The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) awarded a total of 81livelihood kits to various recipients of the DTI-Pangkabuhayan sa pagBangon at Ginhawa (DTI-PBG) in the provinces of Abra and Kalinga in efforts to support microenterprises greatly affected by fire incidents and other calamities.
The DTI-PBG program is a livelihood seeding and entrepreneurship development program which aims to assist individuals and families that were affected by fire incidents, other calamities, health disasters, and those who will avail of the Balik Probinsya Program to recover and/or start their own business.
The DTI-Abra Provincial Office turned over livelihood kits to 60 beneficiaries coming from the municipalities of Malibcong, Lacub, and Tubo last 16 June 2020 at the Headquarters of the 24th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Lagangilang, Abra Camp.
The beneficiaries were former rebels, members of the Bantay-Gubat, and other individuals living in ELCAC-identified areas. Prior to the awarding ceremony, the beneficiaries attended a brief seminar on entrepreneurship, provided by DTI Abra’s Planning Officer, Ms. Teresita Hidalgo. Of the 60 livelihood kits awarded, 44 were for sari-sari stores, 13 were agribusinesses, 2 were for catering and eateries, and a sole recipient received food processing equipment. The kits are valued at PI 0,000 each
The Philippine Army provided vehicles to transport the goods from DTI Abra in Bangued to Lagangilang, bringing the kits closer to the beneficiaries.
Abra Governor Joy Bernos urged PBG beneficiaries of Malibcong, Lacub, and Tubo in Abra to take advantage of all the opportunities accorded them by the national, provincial, and local governments to improve the communities’ quality of life.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the DTI – Kalinga Provincial Office also awarded twenty-one (21) livelihood kits to identified micro-enterprises in the Municipality of Pinukpuk, the 1st municipality in the province of Kalinga to receive livelihood kits under the DTI-PBG.
Twenty-one (21) beneficiaries from the barangays of Limos, Wagud, Ammacian, Apatan, and Ba-ay received livelihood kits intended to enhance their business ventures.
Three out of the twenty-one are rebel returnees who are willing to go back to their respective communities and become productive members of society. These three rebel returnees proposed carpentry, rice production/ trading, and hog production/trading as their livelihood engagements. The rest of the beneficiaries are engaged in soft broom production, food processing, barbershop service, and furniture making.
The Kalinga LGU led by Engr. Langkit, who delivered the message of Mayor Irving Dasayon emphasized the commitment of the LGU to support the implementation of the program and cited the important role of the barangay captains as overseer of the various government programs in their respective barangays.
Major Lucas expressed the 501B’s support to the program particularly on the maintenance of peace and order in the different barangays so that business will thrive and prosper
Indeed, COVID-19 pandemic did not hinder the government to reach out and assist the people in the far-flung areas of the Cordillera Region. ♦
Date of Release: 29 June 2020