Legazpi City – With Mayon Volcano continues its restiveness, the scores of residents who had to evacuate the area were provided by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Albay Provincial Office with skills and livelihood trainings through its project, “Alternative Income Opportunities.”

“Many evacuees are concerned with their livelihood, which is why we want to lend a helping hand to them, so they can earn while they continue to stay at evacuation centers,” DTI-Bicol Regional Director Jocelyn Blanco said.

With evacuees’ livelihood affected by the calamity, DTI – Albay conducted trainings on coco-coir and abaca twining to at least 45 individuals comprised by housewives and youth last January 31 in Camalig. To help them earn, Cocotech Industries Phils. Inc, a company based in Camalig, will buy the finished products to ensure market sustainability.

Likewise, some 25 housewife-evacuees from Barangay Comon, Tabaco City were trained on abaca crafts (bag and basket making) in Tabaco City Northwest Elementary School. DTI provided starter kits for the training, which include five (5) bundles of bankuan as raw materials and ten (10) wooden moulds for initial production valued at five thousand pesos (P5,000.00). Forcast Arts & Crafts, an exporter based in the city will buy the outputs of the participants.

Skills training on Pili shell craft making is set to be conducted on February 9 at another center in Mayon Elementary School, Buang, Tabaco City.

DTI Albay also assessed the needs and skills of evacuees in Legazpi City, Daraga, Guinobatan and Ligao.

Aside from the skills training, DTI-Albay also mounted a “Diskwento Caravan” at Bariw National High School last week to provide an opportunity for Mayon evacuees to access basic goods and prime commodities at reduced prices. The National Food Authority also partnered with DTI, which sold rice at the caravan.

Free services such as haircut, manicure/pedicure and blood pressure reading were also offered by Evegate Salon & Spa and the Department of Health (DOH).

Close to one thousand four hundred (1,400) evacuees were served during the activity.♦