ON THE JOB. Felipe Espinosa (left photo), a person with a disability from San Miguel town, Bohol province is seen receiving his pay of PHP4,350 from the cash-for-work program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) while a beneficiary (right photo) is seen helping his community's clean and green activities. DSWD Central Visayas Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero on Tuesday (Feb. 14, 2023) said 32,336 individuals from 129 localities in Central Visayas have benefited from the cash-for-work program for PWDs. (Photo courtesy of DSWD-7)
CEBU CITY – More than 32,000 people from 129 localities in Central Visayas region have benefited from the cash-for-work program for persons with disabilities (PWD), with the release of PHP128.6 million, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas (Region 7) reported on Tuesday.
DSWD-7 regional director Shalaine Marie Lucero said the cash assistance given to the 32,336 PWDs was taken from the Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay (KKB) modality financial assistance and implemented through the poverty alleviation initiative, Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).
She said the PWDs were given the minimum regional wage of PHP435 per day in exchange for services or tasks to be accomplished for six to 10 days in their respective communities.
“Their disability is not a problem for the delivery of services in their community. Their mobility is favorable for them, and they can move around to perform the work assigned to them,” Lucero told the Philippine News Agency.
The beneficiaries, she said, can perform cleaning and disinfection of public facilities or perform tree planting, gardening, carpentry works, street sweeping, or clerical tasks such as assisting offices in local government units.
Lucero recalled that the agency conducted 11 payouts in different locations in the past two months.
The regional social welfare field office also participated in the national simultaneous payout in time with the International Day of PWDs last December.
Among the more than 32,000 workers who participated in the program, Felipe Espinosa, a PWD from San Miguel, Bohol, thanked the DSWD after he received a total of PHP4,350 for working at his agricultural town's clean and green efforts.
DSWD-7 record showed that among the local government units in the region, the highest number of PWD beneficiaries are in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Bayawan in Negros Oriental province, as well as the municipalities of Daanbantayan in Cebu and Ayungon in Negros Oriental.
Of the four provinces in Central Visayas, Cebu has fielded most of the PWDs participating in the program with a total of 16,143 receiving PHP68.3 million; Negros Oriental -- 8,281 (PHP30.,4 million); Bohol -- 7,333 (PHP27.5 million); and Siquijor -- 579 (PHP1.9 million). (PNA)
