Tacloban City, Leyte –  The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) launched early this month the Cash-for-Assets Rebuilding “Mangroves and Beach Forest” Project that would provide employment to beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program at the same time rehabilitate the mangroves in identified areas in Eastern Visayas.

Some 280 Pantawid Pamilya cash grantees who are also Typhoon Yolanda survivors living along seawalls and coastal areas in this city initially participated in the project. They completed the rehabilitation of  60 hectares of mangrove plantation in the city.

Each beneficiary received P260 per day for a maximum of 15 days.

SLP Director Georgina Ann Hernandez said that the project is part of DSWD’s rehabilitation measures for ‘Yolanda’-hit areas.

“It is both protecting the environment and providing livelihood,” Dir. Hernandez said.

She emphasized that it is important to rebuild livelihood assets such as mangroves which will pave the way for the provision  of a more sustainable livelihood for the beneficiaries such as cultivating fish, crabs, and shrimps that thrive in mangroves.

The Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation gave boots, t-shirts, and hats  for the beneficiaries while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)  demonstrated the techniques of rehabilitating the mangroves.  The local government unit provided the propagules.

The DSWD has allotted P3 million for the rehabilitation  of mangroves in the city,  Guiuan and Hernani in Eastern Samar,  Carigara in Leyte, Basey in Samar, and  Lapinig and Palapag in Northern Samar.  ###