Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE 0F REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO.
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE MERCEDES K. ALVAREZ, MNSA
EXPIANATORY NOTE
The  Sustainable  Livelihood  Program  ("SLP")  Of the  Department  of  Social
Welfare and Development has been a significant support system for members of the
marginalized sector who aspire to establish small yet impactful businesses.
Overtheyears,theSLPhasservedasacapacity-buildinginitiativeforidentified
poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households and communities. It provides strategic
interventious  and  necessary  resources  to  help  participants  improve  their  socio-
economic conditions, acquire essential assets, and sustain viable livelihood ventures.
In the 6th  District of Negros Occidental, the benefits of the SLP have been
consistently felt, empowering communities to flourish in their chosen livelihoods.
However,  as  a  program,  its  sustainability  remains  uncertain.  Hence,  this
measure seeks to legislate and institutionalize the SLP, ensuring that marginalized
sectors have continued access to sustainable livelihood opportunities as they work
toward self-reliance.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
Es4.A%L%,MNSA
August 18, 2025
11:41 am
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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE 0F REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO.
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE MERCEDES K. ALVAREZ, MNSA
AVAcr
INSTITUTIONAIIZING THE SUSTAINABLE IIVELIHOOD PROGRAM
OF THE DEPARTMENT 0F SOCIAL l^rELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House Of Representatives Of the Phittppines in
Ccmgress assembled:
1                   Section 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as "The sustainable Livelihood
2      ProgramAct''.
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4                   Sec.   2.   Declaration   of   Policies.   -   The   State   shall   promote   livelihood
5      development and entrepreneurship to achieve sustainable development.
6                  Pursuant to this policy, the State recognizes the need to alleviate the socio-
7      economic conditions of the poor and vulnerable, especially those households enrolled
8      in the Panmun.a Pa"-dyang P].J].pino Program ("4Ps"), and individuals, groups, or
9      communities who  are  classified  as  poor under the  National  Household Targeting
10      System for poverty Reduction ("NHTS-PR'') Lisfchanan, and Republic Act No.11291,
11       otherwise known as the Magma carta of the poor ("RA 11291").
12                  It is likewise the policy of the state to uplift the socio-economic conditions of
13      the poor and vulnerable through the provision of market intervention and livelihood
14      development  through  microenterprise  development  in  facilitating  and  supporting
15      basic employment.
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1                  Towards this end, the state shall respect and strengthen Filipino households,
2      individuals,  groups  or  communities  by providing  assistance  that  may be  utilized
3      through  such   inherent  skills  to   achieve   positive  livelihood   outcomes   through
4      community mobilization and community-driven enterprise development.
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6                  See. 3. Coverage. -Existing 4Ps beneficiaries, individuals, Filipino households,
7      groups or communities identified as poor by the NHTS-PR Li.stchanan and RA No.
8      11291, shall be covered as a program participant of the sustainable Livelihood program
9      (``DSWD SLP"). Moreover, the SLP participants shall also cover households identified
lo      as poor based on the system for targeting of beneficiaries used by the Department of
11      Socialwelfare and Development.
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13                  See. 4. Definition of Terms. -For purpose of this Act, the following terms are
14      defined, asfollows:
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a,)  Cash for Building Livelihood Assets Fund (``CBLAF") shall refer to a.n
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)  Cerfi/icafe a/Accreditafron ("COA"J shall refer to a certification issued
by  the  Standards   Unit  of  the  Field  Office  ("SUFO'')  to  the  SLP
Association ("SLPA'') after the issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility
(``COE")  by  the  SLP   Regional   Program   Management  Office   ("SLP
RPMO''). The COA shall be a requisite prior to the release of funds to the
SLPAs under the Micro-Enterprise Development Track;
c)   CemJicare  o/ EJi.gt.bi.ltry  shall  refer  to  a  certification  signed  by  the
Regional Program Coordinator of SLP Regional Program Management
Office   ("SLP-RPMO")   certifying   that   the   SLPA   or   Employment
Facilitation  (``EF")  program  participants  have  passed  the  eligibility
requirements and complied with the processes of SLP. The COB is a
requisite for the approval and obligation of the Mungkahing Progrekfo
and shall be the basis of the SUFO in issuing the COA to the SLPAs, EF
participants and individual referrals ;


