DOLE to hire Cotabato flood victims, TESDA offers free training

source: gmanews

Some flood victims in Cotabato City will be hired to help declog the Rio Grande de Mindanao. Each of the 100 able-bodied people the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will mobilize, will get paid P3,000 to do the job.

DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a statement on Friday the P300,000 for the emergency livelihood assistance will come from her department’s “adjustment measure fund."

Baldoz also asked the local government of Cotabato City to donate P254,000 for the program and tasked the DOLE Region 12 office to give distressed workers additional aid.

Meanwhile, a DOLE attached agency, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), said in a separate statement it will hold free skills training for the Cotabato flood victims.

TESDA Director-General Joel Villanueva said the training program will impart skills on how to use water hyacinths as raw materials for fashion accessories and home ornaments.

"The flooding in Cotabato that was caused by water lilies will give us opportunity to turn calamity into employment generating activities and livelihood program for our people," Villanueva said.

The training course involves using dried water hyacinth to make slippers, shoes, mats, bags and other home decorations and furnishing, according to the TESDA chief.

source: gmanews