The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to enhance its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) by expanding partnerships with other government agencies, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said during the agency’s budget hearing at the House of Representatives last Wednesday (August 21).
“We do understand that not everyone is going to be an entrepreneur. It’s very hard to start a business so what we are doing is tapping on the expertise of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to be able to help us assess,” the DSWD chief said in reply to the question of Pangasinan Representative Christopher De Venecia on the portion of the SLP in the DSWD’s 2025 proposed budget.
Secretary Gatchalian said the DSWD does not have the technical expertise to these things (SLP’s employment track) that is why the agency partnered with concerned agencies such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the DOLE.
“We are strengthening our partnership with DOLE through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and we are really literally tapping into the job start program which I had discussed with DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma,” Sec. Gatchalian pointed out.
The SLP has two tracks – the Micro-Enterprise Development (MD), which is designed for those who would like to venture into entrepreneurship, and the Employment Facilitation (EF), which seeks to assist qualified individuals to gain employment.
With the planned MOU with DOLE, beneficiaries under the EF may qualify for the Job Start Program, an employment facilitation program that aims to help unemployed youth aged 18 to 24 through life skills and technical training, as well as paid internship or work experience to improve their employability.
Secretary Gatchalian said those who are aligned with entrepreneurship which falls under the MD will also benefit from the agency’s plans to forge new partnerships with other government agencies.
“We are also working with the Department of Tourism (DOT) because they have a very vibrant tourism jump start business program especially in areas that are emerging tourist destinations,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
Sibol: A 5-year framework
Secretary Gatchalian also told the members of the House Committee on Appropriations that the Department is embarking on a five-year framework into the SLP Program dubbed as ‘Sibol’.
“Now, we reformatted it and called it the SIBOL program which is like a plant. So, it’s now a 5-year program wherein you get your initial grant on Year 1. On Year 2, we look for certain indexes. Some type of net income, formalization process, or jobs generation and then if we see those indexes, we do give them a third year grant for the group which is a hundred thousand,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
On Year 4, the DSWD continues to monitor and provide the group with technical assistance looking for more signs of growing and formalizing.
“Then they get another Php250,000 on Year 5. It’s more of self-incentivization that if you strive hard to formalize yourself, strengthen yourself, then you get more grants along the way,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
With the implementation of the SIBOL 5-year framework in the SLP program, the agency also plans to formalize SLP community business under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).#