DOLE allocates livelihood program funds for western Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Jan. 11 (PNA) -– The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) central office has allocated P10 million for livelihood programs for its clientele in the formal and informal sectors in Western Mindanao who maybe affected by the deepening global financial crisis.

Workers in the region who would be displaced by the global crisis could also avail of the livelihood program of the agency.

DOLE Western Mindanao Director Ponciano Ligutom said the funds will be distributed as a grant-in-aid to groups or associations who want and would qualify to avail of the program through the agency’s accredited co-partners (ACPs).

In most cases, Ligutom said the local government units (LGUs) serve as the ACPs since “they are our co-partners in livelihood undertaking.”

Ligutom said a qualified association could also be an ACP of the agency’s livelihood programs.

The ACPs are the ones assisting the DOLE in monitoring the development of the livelihood undertaking of a particular group or association to ensure that the grant-in-aid is put to good use.

Ligutom said those who want to avail of the agency’s program whether they are in the formal or informal sectors could form a group or an association and come up with a livelihood proposal.

The formal sectors are waged workers while the informal are those who are self-employed and part-time employees who are interested in coming up with a livelihood to earn additional income.

Ligutom said the livelihood proposal will be thoroughly studied by his office for approval and for the release of the corresponding funds as a start-up capital.

He added his office has released last year a little over P10 million to different groups and associations that qualified to avail of DOLE’s grant-in-aid livelihood program.

Ligutom disclosed that expected to be affected by the global financial downturn are workers from the canning, coconut and rubber industry in the region.

However, he said they have not yet received report about impending retrenchment of workers in the industries concerned.

Zamboanga City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZCCI) President James Makasiar said the local businesses like the construction are also expected to be affected by the deepening financial crisis.