Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bill No.

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE JURDIN JESUS M. ROMUALDO.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

“Those who have less in life should have more in law.” - President Ramon Magsaysay

This bill is being refiled following its importance and the legislative progress it achieved
in the 19th Congress, having been approved on Second Reading in the House of
Representatives, Several similar measures have also been filed in the Senate, demonstrating
broad recognition of the bill’s relevance and potential impact across both chambers.

The proposed legislation seeks to institutionalize the Community-Driven Development
(CDD) approach as a core national and local development strategy. It addresses the absence
of an enabling policy framework that empowers poor, vulnerable, and marginalized
communities to meaningfully participate in the local development process.

‘The CDD approach reinforces the principles of participatory governance and strengthens
the intent of the Local Goverment Code (LGC) by expanding mechanisms for citizen
engagement beyond mere representation in local development councils and special bodies.
While Article 63 of the LGC mandates that civil society organizations (CSOs), academia,
and similar groups comprise at least 25% of the membership of Local Special Bodies,
participation is still largely limited to organizational representation. CDD provides a tested
and inclusive platform that allows even unaffiliated individuals to actively engage in
community planning, decision-making, and implementation of development initiatives.

Since 2003, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has implemented
the CDD approach through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - Comprehensive and
Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) Program. This model,
internationally recognized for its effectiveness, puts citizens at the heart of development. It
enables communities to identify priorities, design solutions, and manage projects in a
transparent and accountable manner, thereby fostering a strong sense of ownership and
civic responsibility

Institutionalizing CDD will solidify the gains of KALAHI-CIDSS and ensure its continuity
and scale under a formal legal framework. It will further deepen the devolution process,
strengthen participatory governance, improve access to basic services, and promote
inclusive and sustainable development,


Key Provisions of the Bill:

Establish CDD as a participatory approach that empowers communities to lead
development processes, make decisions, and allocate resources—treating people as
partners in governance.

Institutionalization of CDD

Recognizes and formalizes CDD as a strategic development approach at both the
national and local levels.

Assigns the DSWD, through its KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Management
Office, the responsibility to mainstream and implement the provisions of this Act as
part of its regular operations.

Capability Building

Directs the DSWD Social Welfare and Development Learning Institute (or DSWD
Academy) to institutionalize CDD-related training programs for national government
agencies, local government units (LGUs), civil society organizations, and other
development stakeholders.

“The proposed measure supports the realization of equitable, community-led progress and
contributes meaningfully to national development goals. Fag all the foregoing reasons, the
immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

JU! 'S M. ROMUALDO


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Sessi
House Bit. No. 67

in

‘TRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE JURDIN JESUS M. ROMUALDO

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
AS 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:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Institutionalization of
the Community-Driven Development (CDD) Approach Act.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policies. ~ Its the policy of the State to uplift the standard
living and quality of life of the poor and provide sustained opportunities for growth and
development. The State also recognizes that the right of the people and their organizations
to effective and reasonable participations at all levels of social, political and economic
decision-making shall not be abridged. The State shall facilitate the establishment of
adequate consultation mechanism.

To 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) Basie sectors refer to the disadvantaged sectors of Philippine society including farmer-
peasant, fisherfolk, workers in the formal sector, migrant 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 group to address
‘community-identified plans and needs;

(©) Community-driven development (CDD) refers to an approach that gives control over
the development process, decision-making, and resources to community members or group and
treats people as assets and partners in the development process while building on their institutions


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and resources; and

(@) Community empowerment refers to a process of enabling groups to increase control
over the factors and decisions that shape their lives, including 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 wherein 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 wherein 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 participants and provide
opportunities for the engagement especially of the marginalized groups;

(©) Community control of resources wherein 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

(0 Operation and Maintenance, and Sustainability wherein the community 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. §. 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;

(©) Ensuring that identified community priorities are sufficiently funded;
(0 Ensuring participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) as partners in organizing

and strengthening communities, and implementing community - based programs, activities, and
projects, and



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(g) Creating a Community - Driven Development team that shall ensure full
operationalization of the CDD approach within their respective agencies and LGUs.

SEC. 7. Role 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;

(b) Providing continuous capability building and technology transfer to LGUs and
communities;

() Conducting third party monitoring and evaluation of capability building and
empowerment of LGUs and communities; and

(@) Providing additional funding or collaborating 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
composed of agencies, Non-Government Organizations (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
Locat Governance by the Department of the Interior and 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);

(d) National Presidents of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), League of
Municipalitics of the Philippines (LMP), and Liga ng mga Barangay as members.

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 NGOs which shall constitute not less than one-fourth ('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, NCIP, NCMF,
NEDA, DBM, DA, DAR, DENR, DOH, DepEd, DHSUD, LMP, LCP, Liga ng mga Barangay,


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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 enhance and 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;

(©) Implement an incentives program to enhance and promote the use of the CDD approach
by NGAs and LGUs;

(d) Implement a grievance redress mechanism that accepts and resolves complaints
pertaining to the implementation of this Act;

(©) 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

(0) 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 shall, through the Kapit - bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - Comprehensive and
Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI - CIDSS) National Program Management Office,
integrate in their regular operations the following functions:

i) Ensure effective compliance and implementation of this Act;
ii) Facilitate support to empower community members to participate in the local

development processes and to strengthen community capabilities to engage LGUs,
NGAs, and other stakeholders to support community - identified priorities; and

iii) Provide technical assistance and resource augmentation including but not
limited to ensuring integration of municipal development plans into provincial
development plans.

The DSWD, through its existing facility referred to as the DSWD Social Welfare and
Development Learning Institute/DSWD Academy and in coordination with the DSWD KALAHI
- CIDSS National Program Management Office, shall:

i) Lead the research, development, and implementation of new and improved CDD
mechanisms to adapt to the ever - changing needs of communities;

ii) Institutionalize capability building and leaning on CDD for NGAs, CSOs,
private sector institutions, and other partners; and

iii) Establish the CDD resource pool, a group of experts on CDD principles and
implementation who possess expertise in CDD to co - develop the certification and
accreditation programs and other learning and development requirements of the
staff, partners, and other stakeholders.



Further, the DSWD shall also accredit CSOs to become partners in the use of CDD
approach.

(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.

(©) 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.

(4) 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 shall, through the Advisory
Council, 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 members and LGUs, shall also be established.

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 is 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 with representation from the minority of both Houses, 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 necessary for the initial implementation of this
Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the Department s and agencies
concerned, Thereafter, such amount 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.



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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,