TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has released P3.6 million in livelihood assistance to 120 parents of child laborers in Southern Leyte, aiming to provide sustainable sources of income and help keep children out of the workforce.
The assistance was distributed under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) during a ceremonial turnover on Aug. 5 at the Sogod Municipal Gymnasium in Sogod, Southern Leyte.
Implemented by the DOLE Regional Office 8 through its Southern Leyte Field Office in partnership with the Sogod local government, the program seeks to help beneficiaries establish or expand small businesses that can provide long-term income for their families.
The livelihood packages included tools, equipment, and materials for a wide range of enterprises, including barbershop services, bread and cake vending, carpentry, dressmaking and tailoring, snack vending, fish vending, fishing, ginger farming, ice cream making, meat vending, painting services, peanut butter production, Piso WiFi, poultry raising, rag making, tilapia farming, tuba vending, vegetable farming, vulcanizing, and welding.
Each beneficiary received a package based on the livelihood project he or she had chosen.
DOLE Southern Leyte Field Office head Eden Ligaya Y. Golong said the program addresses one of the root causes of child labor by helping vulnerable families earn a stable income.
“By empowering parents of child laborers with viable sources of income, we are not only helping improve their economic condition but also strengthening our collective efforts to ensure that every child remains in school and is protected from child labor,” Golong said.
She added that the livelihood assistance supports the government’s efforts to improve the welfare of disadvantaged families by creating sustainable employment opportunities.
Sogod Mayor Sheffered Lino S. Tan thanked DOLE for extending livelihood assistance to residents and assured beneficiaries of the municipal government’s continued support to ensure the success of their livelihood projects.
One of the beneficiaries, Lalaine Baigan, who received a snack vending package, said the assistance would provide her family with a steady source of income and help meet their daily needs.
DOLE said the livelihood assistance is part of its continuing campaign to eliminate child labor by reducing the economic pressures that compel children to work and by helping families become more self-reliant.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
