Cordillera Administrative Region – On 2 September 2020, farmers from Bucay, Abra have successfully started to operationalize a laundry enterprise here. The said enterprise that provides all around laundry service from washing, drying and folding, is first of its kind in the municipality.
This comes after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) granted PhP 450,000.00 worth of livelihood assistance to the members of the Bucay Pantawid Sustainable Livelihood Program Association (SLPA).
Bucay Pantawid SLPA has 30 member who are Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. These members are all reliant on their income from farming.
“Ti nagbalin nga basis mi idi ket jay objective ti Pantawid nga social assistance nga isu jay aw-awaten mi every period ngem makita mi nga agkurang isunga napanunotan mi daytoy. Napanunut mi jay 2nd nga objective ti pantawid nga social developement nga kunana nga through human capital. Ngem kasatno, ket awan capital mi. Isunga ti inaramid mi kada FDS mi idi sumursurot ni President mi nga mangilawlawag ditoy nga association sunga amin nga Pantawid nabagaan da ngem daksang gasat manmano lang nabati kenyami. Adu dagiti nagmiyembro nga nangibaga nga patpati-em dayta,agikkat ka ketdin ditan ngem isu t nagbalin nga karit kenyami nga ituloy mi (We [proposed the livelihood] based on the objectives of Pantawid which are social assistance and social development. We knew that our grants will never be enough thus we thought of this [business venture through the SLP]. But we do not have enough money to be used as our capital. Thus, our president joined the ML during FDS to encourage our fellow grantees to join the association that will avail of the SLP. However, some grantees were skeptical on the idea. We took the discouragement as a challenge and we pursued.)”, shared Bucay Pantawid SLPA Vice President Robert Gonzalez.
Prior the establishment of the Bucay Pantawid SLPA laundry enterprise, laundry services in the community are sought in Bangued. Now, the laundry shop is the sole laundry service provider in the municipality.
“Ikari mi nga aywanan salwadan ken an anadan mi nga nasayaat tapno ag talinaed ti nasayaat nga taray ti operasyon na. Ket agyaman kami iti DSWD iti talek ken gated nga inted na kadakami nga isu daytoy nagbalin nga laundry shop mi. Ket iti panakaisimpa ken panakaitrabaho na daytoy nga laundry shop saan kamin nga nangala iti mangitrabaho no di ketdi nagbayanhian kami. (We promise to take good care and ensure that our enterprise will prosper. We thank DSWD for their trust for providing us fund to be able to put up this Laundry Shop. In setting up this enterprise, we did not outsource workers, instead we practiced bayanihan”, Bucay Pantawid SLPA President Edwin Caban said.
Through the enterprise, the SLPA could employ members who could generate additional income that could give them more financial stability and support their living.
SLP is a capability-building program for poor, vulnerable and marginalized households and communities to improve their socio-economic conditions through accessing and acquiring necessary assets to engage in and maintain thriving livelihoods.
Through the SLP grant, the SLPA was able to purchase the starter kits which include laundry equipment and raw materials. #DSWD-CAR Babble Mae Gorio, SLP Social Marketing Officer based from reports of Melody R. Wacay, SLP Provincial Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.
