“Agtaltalinaed ti lagip ko. Iti panawen idi, adayo ken, narigat ti dalan. Kasla napukaw kami iti mapa,” (The memory remains. In that time, the road was far, the road was difficult. It was like we were lost on the map,) Nanay Catalina said.
For residents of Barangay Palitud, Paracelis, Mountain Province, especially in the remote Sitio Turod, life was a daily struggle. Farmers waded through mud to bring their harvests to the market, schoolchildren navigated treacherous dirt roads, and access to essential services was limited, particularly during the rainy season. It was in this environment that Catalina F. Arzadon, affectionately called Nanay Catalina, stepped forward, not as a politician or wealthy landowner, but as an ordinary citizen committed to her community’s progress.
Cycle 1: Building Trust, One Road at a Time
Nanay Catalina’s journey began with the first cycle of Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), which focused on concreting the barangay road along Districts 2 and 3 of Barangay Palitud. The project covered 82 meters in length and 6 meters in width, with curbs on both sides. It benefited 225 households, including 98 Indigenous families, and women made up 42% of the workforce.
“Idi first ket kasla agbabain kami pay. Haan me ammu nu kasanu ag manage ti dakel nga pondo ken kasanu iti plano na dayta,” (At first, we were shy. We didn’t know how to manage funds, how to plan,) she recalls.
Volunteers like Nanay Catalina learned to manage materials, document labor hours, and ensure financial transparency. The project’s success was more than just a road, it was the birth of trust, collaboration, and community empowerment, showing that residents could govern and improve their own community.
Cycle 2: Braving Sitio Turod
Encouraged by their initial success, the community turned its attention to Sitio Turod, the most marginalized area in Palitud. This second cycle focused on improving access through a 72-meter-long, 6-meter-wide concrete road with grouted riprap, benefiting 787 households, including 294 Indigenous families. Women comprised 38% of the laborers.
Nanay Catalina took on a more technical role, joining the monitoring team and mentoring younger volunteers.
“Idi cycle two kunan da nga daytoy palitud it nagbayad nga agkuti, inmay daduma engineer it KALAHI. Nagmemeeting kami amin nga volunteers ta nagpa meeting ni cap ket dyay en ah dapat natured kami nga agtrabaho uray agtudtudu dyta kailangan nga malpas ken ada makita nga improvement na dyay project me,” (For cycle 2, they said that Barangay Palitud was the least active barangay to move when it comes to physical accomplishment. The community volunteer and barangay officials called a meeting. We need to be brave, we need to work even if it is raining, we need to help each other to finish our project, and to make sure it has improvement,) she shares.
The completed road drastically reduced travel time, improved access to markets and schools, and strengthened community unity and determination.
Cycle 3: Ensuring a Lasting Legacy
By the third cycle, Nanay Catalina had become a mentor for the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) team, guiding the next generation of volunteers to care for the roads they built. This cycle focused on concreting a 50-meter farm-to-market road with grouted riprap in Sitio Turod, connecting local harvests to buyers outside the barangay and ensuring long-term sustainability.
“Daytoy ti tawid mi kadagiti ubbing. Saan laeng a bato ken semento. Daytoy ti gagar mi, ti panagkaykaysa mi,” (This is our legacy to the children. It’s not just stone and cement. This is our passion, our unity,”) she says.
Today, all three roads are operational and maintained by the very people who built them. Children walk safely to school, farmers deliver fresh crops to the market, and Indigenous families have improved access to essential services. Beyond infrastructure, Nanay Catalina’s leadership has fostered local governance skills, youth and women participation, and community discipline that will endure long after the project’s completion.
Nanay Catalina emphasizes that transparency, patience, and mentorship were essential to success. Volunteers had to learn financial management, technical skills, and coordination from scratch.
Her story is a powerful reminder that real progress begins when ordinary citizens take action, unite, and invest their hearts and hands in their community. #DSWD-CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, Yvonne Gracious T. Elegado, Social Marketing Officer III with Jun Lemmer F. Warden, Community Empowerment Facilitator
