BAGUIO CITY – Surviving spouses and dependents of 50 battle/duty casualties of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines from the different parts of the country are undergoing capacity training at the Baguio City School of Arts and Trade (BCSAT) under the Comprehensive Social Benefits Program(CSBP) of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Joycelyn Cabaña of the Department of Interior and Local Government and CSBP Program Manager for Uniformed Personnel Killed in Action and Wounded In Action outlined that the training is in line with the directive of President Duterte to ensure comprehensive social benefits for heroes and their dependents.
Under the CSBP, PNP or AFP personnel who died while performing their duty are given an outright financial assistance of P250, 000 within 24 hours after the spot report is filed. The capacity training is a requirement for the second tranche of another P250, 000 for livelihood assistance, Cabaña explained.
In the capacity training, Cabaña said Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas provides lecture on financial literacy. Department of Trade and Industry gives an orientation on entrepreneurship while TESDA provides the training.
TESDA Director for Scholarship Management Sonia Lipio outlined the importance of providing the surviving spouses or dependents the necessary livelihood skills competencies such as food processing and fruit preservations that the beneficiaries are taking – up in BCSAT, to help them properly manage their resources and sustain it for life.
“We, at TESDA also open our scholarship program to them because learning something and having skills training is very important in getting employed and earning a living”, Lipio added.
Aside from the financial and livelihood assistance, Cabaña also outlined that the CSBP program under President Duterte also includes shelter assistance, health care and educational assistance, on top of the scholarship programs of the PNP and AFP.
Since the President took office in July 1, 2016 the program already covered 131 casualties from legitimate police and military operations, Cabaña added. /PIA CAR
