The KALAHI-CIDSS cash-for-work (CFW) program for persons with disabilities (PWDs) went beyond providing temporary financial aid—it highlighted the reliability and meaningful involvement of the disability community in local development.
Victoria Mapang, one of the CFW beneficiaries in Guindulman, Bohol, shared how much she enjoyed working alongside fellow PWDs.
She had chosen to work in the field, like the other participants, rather than opting for a home-based assignment.
Mapang, a wheelchair user, received her salary through the CFW program of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) on April 23, 2025.
“It felt really enjoyable because most of the people I worked with also had disabilities like me. I’m happy because this kind of opportunity is a big help—better than just staying at home doing nothing,” she said in Cebuano.
“It’s rare for persons with disabilities to be offered work. I’m really grateful,” she added.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 7 (DSWD 7) released a total of P5,010,000 in wages for the PWD participants. Silent payouts were conducted simultaneously from April 22 to 24, 2025.
Across nine local government units (LGUs) in Cebu and Bohol, 1,000 PWDs and their representatives (where applicable) participated in various tasks that benefited their communities, while earning income to support their families’ basic needs.
These LGUs include Talisay City (260 beneficiaries), Alcoy (53), Alegria (66), and Malabuyoc (65) in Cebu, and President Carlos P. Garcia (82), Bien Unido (69), Guindulman (170), Jagna (178), and Lila (57) in Bohol.
Of the 1,000 targeted beneficiaries, 997 were able to claim their wages, while the remaining three are scheduled for a rescheduled payout before or after the 2025 Midterm Elections.
The CFW program for PWDs under KALAHI-CIDSS is a short-term intervention that offers cash assistance in exchange for community work or services rendered by persons with disabilities.
PWD beneficiaries carried out pre-agreed community tasks for a minimum of six days and a maximum of 10 days, earning P501 per day of work.
Tasks included activities suited to their abilities, such as gardening, barangay clean-ups, and eco-waste management.
The program primarily targets low- or no-income PWDs, or households with at least one PWD, especially those considered vulnerable or affected by disasters.
Alce Bumaya, 50, from Barangay Bayabas, Guindulman, Bohol, who just underwent a surgery for pituitary tumor, said the assistance he received, through his wife’s (his representative) participation in the program, will go directly to his medication.
“The assistance would be for my medication because it is still ongoing. I still travel to Cebu for my treatment,” he said in Cebuano. ###
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