The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 7–Central Visayas secured five major awards during the 2026 Bayani Ka! Cum Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS Awarding Ceremony held on September 22 at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City.
The awards recognized the contributions of community volunteers, local government units and DSWD teams to community-driven development, participatory governance and the implementation of community-based programs.
Among the major recognitions were the Improved Local Governance Award for the Municipality of San Isidro, Bohol, and the Community-Driven Development (CDD) Institutionalization Award for the Municipality of Guindulman, Bohol.
DSWD Field Office 7 also received the Best Operations Office award for its Regional Program Management Office, while Christopher Gatis was recognized as Best Administrative Staff. The field office was likewise named a Top Performing Regional Office under Regional Director Shalaine Marie S. Lucero.
Beyond the five major awards, Central Visayas produced eight national nominees across various categories. These included recognition for gender and development, disaster risk reduction and management, Indigenous Peoples’ welfare, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, volunteerism, knowledge management and community project operations.
Among the regional nominees were Salome Agsoy of Tuburan for Gender and Development, Phoebe Palmero of Ubay for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Jocelyn Hinampas of Guindulman for Indigenous Peoples’ Welfare, Mary Jane Bernadez of Ubay for Exceptional Person with Disability and Jesus Salarda of Sierra Bullones for Exceptional Senior Citizen.
Cristel Artajo of Balamban, Cebu was also named the regional nominee for the Volunteerism category, while the Local Government of Panglao entered the Felix E. Bompat High School sub-project for the Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Award.
The national awards recognized individuals, communities and local governments that demonstrated participation and sustained involvement in the KALAHI-CIDSS community-driven development approach. The program gives communities opportunities to participate in identifying priorities, implementing projects and monitoring development initiatives.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian emphasized the importance of community volunteers in keeping KALAHI-CIDSS programs active, particularly through their participation in planning, implementation and monitoring.
The recognition of DSWD Field Office 7 and its partners highlights the continuing role of Central Visayas communities and local governments in implementing community-driven development initiatives and strengthening participatory local governance.
