Series of activities to mark nat'l week for overcoming poverty
Iloilo City (10 October) -- A series of activities geared towards unifying the support of all sectors to fight extreme poverty will highlight this year's annual observance of the National Week for Overcoming Poverty on October 17 to 23, 2008.
The National Week for Overcoming Poverty is annually observed per Proclamation No. 717 signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.
According to Information Officer Alma Jornadal of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, a caravan which will be participated in by major line agencies of the government will be held from Iloilo City to Barotac Viejo, Iloilo where a KALAHI commemorative stone will be laid down in Brgy. San Geronimo on October 17.
While in Barotac Viejo, a KALAHI commemorative stone will be laid down in Barangay San Geronimo; and the completed potable water system level 2 subproject of five clustered barangays will also be turned over to the community on the same day.
DSWD 6 Asst. Regional Director Joel P. Galicia explained that the subproject was realized under the government's flagship poverty reduction project, Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS). A tree-planting activity will also be undertaken at the site of the water source in Brgy. Rizal. After which, two road improvement subprojects in Barangays Puerto Princesa and Sto. Domingo will be inaugurated.
Galicia said the Iloilo Code of NGOs (I-CODE) will continue the activities in Barotac Viejo with a municipal orientation on the KALAHI-CIDSS ComSELOA Learning Network Program. ComSELOA or Communities Sharing Experiences and Lessons from One Another aims to document significant stories of volunteers, beneficiaries and Barangay Council members along KALAHI-CIDSS' implementation.
The DSWD group and members of the Regional KALAHI Convergence Group, on the other hand, will proceed to Carles, Iloilo in the afternoon of October 17 to witness the mass handover of all completed sub-projects under KALAHI-CIDSS' Cycle 3 implementation.
Joining the DSWD in these activities are the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); Armed Forces of the Philippines; and Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Public Works and Highways, Health and Education among others, Information Officer Jornadal disclosed. (PIA/T. Villavert) [top]
