to community development. The politics involved in institutionalization of an initiative, which have been known and awarded as a “best practice” not only within the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), but also by international organizations like Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB) in their country-wide and regional reports is more complex than it appears. Such is the case of the DSWD‘s Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) in its incessant quest for institutionalization both from the local to the national levels.

The KALAHI-CIDSS is one of the three core programs of the DSWD that aims to reduce poverty and promote good governance through the community-driven development (CDD) approach. The two other key programs—the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP)—are likewise aimed at poverty alleviation, with the 4Ps focused on the behavioral-capabilities approach and the SLP on a capacity-building approach for its household beneficiaries. The peculiarity of KALAHI-CIDSS stems from its utilization of the CDD approach, which follows four key principles: (1) participation, (2) transparency, (3) accountability, and (4) inclusion. KALAHICIDSS targets the community, not just the individual household beneficiaries, so that its effects are readily observable through community infrastructures and facilities. In a few geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), primary social service facilities like health centers, kindergarten and elementary schools, roads, bridges, and street lights are mostly funded by KALAHI-CIDSS with minimal local-counterpart funding from the LGU beneficiaries. Success stories of multiple communities have been documented to reflect the positive effects and enduring impact of the said program to the people. Yet, why is KALAHI-CIDSS’ institutionalization at the national and local levels still a challenge?

This paper sheds light on the best alternative course of action to sustain what
the community had already started to build and reaped as benefits from the implementation of the CDD approach. It proposes for a localized and still community-driven strategy to sustain CDD’s success. Steering the discourse to local government units (LGUs) in the region to take on the lead as they directly navigate and engage with local stakeholders. The call to action must be initiated at this level.

ISSN 2619-7448 (Print)
ISSN 2619-7456 (Online)

Link

https://cids.up.edu.ph/download/local-champions-institutionalizing-community-driven-development-cdd-cebu-bohol/