NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
of IljP Ttsin>
23 MAY 11 P3 :34
SENATE
S. B. No. 2181
RHCEIVtDBV;
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN 
DEVELOPMENT APPROACH AS A NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR 
INCLUSIVE GROWTH AND SOCIAL PROTECTION AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Since 2003, the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach has been 
implemented and championed by the Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - 
Comprehensive and integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) Program 
of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The DSWD 
describes it as an effective method to allow communities, especially the poor, to 
participate in governance to ensure that their needs are properly addressed and 
that resources are allocated and used for these needs
The CDD approach is an internationally recognized empowerment strategy 
that relies on community participation to achieve significant and lasting 
development. It treats citizens as partners in the development process by allowing 
community members to identify and prioritize community issues and problems. 
Further, CDD involves the community in the implementation, management, 
operation, and maintenance of community-identified solutions to their prioritized 
problems. Through this approach, communities are empowered to take part and 
claim ownership of the government's community-based programs, activities, and 
projects. (PAPs).
The CDD institutionalization will provide a national strategy and mechanism 
to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth by increasing community participation 
and improving government transparency and accountability especially in the 
implementation of community-based PAPs.


The institutionalization of the CDD approach also reinforces the provisions 
of the Local Government Code. Currently, community participation in local 
government is limited to representation in local development councils and local 
special bodies. Consequently, people who are not members of civil society 
organizations, the academe, or other people's organizations are not given 
representation. The CDD approach remedies this by offering ready and available 
technologies that, through decades of implementation, have proven effective in 
stirring active and long-lasting citizen participation that leads to local development.
For all the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought
SONNY ANGARA


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE
S. B. No. 218
F J'1
(©fficp of t!)f .TCtn-p
23 may 11 P3 34
RECEIVED BV:
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN 
DEVELOPMENT APPROACH AS A NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR 
INCLUSIVE GROWTH AND SOCIAL PROTECTION AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shali be known as the "Community-Driven 
Development (CDD) Approach Institutionalization Act"
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policies. - It is the poiicy of the State to upiift the 
standard of living and quality of life of the poor and provide them with sustained 
opportunities for growth and development. The State also recognizes that the right 
of the people and their organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all 
levels of social, political, and economic decision-making shall not be abridged. The 
State shall, by law, facilitate the establishment of adequate consultation mechanisms.
Towards this end, and in pursuit of good governance, sustainable and inclusive 
growth, and poverty reduction, the State shall enact programs that provide 
opportunities for community members particularly the poor, vulnerable, and 
marginalized to effectively participate in designing, planning, budgeting, 
implementing, monitoring, and evaluating community programs, activities, and 
projects.
Further, the State shall provide capability building opportunities for local 
government units, civil society organizations, and communities to ensure the proper 
use of the CDD approach in implementing local programs, projects, and activities.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
(a) Basic sectors refer to the disadvantaged sectors of Philippine society 
including farmer-peasants, fisherfolk, workers in the formal sector including migrant


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workers, workers in the informal sector, indigenous peoples and cultural 
communities, women, persons with disability, senior citizens, victims of calamities 
and disasters, youth and students, children, urban poor, and members of 
cooperatives;
(b) 
Community-based programs refer to programs, activities, or projects 
that are designed, planned, organized, and implemented locally by community 
members or groups to address community-identified plans and needs;
(c) 
Community-driven development (CDD) refers to an approach that gives 
control over the development process, decision-making, and resources to community 
members or groups and treats people as assets and partners in the development 
process while building on their institutions and resources; and
(d) 
Community empowerment refers to a process of enabling groups to 
increase control over the factors and decisions that shape their lives, including their 
assets and attributes, partners, networks, and voice.
Sec. 4. Elements of CDD. - The CDD approach, through the principles of 
participation, transparency, and accountability, has the following elements:
(a) Community focus \N}C[ere\r\ programs or projects put primacy on a group of 
people living in a particular locality or geographical area such as a barangay, ancestral 
domain, or specific subsets thereof, where interventions are implemented;
(b) Participatory planning \Nhere\n the process directly involves the community 
members, leaders, and other stakeholders in diagnosing local problems and designing 
a course of action to resolve those problems, and aims to harmonize views among 
all of its participants and provide opportunities for the engagement especially of the 
marginalized groups;
(c) Community control of resources vjhere\r\ the utilization and management 
of the resources by the community members or groups are based on 
community-identified plans and needs;
(d) Community-managed implementation wherein the execution, monitoring, 
and contract management of community-identified projects are performed by 
community members or groups, with assistance from the local government units 
(LGUs) and other local partners;
(e) Participatory monitoring and evaluation wherein the process through which 
members at various levels of the community engage in monitoring and evaluating a 
program or policy, share control over the content, the process and the results of the 
monitoring and evaluation activity, and participate in identifying and making 
corrective actions.; and
(f) Operation and Maintenance, and Sustainability wherein the community


