Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
HoUSE BILL No.99 4 8
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INTRODUCED BY REP. MAXIMO, JR. Y. DALOG
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article 11, Section 9 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides, that  "[t]he State
shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and
independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies
that  provide  adequate  social  services,   promote  full   employment,   a   rising
standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all."
One of the  programs of the  Department of Social Welfare and  Development
which aims to realize said Constitutional provision is the Sustainable Livelihood
Program (SLP).
This  program  is  an  expanded  platform  of livelihood  interventions  of the then
Self-Employment Assistance  Kaunlaran  (SEA-K)  Program  of the  Department
which started in 1996 and was enhanced to become SLP in 2011.
The SLP is a community-based capability-building program for poor, vulnerable,
and  marginalized households and communities.   It aims to help improve their
socio-economic conditions through accessing and acquiring necessary assets
to engage in and maintain thriving livelihoods. This livelihood support measure
would ensure that current and existing 4Ps households,  Listahanan-identified
poor   households,   and   other   vulnerable,   marginalized,   and   disadvantage
individuals and sectors are able to access resources and establish micro and
small  scale  enterprises  that  could   help  support  basic  subsistence  of  the
household (food, shelter, education, and utilities) or secure a source of income
through basis employment.   Furthermore,  it aims to enhance and harness the
inherent  entrepreneurial   skills  and   potentials  of  said  target  individuals   by
providing additional capital.
Vvith the significant contribution of the SLP in poverty alleviation, it is imperative


to institutionalize it through national legislation to ensure that the DSWD Social
Protection and Livelihood Agenda for the poor and vulnerable are enshrined in
the annual priority programs of the government.
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
HOUSEBILLNO.9§.'i8
INTRODUCED BY REP. MAXIMO, JR. Y. DALOG
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE DEPARTMENT 0F SOCIAL WELFARE
AND DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD PROGRAM (DSWD€LP)
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
Section  1.  Short title -This Act  shall  be  known  as  "The  DSWD  Sustainable
Livelihood Act".
Section   2.   Declaration   of  Policies   -  The   State   shall   promote   livelihood
development   and   entrepreneurship   as   a   means   to   achieve   sustainable
development.
Pursuant  to  this  policy,  the  State  recognizes  the  need  to  alleviate  the  socio-
economic  conditions  of the  poor  and  vulnerable,  especially  those  households
enrolled  in  the  Pantawid  Pamilyang  Pilipino  Program,   individuals,  groups,  or
communities who are classified as poor under the National Household Targeting
System for Poverty  Reduction  (NHTS-PR)  Listahanan,  the  Magna Carta of the
Poor (RA 11291 ).
It is likewise the policy of the State to uplift the socio-economic conditions of the
poor and  vulnerable through the  provision  of market intervention  and  livelihood
development through  microenterprise development in facilitating and supporting
basic employment.
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Towards  this  end,  the  State  shall  respect  and  strengthen  Filipino  households,
individuals,  groups or communities  by providing  assistance that may  be  utilized
through  such  inherent  skills  to  achieve  positive  livelihood  outcomes  through
community mobilization and community-driven enterprise development.
