BONTOC, Mountain Province – Ten individuals were recent beneficiaries of the Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) or Kabuhayan Program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Bontoc Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., Senior Employment Labor Officer Marshall Pachingel of DOLE-Provincial Office, and Employment Officer Jenelyn Caluza of the Bontoc government led the turnover of Kabuhayan kits to the recipients on May 22, 2023, at the Municipal Capitol.
Among the approved livelihood project proposals are food processing, food vending, hog raising, and sari-sari stores.
Mayor Tudlong expressed his gratitude to the DOLE for continuously assisting various organizations, self-employed, seasonal workers, and minimum wage earners in Bontoc and capacitating them to generate income.
With this, the mayor encouraged the recipients to manage their livelihood projects wisely for it to prosper. He added that the failure and success of their livelihood projects depend on how they will manage it, thus, he advised them to capacitate themselves through various training for it to be sustained.
He assured that the municipal government shall continue to strengthen its collaboration and linkages with partner agencies for more livelihood opportunities. This forms part of his administration roadmap which he labeled “𝑬𝑵𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑨𝑲𝑯𝑨: 𝑨𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝑫𝒚𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒄” one of its four pillars being economic empowerment.
Caluza mentioned that as its counterpart, the municipal government shall conduct monitoring of the implementation of the project, and it also provided technical assistance during the preparation of the project proposals.
Meanwhile, the municipal is processing the project proposals of the fire victims of the April 11, 2023 fire incident to avail of the Kabuhayan Program.
The Kabuhayan Program is a grant assistance for capacity-building on livelihood to enable the unemployed, seasonal, and minimum wage earners to start livelihood undertakings or income-generating projects (IGPs) and enable existing IGPs to grow into viable and sustainable businesses that provide income.
It is implemented through DOLE’s Accredited Co-Partner (ACP) which is responsible for the delivery of services to the beneficiaries. Thus, the municipal government as an ACP of DOLE, received the financial grant allotted to the recipients and shall be responsible for the procurement and delivery of equipment, materials, products, tools, and other needs of the beneficiaries for their respective livelihood projects.