The Association of Mindanao Community Development Schools (AMCDS), representing higher education institutions across Mindanao offering degree programs in Community Development, conveys its deep concern over the recent revelations of alleged anomalies in the implementation of multi-billion peso government infrastructure projects, particularly in flood control. The exposure of “ghost projects,” substandard outputs, and the disproportionate allocation of contracts to a small group of favored contractors underscores systemic weaknesses in public sector governance. These irregularities not only deplete scarce public resources but also exacerbate the vulnerability of communities repeatedly exposed to flooding and other hazards.
From the standpoint of scholarship and praxis in community development, such issues are symptomatic of a highly centralized and technocratic approach to development planning and implementation—one that often marginalizes the very people it seeks to serve. When communities are excluded from meaningful participation, development risks becoming extractive rather than inclusive and empowering. AMCDS asserts that a viable and evidence-based alternative is the institutionalization of Community-Driven Development (CDD) as a national framework for sustainable and inclusive governance.
The CDD approach, pioneered in the Philippines and operationalized through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s KALAHI-CIDSS program, has been implemented for more than two decades, beginning in 2003. Over these years, it has consistently demonstrated efficacy and efficiency in enhancing transparency, accountability, and community empowerment. It enables communities to:
-Identify and prioritize their own needs through participatory problem diagnosis;
-Engage directly in planning, implementation, and monitoring of projects;
-Exercise oversight in the use of public resources;
-Strengthen local economies through community-based procurement of materials sourced locally, thereby supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and
-Nurture a sense of collective ownership, given that projects are identified, planned, implemented, and evaluated by the community itself.
As an academic community, our higher education institutions have been steadfast in producing graduates of Community Development who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to lead these bottom-up initiatives. They stand ready to contribute to a governance system that is not only free from corruption but also participatory, inclusive, and empowering at the grassroots level.
Institutionalizing CDD through the passage of the CDD Bill is not merely a policy option but a normative and ethical imperative. It offers a structural safeguard against corruption, minimizes wasteful expenditure, and ensures that every peso invested in development is responsive to genuine community needs. More importantly, it affirms the principle that citizens are not passive beneficiaries but co-architects of development.
In this light, the Association of Mindanao Community Development Schools calls upon Congress, the Senate, and the Office of the President to champion the passage of the CDD Bill. Doing so will enshrine citizens’ participation as a cornerstone of governance and bring the Philippines closer to an inclusive, transparent, and sustainable development trajectory—one that truly reflects the aspirations of its people.
