Cebu’s Yolanda survivors have ‘gradually recovered’

CEBU, Philippines - Two years after typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc in northern Cebu, over 21,000 Yolanda survivors have “gradually recovered” from it through the government’s livelihood programs.

Through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas has poured in P154.16 million worth of livelihood projects to Yolanda survivors in northern Cebu.

A community-based capacity building program, SLP increases the economic opportunities of the families through different programs like skills training, seed capital fund, pre-employment assistance fund, and cash for building livelihood assets.

It is implemented through what DSWD-7 called the “Community-Driven Enterprise Development Approach,” which equips program participants to actively contribute to production and labor markets by looking at available resources and accessible markets.

DSWD-7 Director Mercedita Jabagat said they implemented two livelihood projects—Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG) and Cash for Building Livelihood Asset (CBLA) to increase the employment chances of beneficiaries and to increase natural resource building.

She said a total of 21,462 Yolanda survivors are benefiting from the livelihood projects.

“As part of the recovery and rehabilitation efforts of the national government, we were able to implement various livelihood projects to Yolanda affected Local Government Units (LGUs) in northern Cebu,” she said.

The CBLA project supports the establishment of micro-enterprise development and employment generation such as jobs dealing with mangrove rehabilitation and construction of communal garden, communal pig pen, sugar mill (mascuvado) and small fishing boat.

On the other hand, the LAG project provides capital as seed fund to aspiring entrepreneurs through Bigasan ng Barangay, farming and trading, hog production, general merchandise and basic hardware supply and skills training for swine fattening with starter kits.

Under the LAG project, the funds were transferred to the intended LGU.  (FREEMAN)