Barangay Combado fisherfolks to get P600,000 Livelihood Formation fund from DOLE

By ES GORNE, PIA Southern Leyte
December 17, 2011

MAASIN CITY  –  The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) -Southern Leyte Filed Office (SLFO) has scheduled this month for the release of livelihood formation projects to enable the Barangay Combado fisherfolks to start quickly, a livelihood undertaking and become self-employed.

Some 48 fisherfolks coming from Barangay Combado, Maasin City are the recipients of the livelihood formation project for the small fisherfolks, DOLE–SLFO Staff Mario Tictic disclosed to PIA Southern Leyte.

Since 10 of them have their own bancas, only the 38 remaining fisherfolks were provided with new paddled-bancas together with other fishing equipment like hook and line, fishing nets and under the P600,000 - worth mentioned project grant, Tictic revealed.

Tictic also said, however, should the beneficiary abandons the fishing equipment and no longer uses them, then the government employment agency will be forced to get back the fishing materials distributed under the project.

He added that the project cost is jointly funded and supported by the Maasin City government at 20 percent of the total project cost will be shouldered by the local government unit.  The city government counterpart comes in the form of trainings, provision of venues, technical assistance, among others.

Each fisherfolk receives an average of more or less P12,000 – worth of fishing equipment under the project, Tictic added.