Gigaguit, Surigao del Norte – Hard work does pay off.

This was demonstrated by the 220 beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program who are members of the Gigaquit Self-Employment  Association (SEA-K) Incorporated as they harvested 2,000 kilograms of milkfish from their Bangus Production project.

The project is funded by the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Through SLP, DSWD provides skills training and seed capital to Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries to enable them to have a source of income to complement their cash grants from the program.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor families, primarily those with children aged 0-18. It provides cash grants to beneficiaries who comply with the conditions of sending their children to school, bringing them to health centers for checkups, and attending the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

From January 2011 to July 2015, a total of 681,030 Pantawid Pamilya partner-beneficiaries nationwide have been provided with skills training and capital assistance.

SLP regional coordinator Roy R. Serdeńa said that the bangus production project is just one of the several livelihood ventures of the federation.

“They also operate other livelihood projects such as poultry raising, hog raising, and operating a grocery store,” he added.

Serdeńa also disclosed that with the harvest, the federation is expecting to generate a gross income amounting to P200,000 or more.

“During their first harvest  in March, they were able to harvest around 1,200 kilograms of  milkfish which doubled in this latest harvest,” he said.

Alfreda E. Verano, 46,  and an active member of the federation, shared her joy of their fruitful harvest.

“Kalipayi gajud namu nga hamok amo harvest kuman, nakita na gajud namu ang amo paghago ug sakripisyo sa pila ka buyan  (We are happy that we have a bountiful harvest this time. We get to see the outcome of our hard work and sacrifices for several  months),” Alfreda said.

The group sold its  produce at a lower price to other SEA-K associations from the nearby municipalities of Santiago, Jabonga, Bacuag, and to other Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. With this, the beneficiaries also earned extra income.

The DSWD  also linked the federation to several hotels and restaurants in Butuan City as costumers.

“Pinaagi sa among makita aning bangus, madungagan na pud ang among pondo sa federation (With our income in selling these sacks of milkfish, our federation fund will increase),” Alfreda added.

With the livelihood project, other townsfolk were able to earn extra income as they were hired to help in the operations and maintenance.

Some out-of-school youth were also hired for the two-day harvest.

The success of the federation’s livelihood enterprise proves that with a little help from the government, program beneficiaries are capable of bringing positive changes in their lives.

DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that the group’s success also indicates that government resources, indeed, went to programs that redound to the benefit of the people.