A total of 810 partner-beneficiaries from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD Field Office 5 under Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished) in two provinces of the Bicol Region received cash assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) between September 1 and 13, 2024.

DSWD partnered with DOLE to integrate the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program into the implementation of Project LAWA at BINHI. This collaboration aligns DOLE’s TUPAD with the modalities, processes, and objectives of DSWD’s initiatives.

Through this partnership, DSWD Bicol has provided additional income support to climate-vulnerable communities by engaging them in the construction of water access infrastructure and the implementation of sustainable farming practices.

The payouts, processed through Palawan Remittance Center, covered a 20-day cash-for-training and work program for 552 beneficiaries from the Municipality of Batuan and the City of Masbate in Masbate, as well as 258 beneficiaries from the Municipalities of Castilla, Donsol, and Pilar in Sorsogon Province. Each beneficiary received a full payment of ₱7,900.

Project LAWA at BINHI aim to enhance the adaptive capabilities of impoverished and vulnerable families during severe droughts, thereby mitigating food insecurity and water scarcity caused by climate change.

Target beneficiaries include families of farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples (IPs), and other climate and disaster-vulnerable groups identified as poor by Listahanan 3 or through assessment and validation by the Local Social Welfare and Development Office (LSWDO).

Each beneficiary participated in a 20-day cash-for-training/work (CFTW) program, receiving daily wages based on the prevailing Regional Daily Minimum Wage Rate (RDMWR) in the project area.

Additional payouts are scheduled for the remainder of the month in the same provinces and other areas where the project is being implemented.###