ILOILO – To provide livelihood is not only to promote the economic well-being of the beneficiaries but also to create lasting peace in the community.
This is one of the mandates of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as member of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC).
In partnership with the local government unit (LGU) of Leon, Iloilo, DOLE Region 6 through its Iloilo Field Office released a check amounting to P497,080 for the Rice and Farm Inputs Retailing Project in Barangay Manampunay, Leon town. The project was granted after the area was considered “cleared” by the RTF-ELCAC.
The livelihood assistance benefitted 58 members of Manampunay Farmers Association, who are marginalized farmers, indigenous people, rebel returnees, and senior citizens. The project will involve retailing of rice, and various farm inputs including fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, among others.
“DOLE never allows poverty to cause divisiveness and conflict in the community, “stressed Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez, Jr. “Our services and programs for the most vulnerable groups of the society is a way to bring the government closer to the people and to create unity and harmony in the countryside. Hindi natin sila pinababayaan dahil sila yung nasa laylayan ng lipunan.”
Rodriguez also mentioned several projects from various government agencies in the barangay which include farm-to-market roads and similar infrastructures that provides ease in trading their agricultural products in a larger market.
Since Barangay Manampunay is an agricultural area, and farming is the main source of livelihood in the community, the project is expected to provide Manampunayons a cost-and-time-efficient venue to buy their needs. Due to its ideal location within the community, the project is expected to be a stable source of income for the association and its beneficiaries,
In the turnover ceremony, DOLE-6 Iloilo Field Office Head Melisa Navarra addressed the perennial concern of the barangay and the association to sustain the project.
“We encourage you to keep and maintain an enterprise-oriented mindset. By this, you will have the urge to sustain and improve the project, which shall provide a better life for the beneficiaries and the community,” said Navarra.
This project, in support to the National TF-ELCAC pursuant to Executive Order No. 70, prioritizes and harmonizes the delivery of basic services and social development packages in conflict-affected areas and vulnerable communities, facilitate societal inclusivity, and ensure active participation of all sectors of society in the pursuit of the country’s peace agenda.
“We are always for the developmental approach in resolving this conflict between our constituents and the government. Alleviating their economic status will always be one of the first steps in achieving this so-longed peace,” said Leon, Iloilo’s Mayor Malin Cabana-Holipas, who expressed her appreciation to the concerted effort of DOLE and the different government agencies in bringing peace to the communities. (DOLE/PN)
