A total of 300 students from Daraga Community College are set to benefit from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Cash-for-Work Program (CFWP) under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay (KKB).

The CFWP is a social welfare and development program that provides short-term financial aid to targeted economically disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in exchange for their work, service, or task.

The Daraga Community College was selected as a partner institution as it has one of the highest number of enrollees in local colleges in Albay.

For the beneficiaries, they are chosen according to the following eligibility criteria: (1) only one (1) member per family of legal age belonging to economically poor and part of vulnerable communities or sectors; (2) the beneficiary and their family must not be a recipient of the same intervention in the same area for the last one (1) year per modality or under the DSWD Disaster Response Management Division; and (3) previous CFWP beneficiaries are allowed to be part of the program as long as they did not complete the 90-day engagement in the same area in 2024.

“Through the program, the students will not only gain financial support but also community involvement, knowledge, and skills during the actual work activities,” Regional Director Norman S. Laurio explained.

Director Laurio emphasized that under the program, qualified student beneficiaries will receive compensation amounting to PHP 415.00 per eight (8) hours a day for engaging in agreed work to be deployed in different areas such as higher education institutions, government agencies, and local government units.

He also cited that 100 graduating college students will participate in 50 days of work, while 200 college students will be engaged in 25 days of work.

Dr. Joey M. Zamora, College Administrator, expressed his gratitude to the DSWD and KALAHI-CIDSS for this initiative.

“We thank the DSWD and KALAHI-CIDSS team for providing a platform where youth can take meaningful action while contributing to inclusive and sustainable development,” he said.

Two (2) batches of orientation for the students were conducted from May 20 until May 21, 2025 at Hotel St. Ellis, Legazpi City, Albay, to discuss the program objectives, implementation procedures, and requirements needed.