ITOGON, Benguet – Mayor Victorio T. Palangdan urged concerned government agencies to cascade to the grassroots their respective livelihood programs, projects and activities to provide people with the needed knowledge and skills to allow them to establish alternative sources of income to uplift the living condition of their families.
He stated that the Technical Education and Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) must provide the interested vulnerable and marginalized sectors with the proper trainings leading to the acquisition of appropriate skills which they will be able to use in establishing alternative sources of income for their families aside from their existing agriculture-related endeavors.
On the other hand, the local chief executive stipulated that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) must equip the people with the appropriate technology and facilities for them to be able to start their desired economic activities that will generate jobs and economic activities for the people to be able to sustain their economic activities, especially in the rural areas where productive activities should be available.
According to him, by equipping the people, particularly the vulnerable and marginalized sectors such as the persons with disabilities, senior citizens, out of school youth and women, there will be available opportunities for them to venture on other productive activities while maintaining their traditional ways of earning income.
Mayor Palangdan explained that during these difficult times, people must be multi-skilled for them to be able to use the same to earn income for them to sustain and even uplift the living condition of their families and more importantly, contribute in efforts to improve the economic activities in the rural areas.
He admitted that the ongoing pandemic has heavily impacted the economic activities of the people that is why something must be done by the concerned government agencies in close coordination with the local governments on how to retool the people for them to be able to established their economic activities that will allow them to hurdle the present challenges of the health crisis.
The mayor claimed that people must learn to add value to their present agriculture-related activities through the assistance of the concerned government agencies so that they will be able to maximize the same as their source of income that will allow them to use the same to sustain and improve the living condition of their families.
Palangdan vowed to continue making representations with concerned government agencies to help in providing appropriate livelihood trainings to the various sectors living in the different municipalities so that they will be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge which they will be able to use in the future for whatever purpose that will contribute in efforts to bolster economic activities in the countryside.
Moreover, he will also work for the provision of the necessary financial and technical assistance from concerned government agencies so that people will be able to access the same and make use of it to sustain the improvement of their existing economic activities for them to be able to provide added value for their available produce and make them independent in earning income for themselves and their families.
