The Department of Social Welfare and Development, in coordination with the CDO Foodsphere Inc, a food processing company, recently conducted job recruitment among the identified poor families in San Francisco, Quezon.

The activity was conducted in line with the commitment of the Department to provide poor families, particularly those who are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program with opportunities to engage in a small sustainable business (sustainable micro-enterprise) or be linked to locally available jobs (employment facilitation) to enable them to enhance their access to basic social services and improve their standard of living.  The said opportunities are being provided under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

During the said activity, a total 18 individuals qualified for factory worker positions for the CDO Foodsphere plant in Malvar, Batangas.  The said individuals are all from families who are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. All of them had completed the Basic Employment Skills Trainings previously conducted under the SLP and had met the qualification requirements for the position during the interview with company representatives.

“The target of the CDO Foodsphere Inc is to hire as much as 100 individuals with priority to those who are Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program benefitting families.  Although we are short of our target, we are confident that we will be able to hire more beneficiaries especially since more pre-screening activities shall be undertaken not only in San Francisco but also in other localities in Quezon province and CALABARZON as a whole,” said Donards Kim Tañedo, Community Driven Enterprise Development Officer of the SLP in DSWD Field Office IV-A.

Aside from San Francisco, Quezon other areas being targeted for the job recruitment are Lucena City and Laguna Province.

“We are thankful for the CDO Foodsphere Inc for helping us ensure that poor family-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program can sustain gains of the program and be able stand on their own, especially in providing for the educational health needs of their children,” Dir Leticia T. Diokno of DSWD Field Office IV-A said.

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the Sustainable Livelihood Program are only two of the core social protection programs of the Department which aim to improve the quality of life of poor families through investment in the health and educational needs of children among others.  In the CALABARZON region, both programs are being implemented in all localities, but the SLP gives special focus on the far flung municipalities of San Francisco, San Narciso, San Andres and Buenavista in Quezon.(with report from DKTanedo)***