Zamboanga City - The Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office No. 9 (DOLE RO 9) successfully turned over a total of P29, 813,346 to 9,377 marginalized workers, informal sectors, workers affected by El Ni?o, and to the rebel returnees in the armed conflict areas in some municipalities of the region during the simultaneous launching of the Comprehensive Reform and Development Agenda (CRDA) for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the armed conflict areas in Regions IX, X, and XII, on October 29, 2016. The main launching ceremony was held in Cotabato City, with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the guest.

Prior to the said launching, DOLE RO 9 Regional Director Sisinio B. Cano called an emergency meeting on October 20, 2016 with DOLE 9 management committee members to discuss the details of the aforementioned activity. As a result, DOLE RO 9 committed two (2) poverty eradication programs as interventions to be included during the launching.

Under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), a total amount of P15, 352, 216 was turned over to 649 SPES grantees all over the region. For the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), a total amount of P14, 461,130 was distributed to 2,958 individual and group beneficiaries.

DOLE RO 9 will also be allocating a total amount of P8, 000,000 under the SPES Program, and 10,000,000 for the implementation of DILEEP in the armed-stricken areas in the Region for the year 2017.

The simultaneous launching was held in the areas of Isabela City, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, Dipolog and Dapitan Cities in Zamboanga del Norte, and in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur. It was spearheaded by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in partnership with DOLE and other line agencies like Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Health (DOH), Philhealth, Department of Social Workers and Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Department of Agriculture (DA) of ARMM.

Senior Officials and staff of the mentioned line agencies and representatives from the Local Government Units (LGUs) were present during the said events. The CRDA is intended to reduce poverty and hunger in Mindanao regions. It also envisions to deliver other programs, projects, and services such as educational scholarships, water and sanitation projects, agricultural machineries, agricultural equipment and seedlings, livelihood interventions, employment opportunities, and assistance to social benefits. The convergent effort is in compliance to Pres. Duterte's directive to address the poverty issues in the areas of Mindanao.

Gay Iris T.S. Tangcalagan, TSSD

(With sources from ZCFO, ICFO, ZSFO, ZDNFO, and ZDSFO)