About 37 Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations (SLPAs) received PHP29 million in livelihood aid during a ceremony held at the Agusan del Sur Provincial Capitol in Properidad town on Thursday.

A total of 544 other individuals who are beneficiaries of the same program in the province also received PHP8.3 million in livelihood support from the agency during the event.

The recipient groups are currently involved in various microenterprises in their localities, and prompt support from the agency and the provincial government will help them expand their business ventures.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 13 (Caraga) Assistant Director Jean Paul Parajes, together with Governor Santiago Cane Jr., led other officials in the turnover of the projects to the beneficiaries.

“The success of the project is in your hands. Through discipline, integrity, and cooperation, we can achieve our common goal,” Parajes said in a message during the activity.

He noted that the government has provided the groups and individuals with the necessary capitalization, and it is their responsibility to make it grow, be productive, and create real change in communities.

Among the recipient groups was the Asenso Poblacion SLP Association in Bayugan City, which thanked the government for the assistance.

“The support we receive will make some impact on the lives of our members,” the group’s leader, Angelito Apolo, said when interviewed by reporters on the sidelines of the event.

He also reassured the DSWD and the provincial government that they will work diligently to achieve results in their community.

Cane, in his message, emphasized that the sustainability of the SLP program depends not on the government but on the group and individual recipients.

“You need to help and support each other and monitor the movement of your associations,” he said. (PNA)