ILOILO CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 6 (Western Visayas) is allotting additional PHP200 million on top of its 2018 budget for the implementation of a Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) on Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.
The additional fund will be for the livelihood of affected residents in Boracay as the island resort faces a six-month closure and rehabilitation in the last week of April, said DSWD-6 regional director Rebecca Geamala in an interview on Wednesday.
Geamala said they have already sent the request for the fund, along with a work plan, to the central office last week.
Aklan province has PHP1.1 billion budget for the implementation of its regular programs like SLP, Social Pension,
Supplemental Feeding Program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), among others, she said.
She added that the additional fund targets to help the informal sectors on the island, such as vendors and masseurs, as the Department of Labor and Employment will assist the other types displaced workers on the island.
She said the additional fund also signals their readiness to help individuals who are not enrolled in 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program) or those who were not listed as poor, “in case they will come to ask for assistance.”
“Regardless of their status, we can provide,” she said.
As of the moment, Geamala said there are 640 families on the island enrolled under 4Ps.
Geamala said that the beneficiaries of the livelihood assistance will depend on the referral of the local government unit of Malay.
The type of livelihood assistance as well as its amount will depend on the need of would-be beneficiaries, she added.
The SLP is a capacity building program of DSWD aimed at improving the socio-economic skills of program participants to better access livelihood opportunities for a sustainable income source.
It is divided in two tracks, specifically the micro-enterprise development – which supports the micro-enterprises in becoming organizationally and economically viable; and the employment facilitation – which provides assistance to unemployed members of poor families and assist participants to access appropriate employment opportunities.
Aside from the additional fund for livelihood assistance, Geamala said they are also planning to extend financial assistance to affected residents through the Aid to Individuals in Crisis Situation.
She said that they still have to discuss this with the local government unit of Malay town.
Meanwhile, Geamala said the DSWD operation center has already started helping non-residents of the island on such needs as transportation assistance and counseling.
Located at Balabag Plaza, the center has already assisted 24 non-residents of Boracay. (PNA)
