The current poverty alleviation programs of the government are focused on those that have the best chances of reducing poverty now and if possible ridding it completely in the future. These programs include the conditional cash transfers (CCTs), livelihood and employment generation, rural land reform, socialized housing and urban development, micro credit, and clean environment. The government’s efforts in poverty reduction are presented through 18 success stories of program beneficiaries in a glossy book titled “Boses ng Pagbabago” (Voices of Change), launched last month.

Published by the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet (HDPRC) Cluster and edited by Lila Ramos-Shahani, assistant secretary and head of communications of the inter-agency body, the 180-page book chronicles the voices of the poor who are slowly rising above their difficult situations through the government’s help.

Although initiated by the HDPRC Cluster, the book is not an outright propaganda material. The stories of the beneficiaries are in the limelight here and not the programs of the government agencies under the cluster. The book shows that the beneficiaries are capable of lifting themselves out of poverty when government interventions are adequate. It also gives clear examples of how public policy can impact the lives of those who were targeted to benefit from it.

GOVERNMENT ACTIONS FOR THE POOR

Highlighted in the essays and telling vignettes are government actions in relocating informal settlers; investing in agriculture and fisheries; providing technical training for jobs; securing basic health care; protecting seniors, children, victims of disasters, and the disabled; and providing education opportunities for indigenous peoples.

There is the story of how a group of young technopreneurs from Negros Oriental won a job contract to fabricate news stands for the country’s leading national newspaper despite their limited business capital and work experiences.

Headed by Ruben Ramirez, the metals fabrication group is composed of certified “specialistas” of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Some of the group members are fresh graduates and unemployed while others have been doing small-scale welding jobs. They are individually enrolled in the TESDA Specialista Technopreneurship Program (TSTP).

Due to the limited business capacity, TSTP metal fabricator groups were then having difficulties in getting job orders and offering their services to would-be customers. But instead of just waiting for big orders to come, they submitted a project proposal to the Manila Bulletin for the fabrication of newsstands. Luckily, they were awarded a project grant to produce 100 newsstands for the publishing company.

CERTIFIED WORKERS’ GROUPS

Under the TSTP, TESDA has organized certified workers in various trade specializations into groups of 10 workers each to provide multiple service jobs to households and communities.

The TSTP was designed to cater to the employment needs of TESDA graduates who could not easily get jobs. Its basic philosophy is to empower the TESDA specialistas to manage successfully their own service groups through the assistance of a big brother and nurturer from TESDA.

Another group story is that of the 21 female sitio leaders from Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City who set out to improve their lives through their own efforts and a grant from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Led by Irene Coremo, 56, and supported by Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, the group formed themselves into the Hugpong Kababayean sa Pajac Producer’s Cooperative (HKPPC). Each group member initially contributed R25 monthly to the common fund. They also took turns attending free training sessions in lumpia making, baking, and salabat production at the city government’s Cooperative and Livelihood Center.

When their group was finally registered with the Cooperative Development Authority in January 2011, they decided to produce instant salabat, the Cebuano workingman’s favorite brew. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offered HKPPC a grant of P144,500 to augment their working capital. From a one-product community enterprise, the cooperative is now producing more lucrative products such as detergent powder, dishwashing liquid, and fabric conditioner.

These two group stories narrated in “Boses ng Pagbabago” show that there are people willing to help themselves, if only the government consistently fulfills its end of the bargain. They are not merely passive recipients of government benefits, rather they are citizen workers who are aware that government help is limited, and that the rest of their story is up to them to complete.