Section 3. Definition of Terms - For purpose of this Act, the following terms are
defined, as follows:
(a) Cash  for  Building  Livelihood Assets  Fund  (CBLAF)  shall  refer to  an
allowance or stipend provided to program participants who have rendered
work for  labor-intensive  projects  to  build,  re-build,  or  protect  natural  and
physical assets necessary for more profitable, self-sustaining, and resilient
micro-enterprises;
(b) Certificate of Accreditation (COA) shall refer to a certification  issued by
the   Standards   Unit  (SU)   of  the   Field   Office   (FO)  to  the  Sustainable
Livelihood Program Association (SLPA) after the issuance of the Certificate
of Eligibility (COE) by the SLP Regional Program Management Office (SLP
RPMO).  The  Certificate  of Accreditation  shall  be  a  requisite  prior to  the
release  of funds  to  the  SLPAs  under the  Micro-Enterprise  Development
Track;
(c) Certificate of Eligibilify (COE) shall  refer to a certification  signed  by the
Regional  Program  Coordinator  of  SLP  Regional  Program  Management
Office   certifying   that   the   SLPA   or   Employment   Facilitation   program
participanvs have passed the eligibility requirements and complied with the
processes of SLP. The Certificate of Eligibility is a requisite for the approval
and obligation of the Mungkahing Proyekto and shall be the basis of the SU
of the Field  Office in  issuing the Certificate of Accreditation to the SLPAs,
EF participants and individual referrals;
(d)Department   shall   refer   to   the   Department   of   Social   Welfare   and
Development (DSWD);
(e) Employment Assistance  Fund  (EAF)  shall  refer to  a  grant  provided
program participants that will support a guaranteed employment such as:
processing   of  employment  documentary   requirements;   2)   payment
medical   tools   and   materials;    and   4)   transportation   allowance,   meal
allowance, and board and lodging until the first 15 days of employment;
(f)  Employment  Facilitation  (EF)  shall  refer to  a  track  of the  Sustainable
Livelihood Program that provides assistance to qualified member/s of poor
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households  who  preferred  employment  rather  than  engaging  in  micro-
enterprise;
(g) lmplementing   Project  Development  Officer  (IPDO)  shall   refer  to  a
Sustainable Livelihood Program staff of the Field Office responsible for the
organization   and   facilitation   of   opportunities   of   program   participants
involving stakeholders within or outside the city/municipality;
(h) Capacity  Building  Project  Development  Officer shall  refer to  an  SLP
provincial   staff   responsible   for  ensuring   that   all   the   capacity-building
activities for the program  participants  are  provided  accordingly.  They  are
also responsible for monitoring and evaluating the learning progress as well
as the competency needs and gaps of the SLP participants.
(i)  Micro®nterprise Development Track (MD Track) shall refer to a track of
the Sustainable Livelihood Program which focuses on the establishment of
micro-enterprise through the provision of financial capital, enhancement of
skills, and building/re-building physical and natural assets;
o)  lvlonitoring   Project   Development   Officer   (MPDO)   shall   refer   to   a
Sustainable Livelihood Program field staff responsible for the monitoring of
the operationalization of the enterprises or employment and progress of the
SLP association throughout the program monitoring period;
(k) National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-
PR) shall  refer to the information management system that uses empirical
methods to compile a database of who and where the country's poor are.
The NHTS-PR is also often referred to as the "Listahanan";
(I)  Pantawid  Pamilyang  Pilipino  Program  (4Ps)  shall  refer to the  national
poverty reduction  strategy  and  a  human  capital  investment  program  that
provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum period
of seven (7) years, to improve the health, nutrition, and education aspect of
their lives. The National Advisory Council (NAC) may recommend a longer
period under exceptional; circumstances;
(in)Poor  shall  refer  to  individuals  or families  whose  income  falls  below  the
poverty threshold as defined  by the National  Economic and  Development
Authority (NEDA) and/or who cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide
their  minimum  basic  needs  of food,  health,  education,  housing,  or  other
essential   amenities  of  life,   as  defined   under  Republic  Act   No.   8425,
otherwise known as the "Social Reform and Poverty AIleviation Act";
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(n) Program   Participants   shall   refer   SLP   associations,   EF   participants,
individual  referrals,  or  other  recipients  of  the  modalities  of  assistance
provided by the Program;
