Thursday, October 30, 2014

Gov. Espino Distributes Livelihood Assistance

P45-M Assistance Released Since 2008

Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. awarded last October 29 a total of P1.48 million worth of checks to some 11 associations and cooperatives from various towns including one city in the province as part of his administration's livelihood assistance project.
The groups composed of 306 members comprising the sixth batch of livelihood beneficiaries of the provincial government for 2014 shall utilize the financial assistance for commodity, rice and fish trading; shell-craft making; farm inputs, pasteurized carabao milk production; souvenir items production' and goat production and trading.
Governor Espino vowed to continue the loan assistance program and urged the beneficiaries to empower their cooperatives for the betterment of lives of their members as well as to uplift the living condition of their families.
A total of Php45.28 million has been released by the provincial government since October 2008 to support a total of 127 groups with 12,359 members at present, including 13 proprietors of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), according to Ellsworth Gonzales, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Population Office. 

The eight groups that renewed their previous loans with corresponding amount of check of the livelihood assistance were: San Pascual Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Inc. – Burgos (P150,000); Kaagapay sa Pag-unlad SAO Lucap Multipurpose Cooperative – Alaminos City (150,000); Pias Women’s Association – Mapandan (150,000); Bituag Tulungan Association – Urbiztondo (125,000); San Pablo Women’s Association – Binalonan (P150,000); Lobong Credit Cooperative – San Jacinto (P150,000); Bacay’s Souvenir Items – Alaminos City (150,000); and Farmers’ and Goat Raisers’ Association of Basista (P150,000).
The groups, on the other hand, availed of the livelihood assistance for the first time, namely: BLP Farmes’ and Irrigators’ Association, Inc. – Lingayen (P100,000); Bantog Samahang Nayon Multi-Purpose Cooperative – Asingan (P100,000); and Bigay Biyaya Multi-Purpose Cooperative – Rosales (P100,000).
Cooperatives that are registered to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) or Department of Labor and Employment – Rural Workers’ Association (DOLE-RWA); and SMEs that are registered to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are allowed to renew their loans for five times; each renewal cycle covers a six-month period of repayment.
“One hundred percent repayment with a very low interest is required for renewal,” Gonzales said as he added that the Provincial Population Office constantly monitors the track records of the associations and cooperatives on the livelihood program to assess if they could qualify for the Pangasinan Credit Surety Fund for them to borrow bigger amount of loan.
The provincial chief executive was also assisted by former Provincial Population Officer Luzviminda Muego in handing over the livelihood checks to recipient groups.  /MGNO

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