BY LINDON ABAPO & KIRSON CASTAÑOS/DSSC Interns
THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kalahi-CIDSS program is rolling out its latest cycle of temporary employment in Davao del Sur, shifting its focus toward student support, disability inclusion, and community care.
Kalahi-CIDSS, an initiative traditionally known for community empowerment and local infrastructure projects like roads and multi-purpose buildings, runs its Cash-for-Work (CFW) program to provide immediate financial assistance to residents through short-term jobs.
Dyan Mary Joy Nesperos Atillo of Kalahi-CIDSS, the program now operates under three main modalities: the traditional KKB-CDD (Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay – Community Driven Development), the Panahon ng Pagkilos or resilient community projects, and specialized tracks for higher education, persons with disabilities, and a newly added therapy and care worker initiative.
Their partner institution is the Digos-based Davao del Sur State College, which includes extension campuses in Sta. Cruz, Sulop, and Matanao. Through this partnership, students and graduates across all campuses can have Cash-for-Work opportunities.
For this year, the higher education track has a total of 590 beneficiaries—150 graduates and 440 students. While the original target was 300 graduates, the number was adjusted due to limited qualified applicants.
Beneficiaries under this track receive ₱510 per day. Graduates, who work full hours for 25 days, can earn up to ₱12,750. Students, on the other hand, work only 4 hours per day to avoid disrupting their studies and can earn up to ₱6,375 over the same 25-day period.
Graduates are assigned to work in various government offices nearest to where they reside, including 4Ps offices, DSWD offices, and local government units (LGUs). Their tasks include data encoding, school visitation, and administrative work. Students, meanwhile, are assigned within their respective schools and handle similar responsibilities.
For persons with disabilities, the partner local government unit is the Municipality of Bansalan. This year’s PWD component was already completed last May, with beneficiaries working for 10 days at ₱510 per day. Care worker beneficiaries under the therapy track are given 20 days, rendering four hours of work per day.
The Cash-for-Work program has undergone changes in work duration over the years. When it first launched in 2022, beneficiaries worked for 90 calendar days. This was reduced to 50 days last year and further shortened to 25 days this year.
In terms of program progress, Atillo shared that the Panahon ng Pagkilos component launched last year. Community members and build staff were trained last month, and the municipal orientation marking the official start of implementation is set for this July. The KKB component, meanwhile, is currently in the proclamation process.
Atillo noted that the program’s reach and scope depend largely on government funding. “It really just depends on the funds given by the government,” she said. For now, Kalahi-CIDSS has one municipal partner and hopes to secure at least one school or higher-education partner before the year ends.
