THIRTY-FIVE individuals from the poorest of the poor in Zamboanga Sibugay went home to their families with exciting news that they were hired on the spot (Hots) during the Livelihood and Employment Caravan for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries.
They were hired during the caravan held Tuesday, June 24, by the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) partner, the Gaisano Grand Mall in Ipil, the capital town of Zamboanga Sibugay.
The DSWD organized the Livelihood and Employment Caravan to ensure that exiting households under the 4Ps, a poverty-alleviation program, will continue to improve their well-being even after leaving the program.
“The caravan aims to provide sustainable support to the families so that once they exit the program, they will not revert to the lowest state of well-being,” said Flordeliza Atuy, DSWD-4Ps regional program coordinator, in a statement.
Once hired, the Hots beneficiaries were immediately assisted in completing their requirements. Partner agencies provided free services such as National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance for first-time job seekers, Pag-IBIG and Social Security System (SSS) enrollment, PhilSys registration, among others.
Lynie Dahonan, a 40-year-old mother of three from the town of Titay, shared her anxiety about getting hired due to her age.
Dahonan said she worries more about losing 4Ps assistance, fearing she won’t be able to send her children to school, especially since her eldest is in college.
“My husband is a farmer. It is important that our children get a college degree. Even I worked hard to finish my education — I carried my child to school,” Dahonan said in vernacular.
Dahonan was hired on the spot as a cashier at Gaisano Grand Mall Ipil.
During Tuesday’s caravan, a total of 332 program beneficiaries received employment assistance.
Of the 332, 152 are college graduates through scholarships from other stakeholders, 89 are K-12 graduates, nine finished vocational courses, while the rest — mostly mothers — are grantees seeking to sustain or improve their support for their families.
The DSWD-Zamboanga Peninsula said a pre-registration was conducted to profile job-seeking 4Ps beneficiaries in Zamboanga Sibugay based on their skills and competencies for proper job matching.
Aside from employment facilitation, the DSWD-4Ps also conducted a convergence caravan with various partner stakeholders.
Services included free haircuts, dental checkups, x-rays, livelihood assistance, among others.
The Provincial Government of Zamboanga Sibugay supported the activity by providing cash prizes, sacks of rice, bags, and other items to 4Ps beneficiaries.
The DSWD-Zamboanga Peninsula said similar employment facilitation activities will be held in all provinces of the region, targeting 4Ps households nearing program exit.
More than 206,000 households in the Zamboanga Peninsula are expected to exit the 4Ps program by 2026, in line with Republic Act 11310, or the 4Ps Law, which limits program participation to seven years per household.
The law was signed and institutionalized in 2019 by former President Rodrigo Duterte. (SunStar Zamboanga)