The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), will provide additional assistance to qualified Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries who will secure an employment or those who will be hired on the spot during the rollout of the ‘Trabaho Para sa Bagong Pilipinas’ job fair at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Friday (January 31).

“Those who will be hired on the spot will be oriented on the criteria and eligibility to be qualified for the employment assistance under the SLP. Our team will do the validation and intake during the kick off,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD spokesperson, said.

The SLP is a capacity-building program of the DSWD that aims to help the vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalized households and communities to improve their socio-economic conditions by providing them with opportunities to access and acquire livelihood assets.

The program operates in two tracks: Employment Facilitation (EF) Track and Micro-Enterprise Development (MD) Track.

“The EF track, the one that we will offer to 4Ps graduating members during the job fair, provides assistance to qualified member/s of poor households who preferred employment rather than engaging in microenterprise,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

“The MD track focuses on the establishment of microenterprise through provision of financial capital, enhancement of skills, and building / re-building physical and natural assets,” the spokesperson added.

According to Asst. Secretary Dumlao, the 4Ps beneficiaries are still subject to the assessment and approval of SLP personnel.

“After the validation and intake, all applications will be processed by our Field Office – National Capital Region (NCR),” the DSWD spokesperson said.

Asst. Secretary Dumlao said qualified applicants will be notified by the DSWD FO – NCR and will be informed of the date of the cash assistance payout.

Under EF track, beneficiaries may receive up to Php5,000 financial aid.

The ‘Trabaho Para sa Bagong Pilipinas’ job fair is exclusive to graduating 4Ps members and will be a joint undertaking of the DSWD, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other government agencies. (YADP)