EXPORT QUALITY. Cathy Baided sells novelty items made from water lilies at a trade fair organized by the Laoag City government in this undated photo. The Department of Labor and Employment has allocated around PHP7.48 million under its Kabuhayan project and marginalized workers who have been identified as beneficiaries will receive the checks on February 2, 2024 as part of Ilocos Norte’s 206th founding anniversary celebrations. (File photo by Leilanie Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – Marginalized workers from Ilocos Norte will get some PHP7.48 million worth livelihood grant from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
"The selected beneficiaries are composed of marginalized workers who are engaged in cassava processing, mushroom production and processing, bamboo craft production and hut making, fish production and processing, and water pump for crop production in the towns of Badoc, Solsona, Nueva Era, Currimao and cities of Laoag and Batac,” DOLE information officer Janelyn Martin said in a media interview on Tuesday.
The release of checks ranging from PHP100,000 to PHP1.5 million for each group of beneficiaries has been scheduled on Feb. 2, 2024 in time for the 206th founding anniversary of Ilocos Norte.
DOLE’s Kabuhayan project is a flagship program that aims to help marginalized groups such as self-employed workers, unpaid family workers, low-waged and seasonal workers, displaced or would-be displaced workers, marginalized and landless farmers, marginalized fisherfolk, women and youth, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, indigenous peoples, victims of armed conflicts, rebel returnees, and parents of child laborers.
Cathy Baided, president of the Cataban Weavers Association in Laoag, said they are grateful for the government’s continuous support for handicraft makers.
“With the continuing support of the government to help us market our products we are inspired further to improve our craft,” she said.
Baided is among the women in the coastal village of Cataban who earn from selling novelty items made from water lilies, which are abundant in the area. (PNA)
