THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) developed a ‘new and improved’ livelihood program to enhance skills and support sustainability to eligible participants.
The program is part of the revised guidelines of the Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 07 Series of 2023 signed by Secretary Rex Gatchallian on May 19.
Jenny Mae Bandola, DSWD XI training officer, said that one of the improved initiatives is the intensified capability-building activities for participants after graduating from year two of the incubation period.
Bandola stressed that compared to Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 22, with an incubation period of only two years, MC 07 extended the period to another three years to ensure their sustainability.
“For the years 2-5 of the MC 07, the program will provide strengthened and intensified capability-building activities such as business management, product diversification, until po na mas equipped na sila and mas ready na sila maging self-sufficient, separate entity na siya sa DSWD (until they are more equipped and more prepared to be self-sufficient, they will be a separate entity from DSWD),” Bandola said.
Other salient features of the revised guidelines include an expedited timeline (from point of contract to release of grants), higher cost parameters (for association), a sustainability-focused plan and matrix, expanded implementation, monitoring, and new rounds of interventions focused on the project and organizational sustainability.
SLP operates in all regions and provinces and treats municipalities and barangays as potential areas to implement various programs.
Eligible participants include every Filipino family identified as poor, marginalized, vulnerable, and disadvantaged, and the Listahanan-identified poor households. However, only a maximum of two members per household are admitted provided they will pursue different tracks.
Those willing to undergo entrepreneurship may avail of the Micro-Enterprise Development (MD) Track with the Seed Capital Fund (SCF) of P20,000 for Association Enterprise and P15,000 for Individual Enterprise, Skills Training (ST) for P15,000 per participant and the Cash for Building Livelihood Assets Fund (CBLAF) with 100% of prevailing regional wage.
Meanwhile, those that are qualified for available employment opportunities may avail of the Employment Facilitation (EF) Track with modalities Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) with P5,000 and Skills Training Fund (STF) with P15,000 per participant.
The SLP major partners of DSWD are the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Science and Technology, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Department of Agriculture, to which the agency acquired necessary assets and interventions to maintain thriving livelihoods.
