DSWD to provide P15,000 cash assistance as capital
Published Jun 13, 2020 12:00 am
By Charissa Luci-Atienza
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is expected to provide P15,000 Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG) to deserving families as a seed capital for new alternative income-generating activities or certain micro-enterprise ventures.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (MANILA BULLETIN)
Citing the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2, DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said all agencies implementing social amelioration programs are expected to roll out their "recovery" initiatives.
"Nabanggit na sisimulan ang kani-kanilang recovery programs (It was mentioned that the implementation of their respective recovery programs will start). Ito ang (These are the) Livelihood Assistance Grant ng (of the) DSWD, ang (the) Survival and Recovery Assistance Program ng (of the) DA (Department of Agriculture), COVID 19 Pondo para sa Pagbabago at Pagasenso Enterprise Rehab fund (COVID 19 P3-ERF) at (and) Livelihood Seeding Program Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay ng (of the) DTI (Department of Trade Industry)," he said.
The 13-page JMC provides that all participating agencies in the SAP that have not started with implementation of their recovery plan should start their pre-recovery preparation or implementation starting June 1, 2020 or upon declaration of General Community Quarantine, whichever comes first.
In April, Bautista assured the public that during the "recovery stage", the DSWD will provide LAG to a beneficiary-family of its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), provided that at least one family member is an informal economic worker and whose livelihood, occupation, or work, has been affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The program seeks "to help the beneficiary to recover from economic losses due to COVID-19 crisis," he said.
Under the DSWD guidelines, the DSWD shall assess the eligibility of the families and only those families found eligible by the agency shall be included in the list of families to be granted by LAG. It provides that those families that received the emergency subsidy program in the maximum amount allowed under Republic Act No. 11469 or the "Bayanihan to Heal As Once Act" may still be eligible for LAG. "The maximum amount of LAG per eligible family shall not exceed P15,000, and shall be provided once," the guidelines said.
According to the omnibus guidelines, the LAG may be released to the beneficiary, either in cash. It provides that the release of LAG can be through door-to-door or on a designated site of pay-out, or through any mode that is most convenient and safe for both the staff and beneficiaries.
As early as last month, La Union 2nd district Rep. Sandra Eriguel, chairperson of the House Committee on Social Services, asked the DSWD to start identifying the beneficiaries of the P15,000 LAG. "It will help them assess which industries and families will qualify to avail of the LAG once it is implemented, and to avoid further confusion or misunderstanding that every family whose business have been severely affected by the pandemic are qualified to the P15,000 LAG grant," Eriguel said.
“Through this, we can ensure that the money will be used for what it was intended: as seed capital or as an additional capital for micro-enterprises of the affected families,” she added.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (MANILA BULLETIN)
Citing the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2, DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said all agencies implementing social amelioration programs are expected to roll out their "recovery" initiatives.
"Nabanggit na sisimulan ang kani-kanilang recovery programs (It was mentioned that the implementation of their respective recovery programs will start). Ito ang (These are the) Livelihood Assistance Grant ng (of the) DSWD, ang (the) Survival and Recovery Assistance Program ng (of the) DA (Department of Agriculture), COVID 19 Pondo para sa Pagbabago at Pagasenso Enterprise Rehab fund (COVID 19 P3-ERF) at (and) Livelihood Seeding Program Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay ng (of the) DTI (Department of Trade Industry)," he said.
The 13-page JMC provides that all participating agencies in the SAP that have not started with implementation of their recovery plan should start their pre-recovery preparation or implementation starting June 1, 2020 or upon declaration of General Community Quarantine, whichever comes first.
In April, Bautista assured the public that during the "recovery stage", the DSWD will provide LAG to a beneficiary-family of its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), provided that at least one family member is an informal economic worker and whose livelihood, occupation, or work, has been affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The program seeks "to help the beneficiary to recover from economic losses due to COVID-19 crisis," he said.
Under the DSWD guidelines, the DSWD shall assess the eligibility of the families and only those families found eligible by the agency shall be included in the list of families to be granted by LAG. It provides that those families that received the emergency subsidy program in the maximum amount allowed under Republic Act No. 11469 or the "Bayanihan to Heal As Once Act" may still be eligible for LAG. "The maximum amount of LAG per eligible family shall not exceed P15,000, and shall be provided once," the guidelines said.
According to the omnibus guidelines, the LAG may be released to the beneficiary, either in cash. It provides that the release of LAG can be through door-to-door or on a designated site of pay-out, or through any mode that is most convenient and safe for both the staff and beneficiaries.
As early as last month, La Union 2nd district Rep. Sandra Eriguel, chairperson of the House Committee on Social Services, asked the DSWD to start identifying the beneficiaries of the P15,000 LAG. "It will help them assess which industries and families will qualify to avail of the LAG once it is implemented, and to avoid further confusion or misunderstanding that every family whose business have been severely affected by the pandemic are qualified to the P15,000 LAG grant," Eriguel said.
“Through this, we can ensure that the money will be used for what it was intended: as seed capital or as an additional capital for micro-enterprises of the affected families,” she added.