DOST and DOLE open more jobsfor disaster-devastated communities

CEBU, Philippines - More technology-driven jobs are in the offing as the science and labor departments join forces in a nationwide livelihood program that will be technology-driven, resource-based and sustainable.

Priority of said livelihood program are Filipinos who are economically displaced and marginalized due to natural and man-made calamities, including returning or displaced OFWs and their families.

“We do not only aim to rebuild communities,” said Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario G. Montejo, “but also to enhance the resilience of our communities with the aid of technology.”

The program, also in collaboration with the trade and agriculture departments, will have several components, including the establishment of community-based enterprises, business incubators, business and technology centers, innovation and knowledge centers, and promotion of climate change mitigation to increase community disaster resiliency.

The  component programs, according to Sec. Montejo, are built upon the “Filipino’s spirit of self-reliance, resilience, and ingenuity.”

Business and technology incubators will provide a package of support services to start-up enterprises while business and technology centers will serve as alternative sites and technology terminals to create new or revive enterprises. Innovation and knowledge centers, meanwhile, will provide relevant information on science, technology, and innovation.

The Department of Labor and Employment will provide working capital in the form of raw materials, equipment, tools and jigs; trainings on skills and entrepreneurship, and organizational development, as well as on productivity, safety and health; and facilitate entrepreneurs’ enrollment to micro-insurance.

Within the next 30 days, DOST and DOLE regional offices will conduct consultations with possible beneficiaries and come up with a detailed action plan.

DOST’s priority technologies to be included in the livelihood program include indigenous handicraft making, fiber glass bancas, foldaway shelter, ceramic water pot filter, bakery products, charcoal briquetting, vegetable noodles, waste recycling, and complementary foods for babies.

For the fishery sector, livelihood packages include smokehouse kits, fish canning and bottling, fish and squid drying, vacuum packing, fish fillet, and minced fish.

While DOST will provide appropriate technologies and livelihood training, DOLE will handle the employment aspect. The Department of Trade and Industry will take care of the market side, and the Department of Agriculture will manage the agriculture and fishery aspect. (FREEMAN)