DSWD Honors Community Champions, Launches Grants for Sustainable Development

Community volunteers and local governments took center stage as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recognized their contributions to grassroots development during the National Bayani Ka! cum Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Awards held September 22, 2026, at SMX Sky Hall in Bacolod City.

Organized through the KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Management Office, the event highlighted how communities and local governments can work together in addressing poverty, improving public services, and strengthening local development.

One of the ceremony’s major developments was the launch of the Performance-Based Grant for Sustainability (PBGS), led by DSWD Undersecretary for Operations Pinky Romualdez. The initiative provides direct grant funding to high-performing local government units to help maintain community infrastructure, strengthen participatory governance, and improve disaster resilience.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian joined the ceremony, which honored individuals and LGUs under two major award tracks.

The Bayani Ka! Awards recognized community volunteers and local leaders whose work contributed to Gender and Development, environmental protection and disaster risk reduction and management, Indigenous Peoples welfare, senior citizens’ welfare, and volunteerism.

Meanwhile, the Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Awards honored local governments that demonstrated strong support for Community-Driven Development (CDD), including co-funding community sub-projects and integrating the approach into local governance. Among those recognized were Lopez Jaena in Misamis Occidental, Claveria in Masbate, and Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental.

KALAHI-CIDSS is DSWD’s flagship poverty-reduction program that empowers communities to identify local challenges, develop solutions, manage resources, and participate directly in decisions affecting their development.