By Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/PNA
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique — A total of 73 Antiqueño overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have availed of livelihood assistance from the provincial government here.
Prisceli Joyce J. Galuego, Planning Officer II at the Antique Provincial Planning and Development Office, said in an interview Tuesday that each OFW beneficiary considered as inactive or no longer has intention to work abroad is given PHP10,000 so they could start a livelihood here.
“We are releasing a check in the amount of PHP10,000, which they could use to buy their needed grocery items to be sold in their sari-sari stores,” Galuego said.
She added that their office, which supervises the OFW Desk, first released the livelihood fund to 14 OFWs from Sibalom, San Jose de Buenavista, and Hamtic towns on March 11.
Selected 43 OFWs from the 18 towns of the province received their assistance on Tuesday.
In the coming days, she said, the remaining 16 OFWs will also be given their needed assistance.
The recipients belong to the first batch of those who requested assistance from the Antique provincial government to augment their livelihood in the form of a sari-sari store.
Recipient Jonah Badajos from Culasi town, who received her assistance, said that she worked as a housemaid in Dubai in 2013 to 2015.
“When I finished my contract I went home to the Philippines and decided to no longer go back there because of my family,” Badajos said.
She said she has three children aged 10, seven, and one, who need her close care and attention.
“The assistance I am receiving will be added to the goods that I already have in my sari-sari store,” Badajos said.
She said that she is really doing everything to make her sari-sari store grow because it is a source of income for her.
“I do not want to be separated any more from my family so I need to have a source of income in Barangay Bita,”she added.
