EL NIDO, PALAWAN—13,411 persons with disabilities (PWDs) in MIMAROPA are set to receive a total of over P47.6 million cash-for-work payout from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) starting December 3, 2022.

1,218 PWDs from 13 Local Government Units (LGU) in Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and Romblon collected their wage during the first day of the nationwide simultaneous payout called Buhay-nihan: Buhay at Bayanihan para sa Mamamayan Cash-for-Work (CFW) for Persons with Disabilities (PWD). It is an initiative of the current administration to address the needs of the PWD sector in the country.

“Noon tumama ang COVID-19, isa ang sektor ng Persons with Disabilities sa lubhang naapektuhan at nangangailangan ng agarang tulong mula sa pamahalaan (During the COVID-19 pandemic, the PWD sector is one of the most vulnerable sectors and it needed immediate help from the government),” DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said on the El Nido Palawan’s Cash-for-work payment in the municipal compound.

Dumlao emphasized that Buhay-nihan is an implementation of the DSWD’s “bawat buhay ay mahalaga (every lives matter).”

Meanwhile, El Nido Municipal Mayor Edna Lim warmly accommodated the program in her municipality. She mentioned that the PWD sector is close to her heart, and she supports programs that cater to the PWD’s welfare.

PWD beneficiaries are identified through the result of the National Household Targeting System’s assessment based on verifiable indicators. Further, another layer of verification is undertaken through the validation of the LGU.

The CFW for PWD is implemented under the operation of Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan: Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS)—a program that runs under the principles of participation, transparency, and accountability.

CFW for PWD payout in 73 LGUs of MIMAROPA is expected to complete by December 21, 2022.