About 43,204 partner beneficiaries of Projects LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished) have received cash-for-training and -work from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), an official said on Thursday.

Projects LAWA and BINHI are designed to maintain agricultural productivity during dry periods and manage excess water during periods of heavy rainfall associated with the La Niña.

“Makikita po ninyo sa ating targets na malinaw na yung ating mga kababayan ay sobrang natuwa sa project na ito dahil hindi lang po pagwawalis sa daan ang ginagawa ng ating kababayan kung hindi ay tinitiyak nila na ang programa natin ay mag-create ng food o pagkain sa bawat mesa at nasa stage na po kami na nagha-harvest na po (You can see in our targets that our fellow citizens are very pleased with this project because they are not just sweeping the streets. They are also ensuring that our program brings food to every table, and we are now at the harvesting stage),” Special Assistant to the Secretary for Disaster Response Management Maria Isabel Lanada said during the Thursday Media Forum at the DSWD central office in Quezon City.

Projects LAWA and BINHI are among the innovations in the DSWD that focus on mitigating the impacts of food insecurity and water scarcity caused by El Niño while preparing for the potential effects of the cold event, she said.

Under LAWA, partner beneficiaries have constructed and repaired 801 small farm reservoirs, water harvesting facilities, and water supplies, among others.

Lanada said the initiatives are not dole-out programs, as they provide additional income support through cash-for-training and -work for climate-vulnerable communities and families by participating in building water access infrastructures and implementing sustainable farming practices.

The two projects, she said, are part of the administration’s whole-of-nation approach, which “complements” the programs of other government agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

“Walang overlapping kung hindi ay tulungan. Because of the whole-of-nation approach sa pamumuno ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian, talagang yan ang bilin nya parati, sapagkat wala naman kaming kapasidad dito sa mga small farm reservoir at yung technology ay nasa DA (There is no overlapping but there is cooperation. Because of the whole-of-nation approach under Secretary Rex Gatchalian’s leadership, that is always his directive, because we don’t have the capacity here in the small farm reservoirs and the technology is with the DA),” she said.

The DSWD also partnered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through a memorandum of understanding signed on May 31, to include the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program in the implementation of LAWA and BINHI.

“Si DOLE po, nagbigay ng commitment na PHP1 billion for the LAWA at BINHI. Because of our whole-of-nation approach, yung PHP1.4 billion po ni DSWD, dinagdagan naman ng PHP1 billion ni DOLE (DOLE has committed PHP1 billion for LAWA and BINHI. Because of our whole-of-nation approach, the PHP 1.4 billion from DSWD was supplemented by another PHP 1 billion from DOLE),” Lanada said.

She said Gatchalian has also met with NIA executives to discuss areas of partnership, such as ensuring the sustainability of LAWA and BINHI through NIA’s technical expertise in constructing water irrigation and rehabilitating and repairing its irrigation through DSWD’s cash for training and work. (PNA)