PRESEN.
Republic of the Philippines y Zant yy, EN

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES / 7
Quezon City, Metro Manila ie RECEIVED

figs 10 2022
NINETEENTH CONGRESS We DATE Par
First Regular Session Wr TOM =
Yee,

HOUSE BILL NO 3498 Neal
Introduced by Representative WOWO FORTES SS

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 CDD approach is an internationally recognized empowerment strategy that
relies on community participation to achieve significant and lasting development
Citizen are treated as partners in the development process by allowing community
members to identify and prioritize community issues and problems. Further. COD
involves the community in the implementation, management, and operation ana
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).

By institutionalizing the CDD approach, we can give the people more power to
chart their own paths, in line with the true intent and spirit of devoiution. CDD
institutionalization will provide an enabling policy to achieve genuine community
empowerment by enhancing capacities for community participation especially in poor,
vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalized communities

CDD institutionalization also provides @ national strategy and mechanism te
ensure inclusive and sustainable growth by increasing community participation and
improving government transparency and accountability especially in the
impiementation of community-based PPAs.

in the context of devolution, CDD institutionalization 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. As
a consequence, 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 focal development


CDO's principles of participation, transparency, and accountability has a
positive relationship with poverty alleviation and inclusive and sustainable growth
Through the CDD approach. KALAHI-CIDSS and the DSWD improved access to basic
social services in some of the poorest and most marginalized communities in the
country. Through community participation, high-quality infrastructures were
established within or below planned costs. As an added benefit, CDD also improved
the capabilities of community members and volunteers as their involvement required
training on sound financial management and procurement

By institutionalizing the CDD approach to ensure inclusive growth and social
protection. the government can build on and perpetuate the gains of CDD in local
development and nation-building

In view of the foregoing considerations, approval of this bill is earnestly sought

ATTY. WO! RTES
Reprefentative
Second District, Prpvinde of Sorsogon


Nineteenth Congress of the
Republic of the Philippines
First Regular Session

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

3 No 3498

H. B. No.

Introduced by Representative WOWO FORTES

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

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

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policies. — It is the policy of the State to uplift 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 goverment units, civil society organizations,
and communities to ensure the proper use of the CDD approach in implementing local
programs, activities and projects.

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 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 and projects
{PAPs) 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
(a) 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 wherein programs or projects put primacy on a group ot
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 its participants and provide opportunities for the engagement
especially of the marginalized groups:

(c) Community contro! 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; and

(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 controi over the content, the process and
the results of the monitoring and evaluation activity, and participate in
identifying and making corrective actions.

(f) 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. 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 pr ograms 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: and

(9) 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:

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

(a) 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
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 interior and Local
Government (DILG) and other similar awards and recognitions granted by NGAs.

SEC. 9. Advisory Couneil. - An Advisory Council on CDD Institutionaiization 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: and
(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). Member: and

(d) National Presidents of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)
and League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), 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 non-government organizations (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, NEDA, DBM, DA, DAR, DENR, DOH, DepEd, DHSUD, and from
LMP. LCP and accredited NGOs. as members.

SEC. 10. Functions of Advisory Council. - The Advisory Councit 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

(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 te 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 impiementation 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,


2) 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;
3) Institutionalize capability building and learning on CDD for NGAs, CSOs
private sector institutions, and other partners:

4) Lead the research, development, and implementation af 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 partnerin 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 and other stakeholders. ~ All relevant
bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the government and other
stakeholder 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, LGUs and other stakeholders
to respond to the identified community needs, issues, concerns, and priorities.

SEC. 11. 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 members and LGUs, shail also be established.

SEC. 12. 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 from each House, to be designated by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate President, respectively

The review of the impiementation 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, 13. Appropriations. ~ The amount needed for the implementation of this Act shall
be charged to the current year's appropriations of the DSWD. Thereafter, such amount
as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in
the annual General Appropriations Act

SEC. 14. implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within six (6) months from the
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of DSWD shail, in coordination with nationai
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. 15. 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. 16. Repealing Ciause. - 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. 17. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation

Approved