The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) will lead on Friday (February 21) a ceremonial turnover of 20 electric vehicles which will benefit some 2,300 persons with disabilities.
DSWD spokesperson Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao said the agency recognizes the needs of persons with disabilities for special assistance to access livelihood opportunities resulting in the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Electric Transportation Services (PWD-ETS).
“Noong 2023 ay inilunsad natin ang PWD-ETS sa ilalim ng SLP base sa direktiba ng ating Kalihim Rex Gatchalian. This is part of the Department’s commitment to implement inclusive programs and services anchored on the Marcos administration’s goal to ensure that no sector will be left behind in development,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out.
The PWD-ETS’ pilot project implementation started in 2023 with 10 SLP Associations (SLPAs) and with the expansion of the project in 2024, 10 more SLPAs were included. Each SLPA is composed of 115 person with disability- members from 10 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila.
The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), an attached agency of the DSWD, helped identify 10 of the 20 SLPA beneficiaries while the DSWD-SLP organized them into associations and provided capacity building activities for them to qualify for livelihood grant.
Representatives from the Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines will also be attending the event as the chosen partner of the SLPAs for this livelihood project. The SLPAs chose GET Philippines as their chosen service provider for their electric vehicles.
The ceremonial turnover of the electric vehicles is part of the DSWD’s 74th anniversary celebration with the theme, “Bawat Pamilya ay Mahalaga sa Bagong Pilipinas.”
The SLP is the DSWD’s capability-building program that provides opportunities to access and acquire livelihood assets to the poor, vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalized sectors to improve their socio-economic conditions.