THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has reached 2,489,307 Indigenous Peoples’ (IP) households nationwide through its community-driven development program since 2003.
Through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), IP communities participate in identifying their needs and in planning, implementing, and monitoring local development projects.
Kalahi-CIDSS Director and National Program Manager Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin said meaningful IP participation helps ensure that development programs respond to communities’ actual needs while respecting their culture, traditions, and indigenous knowledge.
‘We do not regard our IPs merely as beneficiaries of government programs. They are partners in development. Through the CDD approach, they are given the opportunity to participate-from the planning stage to the implementation and monitoring of projects,’ Mapue-Joaquin said on Tuesday.
Under the CDD approach, communities collectively identify their most urgent concerns, develop appropriate solutions, and carry out projects based on local priorities. For IP communities, the process also allows traditional knowledge, cultural practices, perspectives, and lived experiences to inform development planning.
The DSWD recognized these elements as essential to the identity and resilience of IP communities and as valuable contributions to inclusive and sustainable development.
‘When we talk about development, it must be inclusive and culturally sensitive. We must ensure that the culture, traditions, and indigenous knowledge of IP communities are neither disregarded nor left behind in the development process,’ Mapue-Joaquin emphasized.
Kalahi-CIDSS primarily serves poor, geographically isolated, and disadvantaged areas, where communities may have limited access to basic services and opportunities. By giving residents a direct role in decision-making, the program strengthens local ownership and accountability in addressing development concerns.
The same commitment is reflected in the DSWD’s new modality, the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project. The proportion of IPs in a municipality’s population is among the criteria used to select the project’s 500 beneficiary towns.
The criterion recognized how IP communities’ culture, traditions, practices, and experiences can help strengthen local resilience and advance community development.
‘Our goal is to work with all vulnerable sectors, including the IPs, respect what they bring to the table, and make sure that social protection and development interventions are responsive to their actual needs,’ she said.
The DSWD renewed its commitment to IP empowerment following the observance of National Indigenous Peoples Day and the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9.
National Indigenous Peoples Day is observed annually pursuant to Republic Act 10689, or the Act Declaring August 9 as National Indigenous Peoples Day and Mandating the Meaningful Observance Thereof.
The national observance supports the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, established by the United Nations General Assembly to promote awareness of the rights, needs, and contributions of Indigenous Peoples around the world.
‘Our commemoration of National Indigenous Peoples Day is not only about celebrating the culture and traditions of our IPs. It is also a reminder that we must recognize their rights, their knowledge, and their important role in shaping their communities,’ Mapue-Joaquin said.