At least 30 groups of beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) from all over CALABARZON showcased their livelihood products in the PaskuJuan National Holiday Festival and Bazaar in Pacific Mall, Lucena City last November 30. The PaskuJuan is a nationwide activity initiated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Products featured in the all-day bazaar include accessories such as key chains, earrings and ID holders, eco wallets and bags, and food items like dried fish, ube jam, peanut butter and candies. Majority of the products are produced at home by individual Pantawid family-beneficiaries or by associations organized under the SLP.

According to DSWD IV-A Regional Director Leticia Diokno, the showcasing of the products of the beneficiaries is one way of communicating to the public that the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya are productive and are doing something to support their families and not merely relying on the cash grants provided by the program.

“We encourage these beneficiaries to engage in income-generating activities to continuously support for their families since the program will not last a lifetime. And with the products they are showcasing, we know that they are capable of sustaining the needs of their families,” Dir. Diokno added.

Analiza Mancio, 42, of Brgy. Magiting, San Narciso, Quezon, one of the Pantawid Pamilya and SLP beneficiaries who showcased her dried fish products in the bazaar, shared that both these DSWD programs have helped her support her family’s needs, especially her six children.

“Sa sobrang hirap ng buhay, halos isang beses lang kami sa isang araw kung kumain. Pero ngayon na may suporta mula sa gobyerno at may dagdag kaalaman sa pagnenegosyo mula sa Pantawid at SLP, kaya na naming suportahan ang aming mga anak para tuloy-tuloy na ang kanilang pag-aaral at naibibigay na namin ang iba nilang pangangailangan,” shared Mancio.

The Pantawid Pamilya provides conditional cash grants to qualified poor families in support for the needs of zero to 18 years old children for their needs on health, nutrition and education. Beneficiaries of the program are prioritized under the SLP, which provides capacity building to enable them to engage in micro-enterprise ventures through capital assistance and be gainfully employed through employment facilitation.***