Bill expands DSWD livelihood aid

A LAWMAKER on Monday filed a measure seeking to make the government’s livelihood assistance program permanent and expanded to reach more poor Filipino families.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Timothy Joseph E. Cayton, under House Bill No. 9456 or the “Sustainable Livelihood Program Institutionalization and Expansion Act,” proposed to make the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) permanent in law and expand its scope.

According to Mr. Cayton, it is important to ensure that government livelihood programs are not solely dependent on changes in administration or annual budget allocations, to ensure continuous support to beneficiaries.

“The real fight against poverty is not just aid but opportunity. We must ensure that Filipino families have enough support to build their own sources of income and fully escape poverty,” he said in Filipino.

Under the bill, the SLP would be made permanent in law, and its beneficiaries would be expanded, from the current core beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program to include other qualified poor families nationwide.

Mr. Cayton stressed that expansion of the program is particularly important in agricultural provinces like Nueva Ecija.

According to the bill, the implementation of government livelihood programs is expected to be further strengthened through stronger funding, institutional support, and broader coverage of communities most in need.

The lawmaker asserted that such a move would help create more inclusive and long-term solutions to poverty in the country, rather than just temporary interventions. — Pexcel John Bacon