DSWD to spend P58M in cash for work program

A P58-million budget for the cash for work program is available for Yolanda victims in northern Cebu.

The program started in January and is still ongoing in Bantayan and Catmon, according to Jennifer Quimonda, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7’s Community Driven Enterprise Development Officer.

Other northern towns will start within the month.

With the program, Yolanda victims can work for 15 to 30 days and will get the minimum wage by clearing debris, doing repair works, planting trees and mangroves, restoring some facilities and other infrastructure rehabilitation works.

The program has 15,056 beneficiaries in northern Cebu. They were identified after an assessment by the local government units.

“Some towns have not totally complied with the requirements. They have just submitted partial requirements that is why we could not release funds to them,” Quimonda added.

A town needs to submit documents like memorandum of agreement (MOA), proposal and list of displaced families. She said some LGUs have completed the requirements but could not yet receive the funds because of pending unliquidated programs.

Quimonda urged local government units in the north to submit requirements for the immediate release of funds and to start the program as soon as possible.

Aside from the “cash for work” which is temporary, the DSWD-7 also prepares the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) for members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The DSWD-7 will assist the beneficiaries through individual businesses like resource mobilization with a maximum funding of P10,000.
Beneficiaries with vegetable gardens will be assisted in marketing.

There is also a “social preparation capability building” in which beneficiaries can be trained in the Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA). After the training, they can get a job through the business partners of DSWD-7.

Displaced families who are not members of the 4Ps can still avail of the program but they need to report to  the office of National Household Targeting System for  Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) at the DSWD-7 filed office for listing and assistance.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) provided P7.2 million for Emergency Employment last December 2013, with 1,651 beneficiaries from the 14 municipalities in northern Cebu.

The identification of the beneficiaries were conducted through assessment by the LGU.

The emergency employment is good for 15 days, with work ad wage similar to that of the DSWD beneficiaries.

Maria Nancy Abad of DOLE-7 said that the emergency employment is just temporary so they came up with an integrated livelihood program.

“There is a matching of skills to the business partners that we currently have to assist them,” she added. There will also be training of skills by the TESDA.

Beneficiaries of this program must present a certification from DSWD-7 that he is qualified for the said program.