Labor Sec. Silvestre H. Bello III has emphasized the importance of a prosperous relationship between workers and employers in enabling sustainable industrial climate, while lasting industrial peace is achieved by advocating for worker and employer rights as an important factor in business growth.
In the face of challenges during this time of pandemic, we must ensure full protection of the workers and give due consideration to the rights of enterprises to reasonable returns to expansion and growth.
Bello said maintaining industrial peace is a shared responsibility of the workers and employers, which must be observed properly through compliance with the existing labor laws to improve productivity and expand various enterprises.
There is also a need for the enhancement of the micro, small, and medium enterprises’ (MSMEs) competitiveness by providing training programs to entrepreneurs while supplying technical assistance in outlining incentive schemes based on productivity.
A flagship program of the agency that provides grant assistance for capacity-building on livelihood and entrepreneurial ventures for vulnerable and marginalized workers is the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program and Emergency Employment Programs (DILEEP). It is one with government’s agenda of poverty reduction and inclusive development.
The program seeks to contribute to poverty reduction and reduce the vulnerability to risks of the working poor, vulnerable, and marginalized workers either through emergency employment, and promotion of entrepreneurship and community enterprises.
The DILEEP is comprised of the kabuhayan formation, which provides beneficiaries with startup capital to venture into individual livelihood or collective enterprise undertakings; kabuhayan enhancement offers livelihood undertakings with additional working capital to enable them to grow into viable and sustainable business; and kabuhayan restoration makes available working capital for the re-establishment of lost or damaged livelihoods due to occurrence of natural disasters/calamities.
Services that can be provided for DILEEP beneficiaries include the provision of training on business planning, basic entrepreneurship development training, productivity and workers safety and health, and production skills; provision of working capital in the form of raw materials, equipment, tools and jigs, and other support services. Support services such as common service facility and training-cum-production can also be funded; enrollment to group micro-insurance scheme; and provision of continuing technical and business advisory services.
Livelihood projects for group category are classified into micro-livelihood, which is an organization composed of 15 to 25 members that can avail of a maximum grant assistance of P250,000; small livelihood, which is composed of 26 to 50 members, can avail of a maximum grant assistance of P500,000; and the medium livelihood, which is an organization composed of more than 50 members, can avail of a maximum grant assistance of P1 million.
An organization managing a group project should have a project management team and profit-sharing scheme, which should be stipulated in the business plan/proposal and in the memorandum of agreement. The amount of assistance depends on the project requirement.
There are also livelihood projects classified under the individual category. Individual beneficiaries can avail of the starter kit or Negosyo sa Kariton (Nego-Kart) up to a maximum grant assistance of P20,000, depending on the project requirement.
The eligible beneficiaries of the DILEEP are self-employed workers who are unable to earn sufficient income; unpaid family workers; low-waged and seasonal workers; workers displaced or to be displaced; marginalized and landless farmers; marginalized fisherfolk; women and youth; persons with disability; senior citizens; indigenous peoples; victims of armed conflicts; rebel returnees; and parents of child laborers.
Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and government employees, including those at the local government units, are not eligible.
Eligible projects that the beneficiaries can venture in are those among the priorities of the Regional Development Council, Regional Convergence Committee, and the Regional Development Plan of local government units.
Industries identified as key employment generators are like agribusiness, information technology, health and wellness, wholesale and retail trade, tourism; and Department of Trade and Industry priority products, like food processing, cacao, coffee, coco coir, and wearables and home styles.
The following projects are not eligible: micro-lending projects, projects with construction works and projects that would require purchase of motor vehicles. Only tractors, trailers, and traction engines of all kinds used exclusively for agricultural purposes may be funded.
April 18, 2024
