Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

DILG-NAPOLCOM Center, EDSA cor. Quezon Avenue, West Triangle, Quezon City
www.dilg.gov.ph

MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR
No.: ___________

FOR : ALL PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS, CITY/MUNICIPAL MAYORS,

PUNONG BARANGAYS, DILG REGIONAL/PROVINCIAL/CITY
DIRECTORS, CITY/MUNICIPAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT
OPERATIONS OFFICERS, AND ALL OTHER CONCERNED

SUBJECT : ENHANCED GUIDELINES ON THE RETOOLED COMMUNITY

SUPPORT PROGRAM

DATE :

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1. BACKGROUND

1.1. Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued Executive Order No. 70 on
04 December 2018 entitled "Institutionalizing the Whole-of-Nation approach
in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, creating a National Task Force
to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and directing the adoption of a
National Peace Framework" (E.O. 70). The E.O. 70 stipulated the need to
reframe and refocus government policies in order to achieve inclusive and
sustainable peace by recognizing that local armed conflicts are not only a
military concern but also symptomatic of broader social, economic, and
governance challenges manifested by the prevalence of poverty, lack of
better life chances, historical injustice, social inequities, and exclusivity.

1.2. E.O. 70, directs the institutionalization of the Whole-of-Nation approach as

a government policy for achieving of inclusive and sustainable peace by
prioritizing the delivery of basic government services, social development
packages, and construction of necessary infrastructures with the goal of
ushering inclusive development in the pursuit of the country's peace
agenda.

1.3. Thus, the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) was formulated
in order to strengthen the CSP initiatives of the military and shift the efforts
to be more Local Government Unit- (LGU) driven. With the implementation
of the RCSP, Local Chief Executives (LCEs) will be champions of the RCSP

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through their programs, projects, and activities (PPAS) that are geared
towards institutionalizing sustainable peace and development.

1.4. The RCSP is an inclusive program that aims to address identified issues of
the community by closing the governance and development gaps through
provision of needed government PPAs while ensuring that development is
sustained and peace is being promoted.

2. PURPOSE

2.1. The Department’s operationalization of E.O. 70 through the RCSP has

proven to be effective in empowering barangay functionaries and mobilizing
local communities towards extinguishing the influence of communist
terrorist groups (CTGs) and eradicating communist armed conflict.
Notwithstanding, this Department has observed the challenges encountered
in the implementation of the RCSP and its projects and activities.
Accordingly, this has prompted the Department to revisit and realign existing
guidelines for the program for this year and the succeeding years.

2.2. This Memorandum Circular shall serve as the guide to streamline and
harmonize the implementation of the RCSP through concerned local
officials and DILG officers and staff.

3. LEGAL BASES

3.1. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, specifically, pertinent provision

under Article 2 "state policies";

3.2. Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of
1991, specifically, Sections 17, 384, 440, 448, 458, among other pertinent
provisions;

3.3. Executive Order No. 70 s. 2018 entitled "Institutionalizing the Whole-of-

Nation approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, creating a
national task force to end local communist armed conflict, and directing the
adoption of a national peace framework;

3.4. Pertinent policies, pronouncements, and issuances from the Office of the
President, the National Security Council being the Vice-Chair of the National
Task Force on Ending Local Communist and Armed Conflict, the Cabinet
Assistance System, the Cabinet Cluster Systems organized under
Executive Order No. 24, and other oversight agencies;

3.5. DILG Memorandum Circular 2019-169 entitled “Guidelines on the

Implementation of the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP)”;

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3.6. DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-095 entitled “Remedial Measures on the
Localization of Executive Order No. 70 and all DILG Peacebuilding
Initiatives”; and

3.7. Other related issuance of the Department related to the above-mentioned

subject matter.

4. SCOPE AND COVERAGE

4.1. This is issued to all Provincial Governors, City Mayors, Municipal Mayors,
Punong Barangays, and all LGU functionaries, including DILG Regional,
Provincial, and Field Offices and personnel, as a guide in the continuous
implementation of Executive Order No. 70 localization efforts, specifically in
the conduct of the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP).

