This year’s Town Fiesta and Kalanguya Festival in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya became even more festive with the awarding of more than P500, 000.00 budget for the program participants of Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development on March 13, 2015.

Regional Director of DSWD FO 02 Remia T. Tapispisan, also the guest speaker of the said festivity, presented to the Local Government Unit of Sta. Fe, headed by Mayor Liwayway Caramat, a check in the amount of P550, 000.00. This fund is intended for 110 program participants of the SLP under the Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB) scheme of the Department and shall be utilized for farming and vegetable training projects.

“Kami po sa DSWD ay patuloy ang mahusay at matapat na serbisyo upang maiangat ang antas ng pamumuhay ng ating mga benipesyaryo. Sa paggawad namin ng pondong ito at pag-bibigay ng mga pagsasanay pangkabuhayan, sana ay  patuloy din ang inyong pagpupursige na makaahon sa kahirapan at makamit ang pagbabagong hinahangad nating lahat,” Tapispisan said.

Moreover, 13 program participants received their capital seed fund in the amount of P130, 000.00 with P10, 000.00 each participant which shall be used for basket weaving livelihood skills program of SLP.

SLP invests in building the capacity of people to engage in economic activities so they are able to stand on their own by providing program participants start-up capital to start a small business (Micro-enterprise Development) or by providing them with technical skills training, occupational guidance, and job referrals/placement (Employment Facilitation).

SLP trains the communities to contribute to production and labor markets by utilizing available resources and accessible market.

Through SLP, DSWD hopes the program participants to be independent and this can be attained by intensifying program convergence to address poverty. ### By: GELA FLOR R. PEREZ, Regional Information Officer II