By Golda Meir Tabao and Ricky Bautista
CATBALOGAN CITY — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) demonstrated its commitment to supporting Samar’s tourism industry by donating P500,000 to each of the seven People’s Organizations (POs) in Basey, Samar.
The turnover of P3.5 million took place during the launch of “Spark Adventure,” a new tourism initiative attended by DOT Secretary Christine Frasco in Barangay Binongtu-an, Basey, Samar.
DOLE Undersecretary for Legislative Liaison and Legal Affairs Cluster, Atty. Felipe Egargo Jr., who was present at the event, stated, “As a manifestation of our support, DOLE has provided the Provincial Government of Samar with a total of P3.5M worth of livelihood grants to seven tourism workers associations here in Basey.”
“We are thankful that these livelihood projects will not only help the members of the associations but will also complement the province’s efforts to boost its tourism industry,” added Egargo.
The seven POs that received cash assistance are:
Barangay Magallanes Kayaking Workers Association
Barangay Binongtu-an Multisectoral Tourism Workers Association
Rawis Balantac Tourism Services Association
Barangay del Pilar Lagkaw Tourism Workers Association
Barangay Burgos Multisectoral Eco-tourism Association
Bungangsakit Tourism Workers Association
Basey Association for Native Industry Growth.
The P500,000 per organization is intended for livelihood projects and includes capital for various income-generating projects offered to visitors and guests during tourism events.
Undersecretary Egargo pledged that DOLE would be a reliable partner of the province in promoting the welfare of workers and would maintain meaningful convergence to benefit the people of Samar.
Last week, with the assistance of LGU Basey and Mayor Luz Ponferrada and Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan-Delos Reyes, the POs successfully launched the Mabaysay Cultural River Cruise, which contributed to the success of the Spark Samar Adventure tourism products launch.
