38 women receive starter kits for completing Cookery and Meat Processing training

Thirty eight (38) women graduated from Cookery and Meat Processing training on 4 February 2016 at JMR Building, Tuburan, Ligao City

On 4 February 2016, 38 women were recognized for completing the Cookery and Meat Processing training at the Jesse M. Robredo Building, Tuburan, Ligao City. The training is another partnership program of the City Government of Ligao, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Bottom Up Budgeting program.

As part of their completion, the trainees received starter kits which include a steamer, a refrigerator, kitchen scale, measuring cups, and food trays. This is to provide the trainees materials they can use to begin or improve their livelihood. 

As part of their training completion, the graduates receive a starter kit which includes a steamer, a refrigerator, kitchen scale, measuring cups, and food trays.

One of the graduates of the program, Marilyn Buenaventura of Barangay Binatagan, was teary-eyed as she expressed her words of gratitude for being part of the first batch of Cookery and Meat Processing training. Buenaventura has been planning to have her own business but due to lack of income, she can barely make the ends meet. Having received the starter kit, Buenaventura can finally make her dream come true and start her own business.

Tears of joy: Marilyn Buenaventura was teary-eyed as she expressed her words of gratitude for benefiting from the program.

Ligao City Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua encouraged the women to make use of their skills as this will empower them to be more productive and earn their own income while staying at home. She also advised the women on how to market their products from making taste-tests to selling outside their community. 

Ligao City Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua encouraged the women to use their skills and knowledge to improve their livelihood.

Bebilita Manlapas, a 52-year old Barangay Health Worker (BHW) at Pinit, is also thankful that she is among the beneficiaries of the program. Aside from being a mother and a BHW, she makes polvoron and sells them to schools and small stores for a living. Manlapas believes that, as a mother, she also has the responsibility of providing for her children despite having a husband who assumes the responsibility.

Bebilita Manlapas of Pinit, Ligao City found the opportunity to expand her business from selling polvoron to making longganisa and embutido using the starter kit she received.

Now that she has gained knowledge and skills in meat processing and received her own kitchen tools, Manlapas said she can now expand her business by selling longganisa and embutido.

The BUB program caters to the needs of different sectors for capacity building and livelihood improvement. In 2015, trainings on organic farming, dressmaking, and cosmetology were already conducted under this program. According to Mayor Gonzalez-Alsua, the City Government is preparing programs for 2016 under the BUB to address the needs of those in the marginalized sector build a sustainable source of livelihood. Lala Peñafiel/albay3d.blogspot.com

200 BUB-SLP farmer-recipients receive starter kits for organic rice production

Ligao City Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua and Pastor Jun Prena of LPRAT assisted the distribution of starter kits to BUB-SLP farmer-recipients.

Two hundred farmer-recipients of the Bottom-up Budgeting- Sustainable Livelihood Project (BuB-SLP) from Ligao City received starter kits for organic production on 9 October 2015 at Jesse M. Robredo Bldg., Tuburan, Ligao City. The starter kit consist of one head carabao, PCIC insurance premium for the carabao, Biologics for the carabao (dewormer and vitamins), one kilogram of Agrican Night Crawler, one rake, one spade, and one hoe.

The farmer-recipients underwent two-day training on organic rice production last June 2015 conducted by the City Agriculture Office (CAO). The training is a prerequisite for the recipients to receive the starter kits which they can utilize to enhance their farming activity.

The farmers also received carabaos marked with "BUB", the acronym for Bottom-up Budgeting.

Aside from the training, CAO will be offering technical assistance to the beneficiaries including free veterinary services for the carabaos.

According to Ligao City Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua, the City Government will assign a monitoring team to check if the starter kits are properly utilized.

Pastor Jun Preña of the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team also inspired the farmer-recipients to help each other share the benefits they have received.

Earlier this year, three livelihood programs were completed including Dressmaking and Tailoring, Hairdressing and Tailoring, and Organic Vegetable Production. Lala Peñafiel \ albay3d.blogspot.com

Ligao City hails first 57 women graduates of beauty care and hairdressing training

Fifty seven (57) women from different barangays of Ligao City graduated from the 1st Beauty Care and Hairdressing training program on 20 July 2015 at the JMR Productivity Center, Tuburan, Ligao City. The training program is a collaborative implementation of the City Government of Ligao, Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA) under the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) program and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the DSWD.

(left-right) Evegate Academy President Yco Tan, Congressman Fernando V. Gonzalez, DSWD Regional Project Director Gina B. Millete, DSWD Region 5 Assistant Director Corazon B. Mina, and Ligao City Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua congratulates the graduates of the beauty care and hairdressing course.  Photo courtesy of City Government of Ligao

With trainers Jenilyn Florante and Beverly Perez of the Evegate Technical Development Academy, the women were trained to perform basic hair care services such as hair cutting, hair coloring, hair bleaching, hair perming, hair and scalp treatment, and applying make-up. They were also trained to perform beauty care services like manicure and pedicure, hand spa, foot spa, and nail art.

After completing the program, the women underwent a Competency Assessment administered by TESDA and received a Beauty Care National Certificate (NC) II and Hairdressing NC II for passing the assessment.

The graduates also received starter kits to help them continuously practice their skills in beauty care and hairdressing. Ligao City Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua encouraged the women graduates to utilize the starter kits to earn profits by doing home service within their community.

The Beauty Care and Hairdressing course, along with other training programs under BUB, gives opportunities to the marginalized communities to improve their living standards by helping them develop competency in different skills set. According to Congressman Fernando V. Gonzalez, the beauty of the BUB is that communities are involved in the development of capability building programs. Upon consultation from the community, the local government with the DSWD formulates a decision based on the need of the community. These programs also help unemployed citizens to find a living or earn profits in their local areas instead of leaving their families for employment abroad, added Congressman Gonzalez.

Further, Evegate Academy President Yco Tan said that numerous employment opportunities are now available to women unlike in the old times. Several companies are now hiring female job seekers to work on male-dominated occupations such as butchers, welders, and painters. This leaves a conclusion that women are now more capable and empowered to perform tasks that were originally maintained by men, to which President Tan added a funny remark, “magtira naman kayo [leave something for us].” He also urged the graduates to spread the stories and invite more citizens to join the training.
Written by Lala Peñafiel.