5. THE RETOOLED COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM

5.1. Main objective of RCSP - The RCSP is a convergence mechanism for local
governments, particularly at the barangay level, for the identification of
issues and needed government interventions. It is anchored on the
empowerment framework that intends to develop people’s capability to
organize themselves and own development by bringing about value-chain
interventions to uplift their current condition.

5.2. Principle - The RCSP shall adhere to creating and sustaining peace through
the eight (8) pillars of positive peace, to wit:

a. Well-functioning government;
b. Sound business environment;
c. Equitable distribution of resources;
d. Acceptance of the rights of others;
e. Free-flowing and sharing of information;
f. High level of human capital;
g. Low level of corruption; and,
h. Good and harmonious relationship with others

5.3. The LGUs, through their LCE, are hereby mandated to spearhead all RCSP
initiatives by: (1) engaging the community to collaborate and co-create with
their local governments' developments and solutions to local issues (2)
fostering convergence and collaboration among various government
institutions, civilian and uniformed, as well as non-government players, such
as local Civil Society Organizations, People's Organization, private sector,
and all other sectors of society.

5.4. Through the RCSP, the LGUs are able to practice good governance through
increasing the accessibility of basic services and ensuring that the PPAs
that arose from the local development planning are responsive and inclusive
to the needs of its constituents.

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6. REVISED/ENHANCED IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS AND TIMELINE

6.1. RCSP Process and Timeline

Major Milestone Strategic Objective Timeline

“Pre-Immersion” Strategic planning and organization of 1st Quarter

RCSP Core Team

“Immersion” Immersion proper: conduct of community 1st-2nd Quarter

consultations, Serbisyo Caravans, and
enhancement of BDPs

“Post-Immersion” Vertical linkage of the eBDPs through Town 2nd-3rd Quarter

Hall sessions and convergence with higher
LGUs

“Capacity Mobilization, capacity building and 3rd Quarter

Development” empowerment of Barangay-Based onwards
Institutions and communities, and turnover
and sustainability of the RCSP Process by
the Barangay

“Implementation of Implementation and provision of identified 3rd Quarter

PPAs” priority programs, projects, and activities, onwards
based on the community consultations

“Monitoring & Monitoring and evaluation of major Continuous,

Evaluation” milestones and PPAs from Pre-
Immersion
onwards

6.2. With the streamlined process, the RCSP implementation shall be completed
within the calendar year. The eBDPs shall be completed by the 2nd Quarter,
with the priority list of PPAs already identified in preparation for the
implementation of the Local Government Support Fund-Support to the
Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP) in the following
fiscal/calendar year.

7. RCSP IMPLEMENTATION MILESTONES

7.1. Pre-Immersion

7.1.1. The Pre-Immersion shall focus on the preparatory activities prior to

the conduct of the RCSP activities. The strategic action plan shall be
the basis for the approach to be used in the conduct of activities and
should include technical and logistical requirements required to
conduct these.

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7.1.2. The Pre-Immersion should also include the orientation of new LCEs,
LGUs, and barangays as needed, the organization and designation
of the RCSP Team and Core Team, and the gathering of profiles of
the target barangays.

7.1.3. The RCSP Team and Core Team shall be operationalized in the
city/municipal level in accordance with DILG Memorandum Circular
No. 2019-169 items 7.2.1 to 7.2.2.6.

7.1.3.1. The Provincial Government serves as the main collaboration

platform in the implementation of the RCSP. Moreover, the
Provincial Government is enjoined to provide available
technical, administrative, logistical, and financial support in the
operation of the RCSP and the conduct of its activities.

7.1.3.2. Likewise, the Barangay shall assist the RCSP Team in the
performance of its functions to ensure the barangay and its
communities are ready for RCSP immersion and
implementation.

7.2. Immersion

7.2.1. The Immersion Proper is geared towards empowering barangays

towards participatory governance by opening community dialogues
and exploring available platforms for citizen participation.

7.2.2. Information drives on peace, security, and development should be

conducted by the RCSP Core Team to promote awareness,
knowledge sharing, and transparency.

