Posted on by DSWD FO VI SMU

PARENT Leader Maribel Audencia makes native delicacies and homemade peanut butter which she also sells in their village in Balijuagan, Roxas City. After attending the Information Caravan facilitated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office VI (DSWD6), Maribel got an idea on how she could further improve her small business.

“Naka learn ako sa lecture sang DOST kun ano ka importante kag kun paano ang labeling kag presentation sang products agud nga mangin mas mabakal ini (I learned from DOST’s lecture the importance of proper labeling and presentation of my products to make it more saleable),” Maribel said.

Maribel was one of the 268 parent leaders and beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program from all over Capiz province who attended the Kaya Ko! Information Caravan for Pantawid Pamilya Duty Bearers on June 19-20, 2014. The activity was held in two batches with 133 beneficiaries from the province’s first district joining on the first day and another 135 beneficiaries from the second district on the second day.

The information caravan was aimed at strengthening DSWD’s engagement with other national line agencies (NGAs) and to link its beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya to other programs and services offered by other NGAs.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was one of the agencies that joined in the activity.

“Major line agencies of the government give priority to our Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries to avail of their programs and services. It is important that our Pantawid beneficiaries are aware of these programs so they and their families could benefit from it. The DSWD provides venues such as this so that our beneficiaries get the right information, first-hand,” said Joel P. Galicia, DSWD6 Assistant Regional Director.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND EMPLOYMENT
Aside from enhancing product marketability, DOST’s Juafe Abareles, Science Research Assistant, also announced the availability of scholarship slots for graduating high school students who wish to pursue science and technology-related courses for academic year 2015-2016.

Atty. Petrarch Torrato of the Commission on Human Rights discussed the Human Rights-based Approach to Development with parent leaders of Pantawid Pamilya.
Atty. Petrarch Torrato of the Commission on Human Rights discussed the Human Rights-based Approach to Development with parent leaders of Pantawid Pamilya.

“The examination is slated this September and qualified students will be given support on tuition and other school fees, as well as stipends, book and transportation allowance. This provides a big relief to parents,” said Abareles.

Scholarships and employment opportunities were also offered to Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries by Provincial Director Jose Gerry Hallares of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Under its Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), beneficiaries aged 18 years old and above could enroll in specialized courses that are highly in demand abroad.

Eliseo Abucay, DSWD’s Project Development Officer, discussed the various microenterprise and employment opportunities under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). Among these is accessing seed capital through the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K), and employment facilitation such as the Trabahong Lansangan in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Abucay said Trabahong Lansangan will be implemented again this August 2014 and Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries will be given priority slots. Once qualified, the worker will earn P409 per day of work.

Trabahong Lansangan provides temporary work to unskilled Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, helping in road maintenance, de-clogging of drainage laterals and street sweeping.

Eliseo further revealed that for 2014, the DSWD targets to link some 1,613 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in Capiz to job openings and livelihood opportunities.

RIGHTS TO DEVELOPMENT
DSWD’s efforts in helping the marginalized sector of the society is a concrete example

Project Development Officer Eliseo Abucay of DSWD6 orients Parent Leaders of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program on Sustainable Livelihood Program during the Information Caravan held in Pontevedra, Capiz.
Project Development Officer Eliseo Abucay of DSWD6 orients Parent Leaders of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program on Sustainable Livelihood Program during the Information Caravan held in Pontevedra, Capiz.

of a “human rights-based approach to development,” stressed Leo Satana of the Commission on Human Rights- Region VI (CHR-6).

“The right to access primary education and health services has already been responded to by the government through the Pantawid Pamilya. Now, they are also given livelihood and employment opportunities. As recipients of the program, they also have a duty to put this assistance to good use, to pave the way for their own development,” Satana said.

KAYA KO!
Like Maribel, Pantawid Pamilya Parent Leader Josephine Laudenorio of Brgy. Aglinab, Tapaz, Capiz said she will share her learning from the activity. A member of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) living in the upland barangay of Tapaz, Josephine said the inaccessibility of their barangay limits their access to information that could help them economically.

“Maayo lang kay naka-upod ako diri. Ang mga impormasyon nga nakuha ko subong, kaya ko nga ipahibalo sa akon mga miyembro kag iban pa sa amon komunidad kay basi sila, gusto man mag-avail (It’s a good thing that I was able to attend this activity. I can share the information I got here to my members and other people in our community because they might also want to avail of the services oriented to us),” she said. (DSWD6/ Alma Jornadal-Estember)