The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) tapped the help of the local government units (LGUs) in the assessment of beneficiaries for the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
The decision came after people hoping to get cash aid flocked to the DSWD field office in Manila on Friday, Jan. 13.
“The LGUs will now have to consolidate the list of potential program beneficiaries from their respective jurisdictions, which will be endorsed to concerned DSWD Field Offices,” the DSWD said in a statement.
An individual who wants to avail of livelihood assistance can directly submit their application documents to the LGU.
The DSWD said that the initiative to work with the LGUs was done to bring the livelihood program closer to the constituents of each locality and to avoid the incident that happened at the DSWD-National Capital Region office on Jan. 13, where about 2,000 individuals lined up in hopes for a payout.
However, it emphasized that the program requires its beneficiaries to go through a series of orientation and skills training as part of the program’s selection process.
Meanwhile, the DSWD clarified that the incident at its field office was only because of the proliferation of “fake news” that spread through SMS and fake Facebook accounts.
It reminded the public to be “more critical in the information they get from unverified sources.”
Furthermore, the DSWD advised the public to consult, ask questions, and send their concerns only to the agency’s official Facebook page.
Sustainable livelihood program
The DSWD explained the SLP comprises two tracks including the Micro-enterprise Development (MD) Track designed for those who want to start a sustainable micro-enterprise, and the Employment Facilitation (EF) Track that will help participants get jobs that suits their skills and abilities.
Based on the Department’s Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 22 series of 2019, each household can enroll a maximum of two members pursuing two different tracks.
A participant of the MD Track must be at least 16 years old with written legal consent from the parents or the legal guardian, while a participant in EF Track must be at least 18 years old upon employment.
Moreover, participants who passed the selection process and attended the required SLP orientation and skills training are eligible to receive livelihood assistance grants.
For MD Track, participants may receive a maximum of P15,000 capital seed fund, while EF Track participants may be provided with an Employment Assistance Fund of not more than P5,000 or a Skills Training Fund of not more than P15,000.
The SLP is a capacity-building program for poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households and communities to improve their socio-economic conditions through accessing and gaining necessary assets to engage in and maintain a sustainable livelihood.