President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration has taken decisive strides to transform the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), enhancing the lives of more than 35,000 Filipinos nationwide.
Under President Marcos’ leadership, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched a revitalized version of the program, titled “Sibol: The New SLP,” in May 2023. The initiative aims to provide a step-by-step pathway for beneficiaries, equipping them with access to livelihood assets and resources to achieve sustainable well-being.
Within just four months of its launch, the program has already demonstrated its impact. By September 2023, beneficiaries began reaping the benefits of the initiative, which focuses on building the livelihood capacities of impoverished, vulnerable, and marginalized households.
These efforts align with the President’s Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance, especially during critical challenges such as volatile rice prices that heavily affected many communities.
“I’m so happy na nakadawat ko og subsidy from DSWD sa atong presidente nga si Bongbong Marcos nga grabe aksyon niya pagkahibalo nga taas na kaayo ang presyo sa bugas. Pasalamat gyud ko ug dako nga kani makatabang ni sa amoang pagka alkansi (I’m so happy that I received a subsidy from DSWD and from our President, Bongbong Marcos. His swift action upon learning of the skyrocketing rice prices is greatly appreciated. I am thankful because this will help us in mitigating our losses),” said Leonila Zorilla, rice retailer from Iligan City, Lanao del Norte.
The revitalized SLP represents a step-by-step approach, guiding participants on their journey to economic empowerment through improved access to livelihood assets and resources. With its rebranding, the program aims to uplift socio-economic conditions by equipping participants with enhanced tools and opportunities to improve their livelihoods sustainably.
“Like a plant, we will grow with you. We make sure that after we have planted the seed, we nurture it, water it, watch it grow, and watch it turn into something bigger than it was,” said DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian. The enhanced program focuses on streamlining processes, accelerating implementation, and providing participants with better training and capacity-building opportunities.
Under the new framework, participants will undergo a longer, more structured five-year incubation period. During the first phase, called Punla, participants will acquire the basic knowledge, skills, and initial capital needed to start a micro-enterprise or gain employment.
After two years, participants focus in maintaining their livelihood, making them sustainable and profitable. On the fourth year of the program, participants are expected to prosper and sell their products to wider market.
During the final or culminating phase, participants will graduate and receive a livelihood grant and incentive worth PhP250,000 per association. The SLP is expected to be completed in 2028.
Compared to the old SLP, which had a lengthy process of 66 steps and typically took months to a year to implement, the new SLP significantly streamlines the process, reducing it to just 32 steps that can be completed within one month. The enhanced program also introduces additional grants during the third and fifth phases of the incubation period, addressing gaps in the old SLP, which provided only a one-time seed capital or training fund.
SLP provides safety nets to affected sectors
As part of President Marcos’ inclusive efforts to address the challenges faced by small businesses, the revitalized SLP was also utilized to support rice retailers affected by the government-imposed rice price cap.
According to Secretary Gatchalian, about 26,266 families of small rice retailers have also micro-retailers and sari-sari store owners had received aid through the revitalized SLP. To date, a total of PhP393.9 million in cash assistance has been distributed to micro-retailers and sari-sari store owners nationwide. These beneficiaries, heavily affected by fluctuating rice prices, were provided with cash assistance amounting to PhP15,000 per retailer.
Beyond immediate financial relief, the SLP also equips beneficiaries with essential skills and resources to help them thrive in the long term.
Highlighting the administration’s commitment to inclusivity, Secretary Gatchalian emphasized President Marcos’ directive to ensure that assistance reaches even the smallest retailers in both urban and rural areas. “Ang ating Pangulo ay nakikinig. Alam niya ang pinagdaanan ng ating mga rice retailers. Nauunawaan niya iyon (Our President listens. He understands what our rice retailers have gone through),” Gatchalian stated.
In collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), the DSWD ensured that assistance was extended to rice retailers operating in wet markets, public markets, and other community-accessible areas such as sari-sari stores. Even sari-sari stores located outside these traditional markets were eligible for SLP subsidies, reflecting the administration’s effort to promote inclusivity and fairness.
On September 9, 2023, the DSWD began distribution of the SLP cash aid to retailers from the National Capital Region (NCR) particularly in Caloocan, Quezon City, and San Juan. On September 11, the following number of recipients of cash aid were identified: 15 in Pateros, 161 in Navotas, and 129 in Paranaque.
Distribution had also been done in Mindanao from Sept. 11, 2023, with the following number of recipients: 170 in Zamboanga del Norte, 86 in Zamboanga del Sur, 58 in Davao del Sur, and 33 in Lanao del Norte.
This was followed by other payouts in Iloilo and Negros Occidental on Sept.13, 2023. The DSWD, through its Field Office Western Visayas (FO VI), disbursed PhP720,000 in subsidies to small business owners.
In Iloilo, there were 316 recipients of the cash aid. The DSWD Eastern Visayas (FO VIII), on the other hand, reported that 433 beneficiaries came from Leyte, 135 from Northern Samar, 91 from Samar, 27 from Southern Leyte, 14 from Eastern Samar, and 12 from Biliran. On Oct. 9, 2023, the PIA-Region 8 reported 965 beneficiaries in the region.
In Luzon, the PIA-Region 3 reported that SLP cash aid distribution started on Sept. 14, 2023. The report said 107 recipients were from Nueva Ecija, 78 in Zambales, 37 in Tarlac, 29 in Bulacan, and 25 in Pampanga. In another report, the DSWD said 680 recipients were from Batanes and Cagayan, and 116 from the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR)., while in Region 4B, those who received cash aid reached 1,192.
For the second payout in Luzon, the PIA-Region 3 reported the following beneficiaries: 556 in Nueva Ecija, 550 in Bataan, 366 in Zambales, and 333 in Bulacan.
SLP beneficiaries’ appreciation
“Nagpapasalamat gayud mi kay Presidente Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. kay sa mga lugi nga amoang na experience atong niagi nga time, nasuklian sa iyahang hinabang karun (We are thankful to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.; the losses that we had recently experienced were alleviated with this help),” said Fely Sabado Duhilag, one of the beneficiaries from Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
“Bisan perdi ako to sang una at least may balik naman halin sa gobyerno, so nagpasalamat gid ako sa gobyerno kay gintalupangod naman amon losses kay daw ginbayaran man gali kami kag natalupangdan man ang amon nga problema. Okay man si President Marcos Jr. kay siling ya sang una tag Php20 na lang ang kilo sang bugas, so gina-amat-amat ya na-fulfill (Here is the government helping us recover from our loss. So we thank the government for the attention and solution given to our problem. It is like our losses were paid for by the government. President Marcos said before that rice will be at PhP20/kg, so this is an initial fulfillment of that promise),” said Delia Tribunsay, a 72-year-old rice retailer from Tigbauan, Iloilo.
“Wala mi magdahom nga naa diay plano ang gobyerno para sa amo nga mga retailers, nagpapasalamat gayud mi kay dili gayud diay mi mapasagdan nga mawala sa programa sa gobyerno ang mga retailers. (We did not expect that the government has plans for us, retailers. We are thankful because the government never leaves us out of its programs,” said Ramon Caluma from Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur.
The President promised to continue helping the farmers and the most underprivileged families.
“Tinanggal na natin ‘yung mga control pero hindi ibig sabihin basta’t ganun na lang, dahil kailangan pa rin nating ayusin ang agricultural sector. Kailangan pa rin nating tulungan ang mga pinakamahirap at pinakagutom para kahit papaano ay makaahon sila. (We have lifted the price cap but we need to further improve the agricultural sector. We still need to help those who are experiencing extreme poverty and hunger so that somehow, they can get by),” the President said.
