PAGADIAN CITY– The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as team convenor, launched on May 26 the Accelerated Sustainable and Anti-Poverty Program (ASAPP) of the government through “Salubungan” at Chandler Suites, Pagadian City.
“Salubungan is to create employment and increase productivity and income” said NAPC Undersecretary Jude Esguerra to all National Government Agencies, Local Government Units and Private sectors present during the affair.
ASAP program aims to reduce poverty in multiple dimensions through creation of sustainable employment for the poor. The interventions shall concentrate in three types of provinces: 10 Provinces with high magnitude of poor households; 10 provinces with highest poverty incidence based on population and 30 provinces exposed in multiple hazards.
In region IX, three (3) municipalities under Zamboanga Del Sur have been identified to implement the program namely: Municipality of Kumalarang, Municipality of Aurora and Municipality of Mahayag.
DSWD Regional Director Zenaida L. Arevalo also shared the profile of these municipalities based on Listahanan Database of poor to the attendees to serve as baseline info on their economic and demographic data using the Social Welfare Indicators.
A planning session and workshop was also conducted to craft the proposed Action Plan for these municipalities to identify potential job and income generating programs and projects through the commitments of all concerned agencies and offices. The NAPC has identified three National Government Agencies who will become lead shepherds on the implementation of ASAPP in these municipalities. The Department of Social Welfare and Development shall act as lead for the municipality of Aurora while Department of Agrarian Reform and Department of Agriculture will lead municipalities of Kumalarang and Mahayag respectively.
The lead agencies shall convene again its members to hold meetings and submit reports to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for consolidation and submission to the Human Development Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster.
Salubungan also aims to identify constraints faced by businesses to enable them to expand and increase linkages with the poor either for raw materials or labor.##