Parañaque City 2nd district Representative-elect Brian Raymund Yamsuan has stepped up the implementation of the government’s livelihood programs in a bid to reduce district folk's dependence on "ayuda" or dole outs.
Yamsuan said he has begun exploring tie-ups with non-government organizations (NGOs) to assist in training qualified beneficiaries of his “Dagdag-Puhunan” and “Bigay-Negosyo” entrepreneurship programs.
The solon, who represents Bicol Saro Party-list in the 19th Congress, has been implementing these in the district since last year in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Yamsuan also said he will re-file bills in the incoming 20th Congress that aim to create local job facilitation offices for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs), and promote entrepreneurship by creating a sustainable financing program for micro and small enterprises, to name a few.
“Ang kailangan natin mabigyan ng mga oportunidad ang mga tao na umangat ang kanilang estado ng pamumuhay. Hindi yung basta magbibigay lang tayo ng ayuda ng walang follow-through. Ang pagbabago magsisimula rin sa mga tao mismo. Bibigyan natin sila ng oportunidad para magtiwala sila sa kanilang sarili na makapagbago at mag-rely sa kanilang kakayahan sa halip na umasa na lamang sa ayuda,” Yamsuan said in a recent media interview.
(What we need is to provide opportunities for people to elevate their standard of living, instead of just giving dole outs without any follow-through. Change will start with the people themselves. We will provide them the opportunity so that they will have the confidence to change and rely on their capabilities instead of just depending on dole outs.)
This “follow through” involves providing livelihood training and seminars for 'ayuda' beneficiaries to encourage them to set up micro businesses and “graduate” from being doleout recipients, he said.
Yamsuan said his Dagdag-Puhunan and Bigay Negosyo programs provide comprehensive livelihood training for applicants before they can qualify as beneficiaries.
These programs will be enhanced to include financial literacy seminars to educate people on how to prudently save, spend or invest their ayuda or earnings from livelihood programs.
“Ang ‘ayuda’ kailangan pa rin yan ng ating mga mahihirap na kababayan, kasi pantawid nila yan (Our poor countrymen still need dole outs because it will serve as a lifeline for them)," But we will teach them how to use it wisely. The same goes for those who have received assistance through our livelihood programs,” Yamsuan said.
Yamsuan said his twin programs can lead to success stories if beneficiaries use the funds given to them wisely.
He recalled that during one of his house-to-house visits during the campaign period, a Bigay-Negosyo recipient thanked him because she was able to open a sari-sari store, and later became a Magnolia products and soft drinks reseller in their community.
“She was able to send her two kids to school. Her husband quit a low-paying job and now helps her manage their sari-sari store. This and other success stories are what we want to bring to the district," he said.