Backed by more than 20 national government agencies and civil society partners, the first joint Regional Inter-Agency Committee (RIAC) meeting was held on February 20, 2026, promoting a whole-of-government approach to implementing the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP) and reinforcing support systems for the Filipino Family.

The three-hour session, presided over by DSWD FO 7 Director Shalaine Marie S. Lucero, CESO III, provided a strategic venue for participating agencies to align mandates, minimize service duplication, and synchronize interventions on disaster preparedness, climate resilience, and social protection.

Among the regional offices represented were the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Department of Agriculture, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Education, Department of Health, National Housing Authority, and the Department of Trade and Industry.

The Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP) is a government program that aims to “strengthen community capacities for participatory resilience planning and increase access to resilient investments in vulnerable areas.”

Under the World Bank loan framework, establishing a Regional Inter-Agency Committee (RIAC) for the PCRP is operationally necessary to ensure effective inter-agency coordination, governance compliance, and convergence required for successful project implementation at the regional level.

Agreements

Participants reaffirmed their commitment to convergence, highlighting the need to integrate infrastructure support, livelihood programs, social protection services, environmental management, and disaster risk reduction initiatives.

The RIAC also agreed to continue regular coordination meetings to monitor progress, resolve implementation issues, and strengthen inter-agency accountability.

Deputy Regional Program Manager of KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Program Management Office 7, Engr. Helen C. Ybañez also presented the contents of a joint memorandum of agreement that the DSWD will enter into with the partner agencies. Atty. Ron Stevend Maylon, the agency’s legal counsel, also attended the meeting.

During the RIAC meeting, members also agreed to ensure that all volunteers are registered under the PhilHealth Yakap Program, that agencies with acting heads clearly indicate such designation in the joint MOA, and that each agency assigns a regional focal person to attend all regional activities and provide technical assistance.

With clearer mandates, named focal people, and firm commitments sealed at the table, the RIAC signaled that PCRP’s rollout in Central Visayas will move beyond plans on paper toward coordinated action on the ground, where resilience is not just discussed in meetings but built by the community. ###