The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) awarded P140,000 in livelihood assistance to five individual beneficiaries in Occidental Mindoro under its Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP).

Among the recipients was Picarzo, who received a starter package for her burger stand. Ulysses Panes was granted beauty salon equipment to expand his existing business, while Goodwin Baliguat, a fisherman from Barangay San Roque in San Jose, was given fishing gear to improve his livelihood. Ernan Declito of Barangay Bagong Sikat received a livelihood package to boost his polvoron production enterprise, and Nonabel Gallego was provided with a carinderia package to help enhance her food service operations.

DOLE Occidental Mindoro Provincial Director Peter James Cortazar emphasized that the assistance was not merely a handout but a strategic move to strengthen the economic capacities of beneficiaries. He underscored the agency’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable and marginalized communities by equipping them with tools to sustain and grow their businesses.