DOLE grants ₱3.37-M livelihood assistance to 114 families of child laborers in Surigao Norte
By Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte (PIA) — For Domingo Morgado, opening a small sari-sari store was once just a distant dream. Today, it stands as his family’s gateway to financial stability and a brighter future.
Morgado is one of 114 parents and guardians in Surigao del Norte who recently received life-changing support from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through a combined grant totaling to ₱3,375,180, empowering families with viable, sustainable income streams.
The funding was granted through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), widely known as the Kabuhayan Program, in close integration with the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP).
Rather than standard cash handouts, the assistance was delivered as customized business toolkits, specialized machinery, and initial inventories aligned with each recipient’s chosen venture.
For Morgado, the starter kit is both a relief and a long-term responsibility. He is deeply grateful for the opportunity, and he intends to meticulously track his micro-business profits, re-invest carefully, and build a resilient income source so his children never have to sacrifice their education for survival.
The distributed packages catered to diverse local micro-industries, namely: Retail and Food Services: sari-sari store inventory, commercial rice-retailing packages, fruit-vending carts, and frozen food/snack vending equipment; Production and Agriculture: Equipment for kakanin (traditional rice cake) preparation and commercial bread-making; and Coastal Livelihoods: Marine boat engines and specialized fishing gear tailored for coastal island communities.
Guided by the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino, DOLE’s dual strategy combines economic intervention with educational advocacy.
The official turnover ceremony took place at the DOLE Dapa satellite office in Siargao Island. Leading the ceremony, DOLE Caraga Regional Director Jason P. Balais handed over the master grant check to Rosa May Pantilo, representative of the Hayanggabon Community Multipurpose Cooperative.
As DOLE’s accredited co-partner for the initiative, the cooperative managed the procurement and logistical distribution of the starter kits to ensure every family received complete and functional assets.
Key officials present to support the initiative included May C. Velonta, head of DOLE Surigao del Norte Field Office; Luzvifeno Miguel A. Cab, head of DOLE Dapa satellite office; and representatives from the Hayanggabon Community Multipurpose Cooperative and beneficiary families.
In his message, Dir. Balais emphasized that these business assets carry a social contract: to protect the children’s right to an education. “I am grateful that we were able to provide livelihood assistance to the parents and guardians of child laborers. Through this support, we hope to prevent children from engaging in labor and instead enable them to continue their education.”
He further urged families to manage their micro-enterprises with accountability so the income remains consistent over the long term.
Through targeted programs like DILP-CLPEP, the government continues its drive to eradicate child labor across the Caraga region—one family, enterprise, and classroom at a time. (SDR, PIA Surigao del Norte with a report from DOLE-Surigao del Norte)