2,600 CamSur residents receive livelihood aid

By Kyna De Castro

The Camarines Sur provincial government in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributed livelihood assistance in the amount of P5,000 to P15,000 to over 2,600 beneficiaries in the province through the latter’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

SLP aims to provide additional financial support not just to the affected small-scale business owners who lost their means of livelihood because of the pandemic, but also to low-income families in the informal sectors like farmers, fisher folks, members of the transport groups, house helpers, and occasional and subcontract workers who are aiming to put up their own businesses.

SLP as a capacity building program intends to develop the entrepreneurial and labor skills of the beneficiaries. It also seeks to enhance their access to basic social services and improve their standard of living through micro-enterprise activities amidst the pandemic.

“Dati po akong nagtitinda ng tinapay sa umaga, tapos minsan naman nasa sakahan po ako, nagtatanim din po ako ng palay. Ngayon po, medyo mahina po ang bilihan ng tinapay. Kaya medyo mahirap ang pag buhay namin sa pamilya kasi kulang nga po ang income na pumapasok,” Herbert Baldoza, one of the beneficiaries of the SLP from Sagrada, Pili, said.

As a bakery owner and farmer, he was grateful to have received the livelihood aid amounting P13,000 through the program. He said, “Wala po kaming magandang hanapbuhay na pagkukunan sa ngayon kaya dahil diyan malaki ang pasasalamat po namin dito sa programang ito kung saan isa po kami sa nabigyan ng tulong. Sana po ay marami pa po kayong matulungan na mga gaya namin wala pong magandang trabaho sa ngayon dahil nga po sa pandemya. Isang malaking puhun na po ito.”

For street food vendor Josephine Malinao from Poblacion, Del Gallego, her business is one of the businesses greatly affected by the pandemic as people preferred to stay at home now. She recalled, “Napakahirap po kasi halos hindi na po masyado lumalabas ang mga tao kaya ang hina na rin ng negosyo. Dati akong nagtitinda ng fishball at kikiam. Nagtitinda rin ako ng kakanin tapos pati rin uling. Ginagawa ko ang lahat para kumita at maging maganda ang buhay.”

“Ang masasabi ko sa programang ito ay talagang napakalaking tulong na po nito. Hindi ito basta-basta puhunan, malaking puhunan na ito para sa aming negosyo kaya maraming salamat po. Kung wala po kayo, wala rin kaming ganito na pagkukunan para makapagsimula ulit. Salamat po,” she added.

The SLP payouts, personally attended by Luigi Villafuerte, were conducted in different municipalities of the province from 1st district to 5th district recently.

“Ang goal mi sa programang ini ang makatao nin sustainable livelihood opportunity. Gusto ming makagibo kita sarong multiplier effect kun sain pag nakatayo na po kayo ng negosyo asin ining pondo gagamiton sa maray, napaikot po nindo an pigpuhunan para sa pag-asenso nindo asin kan saindong komunidad. Na-visualize ko na magayon talaga an epekto kan programang ini ta progreso an dara kaini. Kaya sana po ini gamiton ta po ang pondong ini para sa negosyo asin sa pag-asenso,” said Villafuerte.

In particular, payouts were already conducted in 22 towns, namely: Caramoan; Garchitorena; Presentation; Iriga City; Buhi; Balatan; Nabua; Baao; San Fernando; Minalabac; Gainza; Calabanga; Bombon; Canaman; Pili; Camaligan; Ocampo; Del Gallego; Ragay; Lupi; Goa; and Sagnay. More payouts will be conducted in other municipalities in the coming days.