More than 7,000 workers in Eastern Visayas benefited from the livelihood programs of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in 2025, the agency said.

DOLE Eastern Visayas Regional Director Dax B. Villaruel said a total of 7,176 workers across the region received livelihood assistance through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), amounting to more than P200 million last year.

Villaruel said the projects funded under the program were largely community-based enterprises, production and service initiatives, as well as individual livelihood undertakings extended to disadvantaged workers.

He said DILP is among DOLE’s flagship programs, with beneficiaries coming from the informal sector, displaced workers, low-income earners, and other vulnerable groups, through support for the establishment or expansion of livelihood ventures.

According to Villaruel, the program, which was launched in 2011, underscores the government’s commitment to inclusive growth and worker empowerment.

“By investing in livelihood projects, we are not only providing immediate assistance but also enable workers and their families to become more resilient and self-reliant in the long term,” Villaruel said.

He added that the livelihood assistance was provided to workers’ groups, cooperatives, associations, and individual beneficiaries across the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar to ensure inclusive and equitable access to government support.