LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte, Oct. 20 (PNA) — A total of Php5-million worth cash-for-work (CFW) program from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is expected to benefit Ilocanos affected by super typhoon Mario that hardly-hit the province recently.
Edwin Carińo, head of the Millenium and Development Goals (MDG) office of the Ilocos Norte government, said the proposed fund is meant to help typhoon-affected families whose major sources of livelihood were heavily damaged.
Last week, representatives from the DSWD conducted a week-long evaluation here for the implementation of the cash-for-work program of the DSWD Regional Office.
According to Carińo, the Php5-million DSWD fund will be subdivided into two projects dubbed as “Oplan Mula” (greening program) and “Oplan Pakni” (Cleaning program) to generate local employment particularly to cover at least 76 barangays classified as highly vulnerable areas of the province’s 21 towns and 2 cities.
“Hopefully, the DSWD will release the amount the soonest possible time so that we can start planting bayog (bamboo) and other types of indigenous trees to prevent flooding and soil erosion in low lying areas,” he said.
So far, the Ilocos Norte government maintains a tree nursery for its local greening program. Aside from the hiring of over 300 Barangay Ranger Officers for its province-wide tree planting activities, he said the expected additional fund from the DSWD will be used to hire target beneficiaries of the cash-for-work program to help out in establishing the green wall of Ilocos Norte.
He said the bamboo saplings and other seedlings are already available at the nursery ready for planting.To discourage dependency and dole out, the DSWD has adopted the CFW project not only as an alternative to food for work but also a development approach to welfare.
Under the CFW program, the recipients are given the flexibility where to spend cash assistance, beyond food, to meet their daily basic needs. This is a short-term intervention program of the government to provide temporary employment to distressed or displaced individuals by participating in preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation or risk reduction projects and activities in their communities.(PNA)