DSWD’s SLPs aim for long-term impact on beneficiaries

The Sustainable Livelihood Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development now aims to provide long-term impact to program beneficiaries with its five-year sustainability plan.

DSWD Assistant Secretary for Specialized Programs under the Operations Group and concurrent SLP officer-in-charge Florentino Loyola Jr., during the DSWD Media Forum, emphasized that the agency has improved and enhanced the implementation of the SLP through its ‘Sibol’ five-year livelihood sustainability plan.

“This is the most recent enhancement here in the SLP, a directive from our Secretary Rex Gatchalian. What we really want is long-term assistance for our fellow citizens. We truly want to emphasize sustainability in our Sustainable Livelihood Program," Loyola said.

Under the sustainability plan, the program participants will need a longer incubation period, starting from year 2 to year 5 through intensified capability-building activities and additional livelihood incentives for livelihood sustainability and resiliency.

Loyola said the sustainability plan also paves the way to increase the grants and provide incentives to SLP Associations that take the program’s Micro-enterprise Development Track, as they grow their businesses or livelihood.

“In this program, we will monitor them for five years. And the beauty of this program is that it has been incentivized, unlike before when we only had a two-year incubation period,” the DSWD official noted.

Loyola said SLP Associations will receive P100,000 in product diversification and development grants for the first two years, and another P100,000 in sustainable employment grants for their third year in the program.

“Talagang e-enganyuhin natin ang ating mga kababayan na talagang pag-ibayuhin ang kanilang mga negosyo na mapaunlad (We will really encourage our participants to truly enhance and develop their businesses.),” Loyola pointed out.

Successful SLPAs that complete the five-year plan will also be granted a maximum of P250,000 in livelihood grants as part of their actual graduation from the program, according to the SLP OIC.

“Part of our five-year sustainability plan is to assist them in formalizing their businesses, starting from informal ones," Loyola added.

The SLP, as mentioned by Loyola, will also help the associations in the facilitation of the necessary permits and documents from the concerned agencies for the long-term operations of their businesses.

The SLP OIC also recommended aspiring business owners to form an association to avail of bigger grants and to undergo the MD Track of the SLP.

“Maaaring makatanggap ang ating qualified beneficiaries ng P15,000 na seed capital o puhunan para sa indibidwal, kung kayo po ay nag-form ng association, ang grant po na binibigay natin ay P20,000 kada benepisyaryo, (Our qualified beneficiaries may receive P15,000 as seed capital funds for individuals. If you form an association, the grant we provide is P20,000 per beneficiary.)”Loyola explained.

To be eligible for the SLP, an association must have a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 30 members who are at least 16 years old with legal consent from guardians or parents and should belong to the poor, marginalized, vulnerable and/or disadvantaged households, identified by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction or Listahanan.

Sibol, as the new brand of the DSWD’s SLP, represents the step-by-step growth in the journey of its participants toward improved well-being with equitable access to livelihood assets and resources.