3 urban poor groups get livelihood

CEBU, Philippines – The Mandaue City government has signed a memorandum of agreement with three urban poor groups for their respective livelihood programs.

The signing, which was held during a simple ceremony at the City Hall last week, was done in the presence of urban poor association heads and representatives, the City Social Welfare Office through its head Violeta Cavada, and Housing and Homesite Regulation Officer Tony Pet Juanico.

The first recipient was the homeowners association of the 6.5-hectare relocation site in Barangay Paknaan (6.5 Paknaan) which was represented by Elenita Parejas, president of the group's Sustainable Livelihood Program Association (SLPA).

Under the memorandum of agreement, the 6.5 Paknaan urban poor will get a water refilling station business fully financed by the national government's Bottom's Up Budgeting (BUB) through the support of the CSWO.

The whole enterprise, including the building of the water refilling station, will be supervised by the 6.5 Site Management Council through its head Leopoldo Chavez.

The council, under the MOA, will see to it that the business is "properly managed." In return, the association shall give two percent from the net proceeds of the business to the council every month after six months of operations.

The second urban poor group in the same relocation site, called 6.5 Pantawid, will be getting an interlocking compressed earth block (ICEB) making business from BUB.

Chavez will also do the same supervision as the first group.

The 6.5 Pantawid was represented by its SLPA head Ilin Obsequas.

The third recipient of the BUB project was the Lower Tipolo Homeowners Association Inc. which will also get a water refilling station.

LTHOAI was represented by Rosana Santillan, president of SLPA.

The same provisions apply in terms of management of the business. (FREEMAN)