MANILA — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is readying a comprehensive plan of action to address the potential adverse effects of the planned rehabilitation of Boracay on vulnerable residents.
“The DSWD will coordinate with other government agencies to put together a plan of action for them so the impact of the changes in Boracay will not be wholly negative,” DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel Leyco said Wednesday.
The national government has created an inter-agency task force to find ways to ease the displacement of businesses that rely on tourist arrivals in Boracay when the closure of the island resort and its rehabilitation start.
Leyco said potential problems include the fear of losing home and livelihood, especially among residents who are DSWD beneficiaries, as well as vulnerable senior citizens and their families.
The DSWD is currently determining how many people would need the agency’s help.
DSWD programs and services, such as the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), Cash-for-Work (CFW), and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), can be accessed by affected families on the island.
The SLP provides employment and income opportunities among the poor who want to seek employment. If they have business potentials, they are given capital to start with.
The CFW is a short-term intervention implemented by the DSWD to provide temporary employment to distressed or displaced individuals by involving them in preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation or risk reduction projects and activities – usually in their communities or in evacuation centers.
On the other hand, AICS is the department’s program that provides different assistance whenever a client loses a job, has a problem with funeral or transportation costs, needs educational assistance, or is facing medical expenses. (Leilani Junio/PNA)