7.2.3. The conduct of the Ugnayan sa Barangay Community Dialogue shall

serve as the platform to convene multi-sectoral dialogues to identify
primary and secondary issues and concerns and create solution-
seeking tables to identify possible solutions and proposed
interventions to address these gaps. The results of the dialogues
shall be validated by the C/MLGOOs using available data, such as
the barangay profile and results of the Sectoral Issues and Concerns
Assessment (SICA) of the AFP.

7.2.4. Consistently, the inputs coming from the Ugnayan sa Barangay shall
also serve as the reference in the crafting of the enhanced Barangay
Development Plan (eBDP), Executive-Legislative Agenda (ELA) and
Annual Investment Plan (AIP) and input into the City/Municipal
Development Plan (C/MDP) and Local Development and Investment
Plan (LDIP). Identified PPAs must be prioritized based on level of
significance and impact to the community. It must also include
viability for funding, either through the LGU’s own investment
program, national government agencies commitment during the

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RCSP, or the LGU’s effort to access funding from direct national
transfers.

7.2.5. The RCSP Team shall conduct Serbisyo Caravan during the
Immersion Proper for the resolution of immediately solvable gaps in
coordination with relevant regional line agencies.

7.2.6. The major output of the RCSP is the eBDP that has gone through the
process of consultation with barangays officials and community
members and prioritization of PPAs.

7.3. Post-Immersion

7.3.1. The DILG Provincial Office, through the Provincial Director, shall
facilitate the convergence among LGUs and responsive government
agencies through town hall sessions to ensure vertical linkage of the
eBDPs with that of the higher LGUs, from the municipality up to the
provincial level.

7.3.1.1. The Provincial Government should be apprised of issues and

concerns that are not resolved at the city/municipal level, and,
thus, interventions are requested from the Provincial
Government for funding and/or implementation support.

7.3.2. The DILG Regional Office, through the Regional Director shall
facilitate the convergence among the Regional Task Force to End
Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC), Cabinet Officer for
Regional Development and Security (CORDS), and national
government agencies to garner support and commitments for the
provision of identified priority programs and resolution of primary and
secondary issues and concerns.

7.3.2.1. The Regional Development Council should be apprised of

unresolved issues and concerns which require assistance,
funding, and/or implementation from the regional level.

7.3.2.2. Likewise, through the CORDS, the National Government,

should be apprised of unresolved issues and concerns which
require assistance, funding, and/or implementation from the
National Government during the Cabinet Secretaries Meeting
with the President.

7.4. Capacity Development

7.4.1. The RCSP is centered on the empowerment of the communities and

stakeholders to sustain the gains from the reforms and strengthen
mechanisms to ensure sustainable peace, security, and
development in the barangays.

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7.4.2. In line with this, capacity building interventions and community
empowerment sessions must be conducted for the barangays
officials, their functionaries, and other Barangay-Based Institutions
(BBIs).

7.4.3. The capacity development interventions can be organized through

partnerships with DILG bureaus and its attached agencies such as
the Local Government Academy (LGA), Bureau of Local Government
Development (BLGD), Bureau of Local Government Supervision
(BLGS), Office of Project Development Services (OPDS), National
Barangay Operations Office (NBOO), Philippine Commision on
Women (PCW), National Youth Commission (NYC), Bureau of Fire
and Protection (BFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and other
relevant and appropriate agencies, services, bureaus, and offices.

7.4.4. The RCSP process should be turned over to the Barangay to

maintain the gains of the RCSP by mainstreaming its process into
the local development planning process.

7.5. Implementation of Programs, Projects, and Activities

7.5.1. Priority PPAs and government interventions identified in the eBDPs

should be implemented in accordance to the prioritization and
available/viable funding, through the convergence of the different
relevant national government agencies and regional line agencies.

7.5.2. Governance gaps should be properly addressed and resolved

through active coordination with the LCE and RCSP Team.

7.6. Monitoring and Evaluation

7.6.1. Monitoring and evaluation should be performed throughout the

implementation of the RCSP for every milestone, to ensure that
community needs and expectations are being made.