(o) Seed Capital Fund (SCF) shall refer to a start-up grant for SLP association
or  individual,  used  to  purchase  small  tools,  raw  materials,  and  common
service facilities such as machinery, equipment, and plant needed in starting
or  expanding  a  micro-enterprise.  The  SCF   is  only  provided  once  per
program participant;
(p) Skills Training Fund for Micro-Enterprise Development Track (STF-MD)
shall refer to a grant that is used for the acquisition of knowledge and skills
needed in the management of the micro-enterprise to be managed  by the
SLPA or its members;
(q) Skills Training Fund for Employment Facilitation (STFIEF) shall refer to
a grant to be used for the acquisition of technical and vocational knowledge
and skills delivered in the form of orientations and lectures, demonstrations,
and other similar skills acquisition  methodologies for the participants. The
grant covers the following components: a) technical-vocational skills training
fee; b) meal, lodging, and transportation allowance; c) training supplies and
materials; and d) program participants' assessment fee;
(r)  System  for  Targeting  of  Benefjcjaries  shall   refer  to  a  system  for
identifying who and where the poor households are through the generation
of  a  socio-economic  database  of  poor  households  that  is  adopted  by
national government agencies and implemented by the DSWD;
(s) Sustainable  Livelihood  Program Association  (SLPA)  shall  refer to  an
association with  5-30 members organized by the DSWD, through the SLP,
which  is  issued  with  a  Certificate  of Accreditation  making  them  eligible
recipients of assistance of Sustainable Livelihood Program under the Micro-
Enterprise Development Track;
(t)  SLP-National Program Management Office (SLP-NPMO) shall refer to an
office   of   the   DSWD   Central   Office   responsible   for   managing   the
implementation of SLP, setting the overall direction, and issuing policies and
guidelines, among others;
(u) SLP-Regional Program Management Office (SLP-RPMO) shall refer to
an office of the DSWD Field Office responsible for the management of SLP
at  the   regional   level   providing   technical   assistance,   supervision,   and
management of all SLP provincial offices.
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Section   4E   The  Sustainable   Livelihood   Program   -  The  Sustajnable
Livelihood   Program   (SLP)   of  the   Department   of   Social   Welfare   and
Development  (DSWD)  is  a  livelihood  capability-building  program  for  the
identified  poor,  vulnerable,  and  marginalized  households and communities
that  provides  assistance  in the form  of micro-enterprise development and
employment facilitation to qualified SLP program participants. This livelihood
assistance   is   to   ensure   that   program    participants   are   continuously
capacitated towards entrepreneurship,  employment and  association's self-
governance in order to have access to external resources such as additional
credit, insurance, capacity building, and market linkages.
Section 5. Ivlodalities of Assistance - The SLP shall  have two (2) major
Tracks mainly: (i) Micro-Enterprise Development Track that provides support
for the  establishment  of micro-enterprise  livelihoods;  and  (ii)  Employment
Facilitation Track that provides support in  securing  and  maintaining gainful
employment.
The following are the modalities under the Micro-Enterprise Development (MD)
Track:
a)   Seed Capital Fund;
b)   Skills Training Fund; and
c)   Cash for Building Livelihood Assets Fund.
The following are the modalities under the Employment Facilitation (EF) Track:
a)   Employment Assistance Fund; and
b)   Skills Training Fund.
Section 6. Eligibility Requirements -Filipino households, individuals, and
those in disadvantaged communities or groups such as Indigenous People
(lp),  Persons with Disabilities (PWD), and Solo Parent are qualified program
participants of the Sustainable Livelihood Program: Provided, that the DSWD
shall select qualified program participants of the program using the National
Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) Listahanan:
Provided  further,  that  to  be  eligible  to  the  program,  the  qualifications  of
program participants must be followed:
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a)   Micro-Enterprise  Development  Track  must  be  at  least  sixteen  (16)
years   old,   with   written   legal   consent   from   the   parents   or   legal
guardians;
b)   Employment Facilitation Track must be at least eighteen (18) years old
upon employment, following legal employment standards;
c)   Filipino families classified as poor under Republic Act 11291  otherwise
known as the Magna Carta of the Poor;
d)  Classified as a poor household based on the system for targeting of
beneficiaries; and
e)  The  target  program  participants  must  be  willing  to  comply  with  the
conditions  stipulated   in   this  Act  and   its   lmplementing   Rules  and
Regulations (IRR).