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participates in the operation and maintenance of the community-identified project, 
ensuring sustainability not only of the project itself but also of the elements and 
principles of the CDD approach
Sec. 5. Institutionalization of the CDD Approach. - National government 
agencies (NGAs) and departments, including their attached agencies, offices, 
bureaus, other government instrumentalities, and LGUs shall adopt the CDD 
approach in their community-based programs to promote participation and 
empowerment of poor, vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalized groups within 
communities.
Sec. 6. Operationalization of the CDD Approach. - NGAs and LGUs in 
community-based programs shall be responsible for:
(a) 
Developing policies for enhancing participatory governance practices, 
tapping community organizations particularly the basic sectors, and responding to 
community needs;
(b) 
Providing information on government intervention, technical assistance, 
and support to partner communities for more effective community-driven planning 
and implementation;
(c) 
Enabling community members to meaningfully participate in the whole 
process;
(d) 
Ensuring that community members are prioritized, to the extent 
possible, in receiving employment opportunities brought about by project 
Implementation at the communities;
(e) 
Ensuring that identified community priorities are sufficiently funded;
(f) 
Ensuring participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) as partners 
in organizing and strengthening communities, and implementing community-based 
programs, activities, and projects (PAPs); and
(g) 
Creating a Community-Driven Development team that shall ensure full 
operationalization of the CDD approach within their respective agencies and LGUs.
Sec. 7. Roie of Civil Society Organizations and the Academe. - Accredited CSOs 
and academic institutions are encouraged to participate in community activities, 
specifically by:
(a) Facilitating the community empowerment processes;


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(b) 
Providing continuous capability building and technology transfer to LGUs 
and communities;
(c) 
Conducting third party monitoring and evaluation of capability building 
and empowerment of LGUs and communities; and
(d) 
Providing additional funding or collaboration with partners or donors to 
implement capacity building and empowerment of LGUs and communities.
For purposes of this section, the CDD community of practice refers to a 
community of CDD practitioners composed of agencies, NGOs, academic and 
research institutions, and individuals, that share the commitment and passion for 
CDD, and together strive to advance its practice through regular and purposive 
interaction.
Sec. 8. Incentives. - The exemplary use of the CDD approach by NGAs and 
LGUs shall be considered as a significant criterion for the recognition given to LGUs 
such as the Seal of Good Local Governance by the Department of the Interiorand 
Local Government (DILG) and other similar awards and recognitions granted by 
NGAs.
Sec. 9. Advisory Council. - An Advisory Council on CDD Institutionalization is 
created to develop policies relative to the implementation of this Act.
The Advisory Council is composed of the following:
(a) 
Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, as chairperson;
(b) 
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, as co-chairperson;
(c) 
Representatives from the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), 
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), National Commission on Muslim 
Filipinos (NCMF), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA),Department 
of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of 
Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), 
Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education(DepEd), and Department of 
Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD); and
(d) 
Presidents of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and League 
of Municipalities of the Philippines.
The representatives include the secretaries of the agencies as the officially 
designated permanent members and designated undersecretaries as alternate 
representatives.
The Advisory Council shall have, as additional members, representatives of 
reputable and accredited CDD non-government organizations (NGOs) which shall


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constitute not less than one-fourth (1/4) of the members of the Advisory Council, and 
shall be appointed by the Advisory Council to serve for three (3) years from the date 
of their appointment. Thereafter, the representatives shall be selected from and 
appointed by the CDD community of practice.
Advisory councils at the regional levels are also established with the regional 
directors of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and DILG, 
as chairperson and co-chairperson, respectively, and representatives from the 
regional offices of NAPC, NEDA, DBM, DA, DAR, DENR, DOH, DepEd, DHSUD, and 
from accredited NGOs, as members.
Sec. 10. Functions of Advisory Council. - The Advisory Council shall have the 
following functions:
(a) 
Meet regularly to promote coordination among agencies to enhanceand 
promote the use of the CDD approach;
(b) 
Formulate and issue relevant policies to ensure the effective and 
efficient implementation of CDD and its principles;
(c) 
Formulate an Incentives program to enhance and promote the use of 
the CDD approach by NGAs and LGUs;
(d) 
Formulate a grievance redress mechanism that accepts and resolves 
complaints pertaining to the implementation of this Act;
(e) 
Provide the monitoring and assessment report on the implementation 
of this Act, post the same on the DSWD website, and submit an annual report to the 
Joint Congressional Oversight Committee; and
(f) 
Recommend to the President of the Philippines measures and policies 
for the responsive delivery of commitments under this Act and integration into the 
general poverty reduction strategy of the National Government.
Sec. 11. Implementing Agencies. -
(a) DSWD as lead agency. - As lead agency for the implementation of this 
Act, the DSWD shall serve as the central coordinating, capability building, technical 
assistance, and monitoring agency for this Act.
The DSWD, through a dedicated office, shall integrate in their regular 
operations, the following functions:
1) Ensure effective compliance and implementation of this Act;


