SAN JOSE, Antique – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VI released more than Php9.6 million in payment for the 11-day Enhanced Support Services Intervention – Cash for Work (ESSI-CFW) Project of the 1,819 Indigenous Peoples (IPs) beneficiaries from 12 towns in Antique.

During the payout, each beneficiary, who is also a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), has received Php5,280.00 cash and most of them came from the municipalities of Anini-y, Caluya, Culasi, Hamtic, Laua-an, Libertad, Patnongon, San Jose, Sibalom, Tibiao, Tobias Fornier and Valderrama, all of the said province.

Most of the works include the rehabilitation of a school-based communal vegetable garden, concreting of a pathway, construction of a concrete drainage canal, construction of a concrete water tank, and fencing of the Barangay Gymnasium.

“As an IPs beneficiary, the ESSI-CFW project of the Department helped us a lot to put up a communal garden and clean up our community. Through this, we saved a lot because our vegetables are enough to augment our daily viands and help nourish our body, mind, and soul,” said Julyn Samillano, ESSI-CFW beneficiary of Brgy. San Ramon, Laua-an.

Samillano also said that the cash grants she received from the 11-day cash for work are a big help to her family to buy their essentials especially school supplies for their children, and payment for electricity bills while she will save some extra amount for emergency use,” she added.

The ESSI-CFW project implementation aims to provide supplementary interventions to the IPs, homeless families, and other vulnerable groups. It is a short-term intervention providing an allowance or stipend to program beneficiaries participating in or undertaking preparedness, relief, rehabilitation, or risk reduction projects in their communities. (Written by: PDO II Maybel Esparagoza, SDA Antique and photos shared by Antique POO)