Abra- With the recent onslaught of weather disturbances in the Region, a group of community volunteers in Brgy. San Juan West in the Municipality of Pilar has been advocating environment protection in their community. This is through the Timpuyog Inanama Mannalon ken Entero Kabaranggayan or TIMEK.
According to TIMEK President Carmelo Gines, the association was created by the community volunteers of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) Project. From 17 members on its inception in 30 October 2012, TIMEK now has 82 active members including representatives from the different sectors of their community like farmers, housewives, vendors, day care worker, teacher, health worker, and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program parent leaders and barangay officials.
Kalahi-CIDSS Area Coordinator Ludovico Ulatan attested that the members of the said association have been active community volunteers for the Kalahi-CIDSS Project.
On the other hand, Gines added that the idea of forming the association was due to the Project’s principle of empowering communities. According to him, they were inspired to organize the association because of the active involvement that they had experienced as a part of their Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee during the implementation of the Kalahi-CIDSS.
Ulatan further said that TIMEK has been active on their cleanliness drive. The said organization leads in the cleaning of their barangay road and its surroundings every second and last Sunday of the month.
Mary-Anne Narciso, one of TIMEK’s members and also a Pantawid beneficiary stated that the organization values camaraderie especially in pushing for their community’s development, including the preservation of the environment.
Community Facilitator Lallaine Ayangwa shared the community’s commitment to continue participating in the implementation of Government projects even if they are excluded on the next cycle of the Kalahi-CIDSS Project.
Meanwhile, Gines committed that TIMEK will continue their advocacy in taking care of the environment even if their barangay was not prioritized during the selection process of the Kalahi-CIDSS Project.
Brgy. San Juan West ranked 6th on the prioritization of barangays during the conduct of Municipal-Inter Barangay Forum for Participatory Resource Allocation (MIBF – PRA). Brgys. Nagcanasan, San Juan East, Villavieja, Patad and Narnara were prioritized by the community. In the MIBF-PRA, the communities set their own criteria in prioritizing or choosing sub-projects that are to be implemented. The sub-projects proposed by each barangay is ranked according to the vote of their respective Barangay Representation Teams and are granted the funds according to their proposals. However, a certain amount of fund can only be allotted for the municipality, thus, the barangays need to prioritize the sub-projects that they think would be the most useful for their municipality.
This mechanism of the Kalahi-CIDSS Project is one of the processes adopted from the Community-Driven Development approach followed by the Project. # DSWD-CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, MAYROSE F. URBANO
