Strong partnership with Gawad Kalinga forged
The Office of Presidential Assistant Raul N. Banias has been initiating stronger partnership with the Gawad Kalinga (GK) to build more houses and alleviate poverty in many areas in Iloilo and Panay in general.
PA Banias said he has been going around with Gawad Kalinga head Tony Meloto to locate some areas in Iloilo for possible GK projects to rise and GK is just waiting for lot donors who are willing to donate some portions of their land as project sites.
National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) lead convenor Secretary Domingo Panganiban said the GK had established collaboration with the NAPC to help uplift the lives of many poor families, as what they have done in many parts of the country.
Panganiban said a strong partnership with GK can help direct the gains of the economy into people-centered growth as it focuses on poverty-stricken areas by building homes for the homeless, with its vision for a poor-free, squatter-free nation through a strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry thereby restoring dignity and peace for every Filipino.
To date Gawad Kalinga is in more than 1,500 communities all over the Philippines and it is fast tracking its efforts to build 700,000 houses until 2010.
Meloto said he was confident that the alliance with NAPC and other stakeholders in the government's anti-poverty program will help in the effort of meeting the millennium development goal of reducing poverty incidence by half in 2010.
He also said he believed in the integrity and capability of Secretary Panganiban who can turn the disadvantaged corners of the country into zones of opportunity and development.
Meanwhile, PA Banias, who heads the KALAHI Convergence Group, the regional OPAPP, and the member agencies, are also urging local leaders to invest in accurate data monitoring system to help in tracking down poor communities in their localities.
Banias, for his part, urged statistical boards and other related entities, to popularize planning data to help the local officials. (PIA 6/ESS)