Section 7.  Livelihood Sustainability Matrix -The SLP shall utilize as its
main key result areas,  the developed  SLP  Livelihood  Sustainability  Matrix,
wherein  a  graduated  or  tiered  manner  of  providing  livelihood  assistance
grants,  capability building  activities,  coaching  and  mentoring, and technical
assistance  for  livelihood   development  and   organizational   building.   The
matrix includes a set of performance standard indicators that pertains to the
maj.or  aspect  of  livelihood   development  and   association   management,
mainly:  1.) Technical  Operations;  2.)  Financial  Strength;  3.)  Organizational
Development  and  Management;  and  4.)  Community  Impact.  Served  SLP
participants shall  be  measured  on the four  performance standards on  an
annual  basis  starting  with  Year 2  implementation  and  shall  be  assessed
through  the   use  of  annual   assessment  tools,   to   establish   viability   of
participants for additional  grants  and  capacity  building through  successive
years-
Section 8. SLP lmplementation Stages / Operational Guidelines - The
SLP shall operate in a five (5) year cycle, mainly:
a)  Year 1  Punla -the first round of implementation of the Program and
shall consist of the Pre-lmplementation, Social Preparation, Resource
Mobilization, and Project lmplementation;
b)  Year 2  Usbong - shall  consist of the  monitoring  activities,  coaching
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and  mentoring,  second  round of capability building activities/ training.
Under  this  Year,  the  SLP  shall  provide  Product  Diversification  and
Development Grant.
c)   Year 3 Sibol -shall consist of continuing monitoring activities, capacity
building,  technical  assistance,  coaching  and  mentoring.  During  this
implementation  year,  the  SLP  shall  provide  Formalization  Support
Grant to SLP associations and participants able and willing to undergo
formal government licensing and accreditation.
d)  Year  4  Yabong  -  shall  consist  of  continuing  monitoring  activities,
capability building,  coaching  and  mentoring,  partnership building  and
external linkages of SLP to regular markets and institutional partners.
e)  Year 5 Ani -shall consist of the official graduation of SLP associations
that  have  achieved  all  the  technical,  financial,   organizational,   and
community   impact  indicators,   from  the   Program.   Graduating   SLP
associations   who   have   managed   to   sustain   their   livelihood   and
association  can  be eligible for a  SLP  Graduation  Grants,  subject to
assessment and evaluation.
Section 9. Institutional Arrangements -The DSWD shall serve as the lead
agency  for  Central  Coordinating,  Planning,  Implementing,  and  Monitoring
body  on  the  program's  overall  management.  The  SLP  National  Program
Management Office (NPMO) shall have the steering and oversight functions
and  tasks  while  the  SLP  Regional  Program  Management  Office  (RPMO)
shall take charge in the implementation of the program stages.
The Program shall assign  lmplementing  Project Development Officers that
shall  serve  as  the  community facilitator who  is  responsible for identifying,
organizing, capacitating the new program participants and shall validate the
utilization  of  grants  to  ensure  that  the  approved  project  has  been  duly
implemented.  Provided that the field monitoring shall be conducted through
the  Monitoring  Project  Development  Officers  that  shall  ensure  that  the
modalities  of  assistance  are  sustained   by  the  participants  through  the
conduct of regular monitoring visits and assessments.
Functions of the SLP National Program Management Office (NPMO) -
The DSWD SLP NPMO shall perform and implement the following:
a)   Enhancement and development of Program policies, tools, and
guidelines;
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b)  Setting of performance standards and compliance monitoring;
c)   National program planning and coordination;
d)   Human  resource management and capacity building for national and
regional program personnel;
e)   National program budget management;
f)    National    program    monitoring    and    evaluation    such    as    program
milestones,  accomplishments,  results  monitoring,  and  evaluation  of
program outcomes; and
g)  Other related tasks as required and necessary for the management.
Functions of the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) -The
DSWD SLP RPMO shall perform and implement the following:
a)   Full implementation of the Program Stages based on the approved
process, timeline, and program implementation parameters;
b)   Compliance to implementation standards and policies;
c)   Beneficiary level monitoring and evaluation for technical assistance
and reporting;
d)   Participation to human resource development and capacity-building
sessions;
e)  Obligation and disbursement of funds; and
f)    Regional,  provincial,  and city/municipality level coordination.
