MANILA — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Friday relaunched a program that could grant up to P50,000 in assistance for poor but enterprising families to put up small businesses.
Revived in partnership with SM Supermalls, the Sustainable Livelihood Program is one of DSWD's core poverty reduction programs that provides business opportunities.
The SLP has two tracks, namely the Micro-Enterprise Development Track where families can receive initial grants from P20,000 to P50,000 as seed capital for starting businesses, and the Employment Facilitation Track where beneficiaries may apply for grants to secure employment.
"It's time to put emphasis into development. Through development, that's the chance that we could get into breaking the poverty cycle. Making sure that not we only do we give people the chance to fish, but rather, we teach them how to fish," said DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
"We want to retool it. With the reopening of the economy, we wanted na through this program, we can empower our most vulnerable clients in the department, the poorest of the poor," he added.
Under the revitalized program, grants may be given in 15 days, down from the previous 30 to 45 days.
"Grant ito, so you can get your P50,000 sa first year. Kapag minonitor namin, sa succeeding year, we will monitor kumikita na ba yan? May net income ka na ba? Pag successful ka sa mga performance indicators na yun, year 3 we'll give you P200,000, then sa year 5, P100,000," he said.
"You just go to the department, you just go into a field office, then they will orient you on the said program. The more diversified, the more skills-based, the higher chances it will survive," Gatchalian said.
The DSWD also signed partnerships with SM Supermalls. Under the agreement, DSWD may set up offices for their services in the mall chain.
They also unveiled the new SLP logo, which depicts the development of a plant, similar to the value of a sustainable livelihood for the marginalized.