Metamorphosis_Kalahi-CIDSS Compendium 2015

“
The program is unlike others that came. It revived our
bayanihan system because in the process we needed to work
together for a common cause, for our community, without
any payment.
”
_Modesto Gaab, MPDC
Cultural Revival
“The coming of projects and programs before, be it government or not, shattered some of
the cultural practices once shared by communities,” Modesto Gaab, the town’s Municipal
Project Development Coordinator, said.
In particular, Gaab mentioned the vanishing practice of the “og-ogbo” and the “galatis”
which are Besao’s version of the “bayanihan.” Before, a farmer shares the labor of toiling a
neighbor’s field for free then they both work on his soil after but now, people till their own
land, Gaab lamented.
Infrastructure projects such as concrete roads have sort of created an easier access for a
farmland because of its proximity to road but not to the other. This prompts the farmer
farther away from the access road to dedicate more effort in developing his own land since
it needs more work than the one near the road.
This resulted to a demand for paid labor which fostered the need to compensate efforts thus
weaning the “og-ogbo” and “galatis” practices, Gaab said.
However, the entry of the Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated
Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) spun a revitalization of these practices through
its Community Enhancement Activity Cycle (CEAC), it main tool in implementation.
“The program is unlike others that came. It revived our bayanihan system because in the
process we needed to work together for a common cause, for our community, without any
payment,” Gaab explained.
Launched in Besao in 2010, the Kalahi-CIDSS fosters local empowerment through
community volunteerism which is considered the main project of the program.Gaab said
it was not easy at first but people got caught up in the process and soon sub-projects were
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