GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/21 Dec) – Some 23 more tuna industry workers here who were earlier displaced as a result of the continuing tuna fishing ban in the Pacific Ocean have received fresh assistance packages for alternative livelihood ventures from the national government.
Ma. Gloria Tango, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 12 director, said in a press statement that they released livelihood or “Kabuhayan Starter Kits” covering various micro business ventures to 23 displaced workers who have qualified for the assistance.
She said the starter kits comprise the necessary basic inputs and equipment that would allow the beneficiaries to immediately begin with their chosen livelihood projects or ventures.
The released livelihood packages, which was facilitated by DOLE Sarangani-General Santos field office, was valued at a total of P60,000.
Tango said they released the packages following the approval of the project proposals that were earlier submitted by the beneficiaries to DOLE-12.
Some 15 beneficiaries received P2,000 worth of starter kits for manicure and pedicure services while four others got P3,420 for the opening of native delicacies production business.
DOLE-12 released P5,000 for an electrical and rewinding shop, P5,000 for carpentry and masonry services venture, P3,500 for a refrigeration and air-conditioning services shop and P2,820 for a “Kakanin” production business.
To help the beneficiaries sustain their new businesses, the Notre Dame Business Resource Center Foundation, Inc. (NDBRCFI) provided a training on business management and marketing strategies.
NDBRCFI, which is a part of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University system, is DOLE-accredited co-partner for the program.
More than a thousand displaced tuna industry workers from this city and nearby Sarangani province have availed of various assistance from DOLE-12 since the two-year tuna fishing ban started last January 1.
Aside from the livelihood starter kits, Tango said they provided emergency employment and free basic safety training to the workers and included their dependents in the Kabataan Information Technology Opportunities program.
The release of the livelihood packages was part of the agency’s approved action program for displaced tuna industry workers from this city as a result of the Pacific fishing ban imposed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
The WCPFC was established by the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, of which the Philippines was a signatory, that came into force in 2004.
The commission imposed the fishing ban on all of its 25-member countries and 10 other observer-states as a result of scientific studies and the emergence of statistics that showed the drastic decline of tuna fish stocks, especially big-eye and yellowfin tuna.
Local tuna fishing companies estimated a drop of 10 to 30 percent in tuna catches this year as a result of fishing ban.
Tango earlier said that based on their consultations with members of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc. (SFFAAII), at least 16 tuna fishing and processing firms operating in the city were already affected by the ban. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)
Displaced tuna workers get help from DOLE
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/21 Dec) – Some 23 more tuna industry workers here who were earlier displaced as a result of the continuing tuna fishing ban in the Pacific Ocean have received fresh assistance packages for alternative livelihood ventures from the national government.
Ma. Gloria Tango, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 12 director, said in a press statement that they released livelihood or “Kabuhayan Starter Kits” covering various micro business ventures to 23 displaced workers who have qualified for the assistance.
She said the starter kits comprise the necessary basic inputs and equipment that would allow the beneficiaries to immediately begin with their chosen livelihood projects or ventures.
The released livelihood packages, which was facilitated by DOLE Sarangani-General Santos field office, was valued at a total of P60,000.
Tango said they released the packages following the approval of the project proposals that were earlier submitted by the beneficiaries to DOLE-12.
Some 15 beneficiaries received P2,000 worth of starter kits for manicure and pedicure services while four others got P3,420 for the opening of native delicacies production business.
DOLE-12 released P5,000 for an electrical and rewinding shop, P5,000 for carpentry and masonry services venture, P3,500 for a refrigeration and air-conditioning services shop and P2,820 for a “Kakanin” production business.
To help the beneficiaries sustain their new businesses, the Notre Dame Business Resource Center Foundation, Inc. (NDBRCFI) provided a training on business management and marketing strategies.
NDBRCFI, which is a part of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University system, is DOLE-accredited co-partner for the program.
More than a thousand displaced tuna industry workers from this city and nearby Sarangani province have availed of various assistance from DOLE-12 since the two-year tuna fishing ban started last January 1.
Aside from the livelihood starter kits, Tango said they provided emergency employment and free basic safety training to the workers and included their dependents in the Kabataan Information Technology Opportunities program.
The release of the livelihood packages was part of the agency’s approved action program for displaced tuna industry workers from this city as a result of the Pacific fishing ban imposed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
The WCPFC was established by the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, of which the Philippines was a signatory, that came into force in 2004.
The commission imposed the fishing ban on all of its 25-member countries and 10 other observer-states as a result of scientific studies and the emergence of statistics that showed the drastic decline of tuna fish stocks, especially big-eye and yellowfin tuna.
Local tuna fishing companies estimated a drop of 10 to 30 percent in tuna catches this year as a result of fishing ban.
Tango earlier said that based on their consultations with members of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc. (SFFAAII), at least 16 tuna fishing and processing firms operating in the city were already affected by the ban. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)