Mindanaotoday.com | DOLE-10 aid improves Junrey’s income in watermelon production
OROQUIETA CITY – Parent of child laborer Junrey Postrero improved his income as beneficiary of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP) on watermelon production.
Ebba Acosta, DOLE-10 Misamis Occidental Provincial Field Office (Mis. Occ. PFO) chief, said the 41-year-old Postrero was given P10,000 worth of working capital on March 2022 through Barangay Dullan Norte of the city as the Accredited Co-Partner (ACP).
Prostero, a priority vulnerable beneficiary, is the parent of a 14-year-old child laborer profiled by DOLE-10 in 2019 who worked as a laborer and “magbubunot” of coconut shells four times a week, interfering with his school attendance.
A father of five and a farmer, Postrero said his P3,000 – P5,000 monthly income cannot suffice the financial needs of his family.
With his children’s small age gaps, he described their daily lives as extremely difficult, with times when they ate rice with soy sauce to stretch their budget until the next pay day.
“I chose watermelon production since I have tried planting this before. They are not only easy to care for, but they also grow quickly,” Postrero said.
Postrero said his first harvest was in May 2022, or 52 days after planting, and he sold them for P38,000.
His next harvest was in June 2022, which earned him P36,500, and his third harvest generated P46,200. He is looking forward to the next harvest in December.
“Since our first sale, I have been grateful to the Lord for providing DOLE as an instrument for us to live a more comfortable life. Not only did this business help us financially, but it also enabled me to help others. We are overjoyed with these developments, especially now that my children are healthy and able to attend school.”
Postrero emphasized that his son no longer misses school and is more focused on his studies in order to become a policeman someday.
DILEEP to child laborers’ parents is a deliberate answer to preventing and eliminating child labor. The program prioritizes the parents of child laborers, and they should not allow their children to work under the DILEEP Guidelines.
The livelihood assistance provided might take the form of Negokart, starting kits, or the resources needed to establish a livelihood venture. (DOLE-10 | PIA-10 | Misamis Occidental)
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