The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas announced on Tuesday it has allocated PHP298.1 million for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response in the region.

Rebecca Geamala, DSWD-7 regional director, said the Covid-19 fund was earmarked under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) program of the agency.

Due to the Covid-19 health crisis, DSWD-7 has incorporated the program into the Disaster Response Operations Procedure (DROP) used in responding to the impact of disasters and pandemic.

“In line with this, DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS shifted its project from the regular Community Empowerment Activity Cycle (CEAC) mode to DROP, which responds to the basic needs of the implementing municipalities on Covid-19,” a statement from the DSWD-7 read.

Geamala said the Kalahi-CIDSS provides funds for the 731 sub-projects identified by the 27 municipalities in Central Visayas as their priority needs in responding to the Covid-19 crisis.

Some of these sub-projects are isolation centers, purchase of personal protective equipment, purchase of telecommunications equipment and implementation of the cash for work scheme, she said.

The Kalahi-CIDSS, one of the government’s poverty-alleviation programs implemented by DSWD, uses the community-driven development approach to empower communities in targeted poor and disaster-affected municipalities to identify their own needs, and collectively implement and manage solutions to these needs.

The DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS began in 2003, covering 200 poor municipalities. The coverage grew in 2014 to 847 municipalities, 554 of which were affected by Typhoon Yolanda, after it scaled up to become a national program as response to a strong demand from partner local government units and communities and the support of the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster.

The program is funded by the Philippine government along with development partners World Bank and Asian Development Bank. (PNA)