7.6.2. A matrix of the priority PPAs to be implemented in the RCSP target

barangays (provided in Annex A) must be maintained at the RTF-
ELCAC and copy furnished to the NTF-ELCAC and DILG Central
Office. The matrix must contain the identified issues of the barangays
with the corresponding interventions from the city/municipal,
provincial, regional, and national governments. The updating of the
matrix will form part of monitoring and evaluation of the RCSP.

7.6.3. The RCSP Team is directed to undergo a weekly status monitoring

update recording the progression of every milestone of the RCSP.
The RCSP Team shall also submit a monthly report recording
physical and financial accomplishments in relation to RCSP activities
in each of the milestones. These reports shall be furnished to the
RCSP Head, copy furnished to the DILG Regional and Provincial/City
Director for consolidation. Consolidated reports shall be submitted to

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DILG-NEDA Secretariat of the RTF-ELCAC, the assigned CORDS,
and DILG Office of the Secretary for updating on the developments
and updates in every milestone.

8. ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF DILG CENTRAL BUREAUS/SERVICES AND

FIELD PERSONNEL

8.1. Central Bureaus and Services

8.1.1. The Bureaus and Services shall continue to provide capacity building
interventions to barangays for the development and sustainability of
the Barangay-Based Institutions.

8.2. DILG Regional Director

8.2.1. Facilitate the convergence of national government agencies and

regional line agencies and ensure their participation towards the
successful implementation of RCSP.

8.2.2. Oversee the RCSP Teams with on-going immersions to properly

address issues and concerns in coordination with DILG
Provincial/City Offices and relevant government agencies and LGUs.

8.2.3. Oversee the overall implementation of the RCSP in the region and
monitor and consolidate status and accomplishment reports from the
provincial and field offices.

8.3. DILG City/Provincial Director

8.3.1. Ensure that all operational concerns during the conduct of RCSP
activities are properly addressed by facilitating convergence and
collaboration among needed and responsive government agencies.

8.3.2. Ensure the consolidation of eBDPs, ELAs, and AIPs and coordinate
the vertical linkage of these into the plans of higher LGUs.

8.3.3. Come up with a catch-up strategy in consultation with Cluster Heads

to ensure that regular functions and responsibilities of the
C/MLGOOs over and above the RCSP immersion are properly
managed. Strategies for implementation of the RCSP may include
the augmentation of personnel for RCSP through a request to the
DILG Regional office for temporary deployment and assignment of
DILG Provincial personnel to RCSP target barangays.

8.3.4. Oversee the implementation process of the RCSP in the province/city

and monitor and consolidate status and accomplishment reports from
the field.

8.4. DILG Cluster Head

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8.4.1. The DILG Cluster Head shall be primarily responsible for ensuring
the regular functions and deliverables of the C/MLGOO assigned to
the RCSP immersion and capacity development activities are
performed and delivered. The Cluster Head shall support the
C/MLGOOs in the implementation of the RCSP.

8.5. DILG City/Municipal Local Government Operations Officer

8.5.1. As the Head of the RCSP Core Team, the C/MLGOO shall perform
the following:

8.5.1.1. Orient the LCE and LGU functionaries on the RCSP and its
protocols and obtain support for its implementation and
provide technical support in the conduct of its activities.

8.5.1.2. Assist the LGU in the preparation and conduct of the Serbisyo
Caravan for the provision of immediate and available
government programs and services in the target barangays.

8.5.1.3. Oversee and assist the Barangay in the crafting and

development of their eBDP, ELA, and AIP to ensure that
needed PPAs identified by the community during the
dialogues are included and prioritized in the plan.

9. POLICY COMPLIANCE MONITORING AND FEEDBACK

9.1. Monitoring and feedback reports for compliance to this Memorandum

Circular shall be submitted to the Office of the Secretary and Office of the
Undersecretary for Local Government through Localization of Executive
Order No. 70 Program Management Office (LEO70 PMO).

9.2. The LEO70 PMO shall finalize the RCSP Means of Verification (MOV) for
the monitoring and evaluation of the gains of the program.

10. EFFECTIVITY – This memorandum shall cover the spillover targets from F.Y.
2020-2022, new targets for F.Y. 2023 implementation, and targets thereafter.

11. APPROVING AUTHORITY

ATTY. BENJAMIN C. ABALOS, JR.

Secretary