The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office (FO) – Caraga, significantly boosted local livelihoods in Butuan City by providing a steady source of income to 30 local food vendors under the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
Through the SLP, the food vendors organized under the Butuan United Sustainable Livelihood Program Association (BUSLPA) received capital grants totaling PHP900,000.
“Alinsunod sa utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., patuloy tayong nagpapatupad ng mga developmental programs para makatulong sa ating mga bulnerableng kababayan at isa na dito ang ating Sustainable Livelihood Program (In line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we continue to implement developmental program to help our vulnerable countrymen, and one of these is the SLP),” DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a news release on Wednesday.
“Sa ilalim nasabing programa, 30 local vendors sa Butuan City ay nabigyan tulong sa pangkabuhayan nila na kanilang ginamit para sa pagtayo ng night market na makakapagdagdag sa kanilang kita, and at the same time turismo sa kanilang komunidad (Under the program, 30 local vendors in Butuan City were provided livelihood assistance which they used to establish a night market to augment their income, and at the same time promote tourism in their community),” she said.
The night market offers visitors and locals a wide array of food and produce, along with evening entertainment, giving local food vendors a venue to showcase their products.
DSWD FO Caraga Regional Director Mari-Flor Dollaga led the opening ceremony of the market on May 2, together with Butuan City Mayor Lawrence Lemuel Fortun.
“To all members of the association, the DSWD challenges you to complete all our requirements within your first year. You must ensure the growth of your enterprise so you can receive an additional PHP300,000. In the following years, if your business continues to grow, more grants will be provided up to the third year. Take this opportunity seriously, this is a blessing that should not be neglected,” Dollaga said in his message.
Meanwhile, Fortun expressed his full support for the livelihood initiative and committed to providing free training to the beneficiaries to enhance their entrepreneurial skills.
“To ensure that your enterprise will grow, support should not only come from DSWD but also from the City Government. I have good news: we will establish a Micro Small Entrepreneurs Academy at no cost on your part. You will be trained in financial literacy, innovation, and product marketing,” Fortun said.
BUSLPA president Ronnie Mondejar expressed gratitude to the local government unit and the DSWD for their extensive support of the food vendors.
He assured officials that the association will actively nurture and maximize this opportunity.
The SLP is a DSWD capability-building program that seeks to improve program participants’ socio-economic status via two different tracks: the Micro-enterprise Development (MD) Track, which is designed for those who want to start a sustainable micro-enterprise; and the Employment Facilitation (EF) Track, which assists participants to land jobs that align with their skills and competencies.
The program is one of the DSWD’s core development initiatives that help provide livelihood opportunities to qualified vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors in Philippine society. (PNA)