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2) 
Facilitate support to empower community members to participate in the 
local development processes and to strengthen community capabilities to 
engage LCDs, NGAs, and other stakeholders to support community-identified 
priorities;
3) 
Institutionalize capability building and learning on CDD for NGAs, CSOs, 
private sector institutions, and other partners;
4) 
Lead the research, development, and implementation of new and 
improved CDD mechanisms to adapt to the ever-changing needs of 
communities;
5) 
Accredit CSOs to become partners in the use of CDD approach; and
6) 
Provide technical assistance and resource augmentation including but 
not limited to ensuring integration of municipal development plans into 
provincial development plans.
(b) 
DILG as a key partner in capability building. - The DILG shall support 
the capability building of LGUs and communities. The DILG shall also ensure the 
horizontal and vertical alignment and linkages of barangay and city or municipal 
development plans.
(c) 
NAPC as a key partner in mobilizing the basic sectors. - The NAPC shall 
be a key partner agency in the development of policies and measures to ensure 
meaningful representation and active participation of the basic sectors in their local 
development.
(d) 
Support from relevant government agencies. - All relevant bureaus, 
offices, agencies, and instrumentalities of the government shall render the necessary 
support to the implementation of this Act.
The various government agencies identified under this Act and the concerned 
LGUs shall implement this Act using the whole-of-government approach, which 
provides a logical and systematic convergence of efforts of NGAs and LGUs to 
respond to the identified community needs, issues, concerns, and priorities.
Sec. 12. Regular Monitoring and Reporting. - The DSWD, through the Advisory 
Council, shall conduct quarterly monitoring of the implementation of this Act and 
submit an annual report of its status to the Office of the President and to the Joint 
Congressional Oversight Committee. The report must also be regularly posted on a 
dedicated DSWD Website and updated for the public's information. A process 
assessment shall be conducted by DSWD once every three years, the results of 
which shall be utilized to stimulate more program lessons exchange, experience 
sharing, public dialogues, policy discussions and generating inputs for program 
design works on CDD. Mechanisms for promoting third-party monitoring and 
evaluation of this Act by NGOs and CSOs, together with community membersand 
LGUs, shall also be established.


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Sec. 13. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. - A Joint Congressional 
Oversight Committee, hereafter referred to as the Oversight Committee, is hereby 
constituted. The Oversight Committee shall set the overall framework to review the 
implementation of this Act. It shall also determine the inherent weaknesses in the 
law and recommend the necessary remedial legislation or executive measures.
The Oversight Committee shall be composed of fourteen (14) members, with 
the chairpersons of the Committee on Poverty Alleviation of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural 
Development of the Senate as co-chairpersons; and six (6) members from each 
House, to be designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate President, respectively.
The review of the implementation of this Act must include a systematic 
evaluation of its impact, accomplishments of the program, and performance of its 
implementing agencies. The Oversight Committee shall conduct the review every 
three (3) years reckoned from the effectivity of this Act, or whenever deemed 
necessary by a majority of the members of the Oversight Committee.
Sec. 14. Appropriations. - The amount needed for the implementation of this 
Act shall be charged to the current year's appropriations of the Department of Social 
Welfare and Development. Thereafter, such amount as may be necessary forthe 
continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act.
Sec. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within six (6) months from 
the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development shall, in 
coordination with national government agency members of the Human Development 
and Poverty Reduction Cluster, with the participation of the league of barangays, 
cities, municipalities, and provinces, and relevant stakeholders, promulgate the rules 
and regulations necessary for the effective implementation of this Act.
Sec. 16. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared invalid 
or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and 
subsisting.
Sec. 17. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with or contrary to the 
provisions of this Act are repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
Sec. 18. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,