Legarda Seeks Support for Funding of DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program

Senator Loren Legarda has called for the Senate’s support in amending the budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to include the agency’s request for additional funding for the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) under the 2019 national budget.

During the Senate’s discussions on the proposed Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) bill, Legarda said that the reduction in the 2019 DSWD budget for SLP has displaced thousands of field workers or known as memorandum of agreement (MOA) service workers.

“There is a request from the DSWD for an additional fund of P4 billion. This is for program grants that were cut in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) due to low utilization of funds in previous years. This will also include funding for administrative and personnel support because thousands of MOA service workers who implement the SLP have already been affected,” said Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance.

“I will try during the bicameral conference meeting to fully restore the DSWD SLP budget so we do not have to wait for the 4Ps bill to be enacted for us to continuously help the poor,” she stressed.

Legarda sought support from her fellow senators in fighting for the SLP budget in the bicam and said she hopes that this will also be institutionalized under the proposed 4Ps bill.

The SLP aims to enhance the capabilities of poor Filipino households and individuals by strengthening their skills, competencies, abilities and resources in accessing income-generating opportunities. It is meant to complement the 4Ps.

“While the 4Ps is good, I believe that the SLP is the one that could really transform the lives of the poor and lift them out of poverty because through this program, we do not just give them fish, but we also teach them how to fish,” Legarda concluded.