Section 10. Regular Program Monitoring, Reporting, and Transparency I The
DSWD SLP NPMO and RPMO, shall regularly monitor the implementation of the
program in order to ensure the attainment of the goals enumerated in this Act. The
Program shall annually publish a full report of the SLP covering the implementation
and accomplishments of the previous fiscal year. The said report shall include the
total  number  of  households  served,  physical  and  financial  accomplishments,
notable achievements,  success stories,  note-worthy capacity-building  activities,
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and list of recommendations on how to further enhance the implementation of the
SLP. The report shall be published in the DSWD official website for transparency.
Section 11. Appropriations -The amount necessary to carry out the provisions
of  this  Act  shall   be   charged   against  those   authorized   in   the   current  and
subsequent General Appropriations Act.
Section   12.   Oversight   Committee  -   Upon   the   effectivity   of  this  Act,   a
Congressional   Committee,    hereafter   referred   to   as   the   SLP's   Oversight
Committee is hereby constituted. The Committee shall be composed of members
from the Committee on Poverty Alleviation, Committee on Labor and Employment,
and Committee on Social Services. The oversight committee shall be chaired by
the Chairperson of the Committee on  Poverty Alleviation, while the Chairperson
of the  Committee on  Social Services shall serve as co-chair of the committee.
Additional composition of the oversight committee shall  be within the purview of
the legislative body.
The    Committee    shall    conduct    periodic    reviews    to    ensure    the    proper
implementation of this Act as regards the expenditures of the earmarked funds,
cost  parameters  of the  modalities,  accomplishments  of the  program,  and  the
performance of its implementing offices.
Section    13.    Coverage   -    Exiting   4Ps    beneficiaries,    individuals,    Filipino
households, groups or communities identified as poor by the National Household
Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) Listahanan and Republic Act
11291, otherwise known as the Magna Carta of the Poor,  shall  be covered as a
program participant of the DSWD SLP. Moreover, the SLP participants shall also
cover  households  identified   as  poor  based   on  the  system  for  targeting  of
beneficiaries used by the DSWD.
Section 14. Compliance to Data Privacy Act of 2012 -The DSWD SLP shall
comply with  the  provisions  of Republic Act  No.10173  otherwise  known  as the
Data Privacy Act of 2012. Additionally, the Program shall further comply with the
organizational,  physical, technical and security measures prescribed in the SLP
Data Privacy Policy and Sharing Protocol Manual.
Section 15. Data Sharing -Data sharing between government agencies for the
purpose of public function or provision of a  public service shall  be covered  by a
data  sharing  agreement; Provided,  that the  DSWD  SLP  shall  comply  with  the
provisions of Republic Act No. 10173 otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act of
2012;  Provided  further,  that  all  information  filed  with  the  DSWD  SLP,  National
Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) Listahanan, and
other database system used by the DSWD SLP shall be made available to the
1]


stakeholders,     institution,     government    agencies,     departments    and     non-
government   agencies,   including   obligations   to   protect   personal   data   and
information.
Section 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations -Within twelve (12) months
from  the  effectivity  of this Act,  the  DSWD  Secretary  shall,  in  coordination  with
appropriate government departments and  agencies with the participation of the
local government units,  promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry
out the provisions of this Act.
Section 17. Convergence of Programs and Services for Livelihood Support
- Within the scope of social protection and national poverty alleviation strategies,
stakeholders  such  as  other  national  government  agencies,  the  private  sector,
volunteer   groups,   and   the   academe,   among   others,    implementing   multi-
stakeholder programs and services for the poor and vulnerable,  shall converge
and  complement the  modalities offered  by the  DSWD  SLP.  Such  convergence
shall focus on the enhancement of operational efficiency,  provision of additional
financing, access to resources, enhancement of program modules and capability-
building activities, and strengthening of external partnerships and linkages.
Section 18. Separability Clause -lf any provision of this Act is declared invalid
or unconstitutional,  the  remaining  parts  or provisions  shall  not  be  affected  and
remain valid and subsisting.
Section  19.  Repealing  Clause  -Any  law,  presidential  decree  or  issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary
to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed,  amended or
modified accordingly.
Section  20.  Effectivify  -This Act  shall  take  effect  fifteen  (15)  days  after  its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved.
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