Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis Baldoz, with Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad Jr. and DOLE Region 6 Director Ponciano Ligutom, yesterday handed out 98 checks worth P36,605,536.08 to beneficiaries of livelihood assistance from Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Aklan, Capiz, and Guimaras.

 Baldoz was in Iloilo to attend back-to-back activities of the DOLE regional office, one of which was the re-orientation on the guidelines of the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Program, or DILEEP, where she released the P36-M livelihood bonanza at the event held at the Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center, Ligutom said in a government press release.

Also held was the mixed industry-wide joint assessment under the DOLE's new Labor Laws Compliance Program, he added.

 "I urge you to maximize the opportunity that the DOLE assistance gives you. Please nurture your livelihoods and make them grow to become viable and sustainable enterprises," Baldoz told the beneficiaries.

 Baldoz gave out 58 checks amounting to P17,497,689.20, or almost half of the P36 million  to 54 proponents from the Iloilo Province for the reconstruction of public utilities and infrastructure of local government units in Northern Iloilo hardest-hit by the devastating Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, the press release said.

 A total of 3,089 unemployed workers, out-of-school youth, and differently-able persons in the various LGUs will work on the repair of school buildings, bridges, drainage, and canals, the press release added.

 For the Aklan province Baldoz awarded eight checks worth P4,997,139 to six proponent-beneficiaries, who will engage in fishing and aquaculture, oyster production, fish cage and mud crab fattening to benefit 710 Aklanon, it added.

 The P3,635,550 in livelihood assistance released to 17 proponent-beneficiaries from the province of Capiz  and the eight  checks worth P8,218,9896.88 to 11 proponent-beneficiaries from Negros Occidental under the Yolanda Rehabilitation and Recovery Program  will be for the rehabilitation of public utilities and infrastructure, and to pay the salaries of 3,264 workers in emergency employment, the press release said. 

Three proponent-beneficiaries from Guimaras received checks amounting to P2,256,172 for their livelihood projects in support of the local government-driven, DOLE-assisted Pier to Port, or P2P, program.

The amount will fund native bag production and marketing, saba banana production and processing, and seaweed farming and processing to benefit 575 Guimarasnon, the press release said.

 Ligutom said the DOLE Region 6 has remaining livelihood funds for the year and encouraged the submission of more project proposals. As of September 30, he said the DOLE regional office had approved 586 livelihood proposals from the six provinces of the region involving total funding of P307,643,859.14, the press release said.*

back to top