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d)  EmpJogrmenr Assistance Ftmd ("EAF") shall refer to a track of the SLP
that provides assistance to qualified member/s of poor households who
preferred employment rather than engaging in micro-enterprise;
e)  EmpJo#menf Faci[i.ton.on shall refer to a track of the SLP that provides
assistance  to  qualified  member/s  of poor  households  who  preferred
employment rather than engaging in micro-enterprise;
0   Micro-Entexprise  Development  Track  ("MD  Track")  shEill refer to  aL
track of the SLP 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 ;
8)  National Household Targeting Systemf or Poverty Reduction shaxhrofer
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 "Lisfahanan",.
H)  Pantau]id  Pamilyang  Pilipino  Program  shah  rofer  to  the  na:tional
povertyreductionstrategyandahumancapitalinvestmentprogramthat
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 may recommend a
longer period under exceptional ; circumstances ;
i)   Poor shall refer to individuals or families whose income falls below the
poverty   threshold   as   defined   by   the    National    Economic   and
DevelopmentAuthorityand/orwhocannotaffordinasustainedmanner
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
Alleviation Act ;
j)   Program  Pain.ci.pants  shall  refer  SLP  associations,  EF  participants,
individual referrals, or other recipients Of the modalities of assistance
provided by the program;
k)  Seed  Cap].raJ  Furid  ("SCF"J  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


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needed in starting or expanding a micro-enterprise.  The  SCF is only
provided once per program participant;
I)   System for  Targeting  Of  Beneficiaries  shall  refer  to  aL  system  ton
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
Dsrm;
") Sustainable   Livelihood   Program   Association   shall   refer   to   aLn
association with five (5) to thirty (3o) members organized by the DSWD,
through  the  SLP,  which  is  issued with  a  COA making them  eligible
recipients of assistance of SLP under the MD Track;
n)  SLP National Program Mcmagemerit Of f ice ("SLP NPMO") shaxh rotor
to an office of the DSWD Central Office responsible for managing the
imp]ementation of SLP, setting the overall direction, and issuing policies
and guidelines, among others; and
o)  SLP Regional Program Management Office sha.Il rofon to a.n clflice of the
DSWD FO responsible for the management of SLP at the regional level
providing technical assistance, supervision, and management of all SLP
provincial offices.
21                   See.  5.  The  Sustainable  Livelihood  Program.  -The  SLP by the  DSWD  is  a
22      livelihood  capability-building  program  for  the  identified  poor,  vulnerable,  and
23      marginalized households and communities that provides assistance in the form of
24      micro-enterprise development and employment facilitation to qualified SLP program
25      participants.  This livelihood assistance  is to  ensure that program participants  are
26      continuously capacitated towards entrepreneurship,  employment and association's
27      self-governance  to  have  access  to  external  resources  such  as  additional  credit,
28      insurance, capacity building, and market linkages.
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3o                  Sec.  6.  Modalities of Assistance.  -The SLP shall have two (2)  major tracks
31      mainly: (i) MD Track that provides support for the establishment of micro-enterprise
32      livelihoods;  and  (ii)  EF Track that provides  support  in  securing  and  maintaining
33      gainful employment.


1                  The modalities under the MD Track are the SCF, STF, and CBI.AF whereas the
2      modalitiesforthe EFTrackare EAFand STF.
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4                  See. 7, Eligibility Requirements. -Filipino households, individuals, and those
5      in disadvantaged communities or groups such as Indigenous People, Persons with
6      Disabilities, and solo parents are qualified program participants of the SLP: ProtJided,
7      That the DSWD shall select qualified program participants of the program using the
8      NHTS-PR LisfaJianan:  Prot)ided rfurther,  77iat to  be  eligible  to  the  program,  the
9      qualifications of program participants must be followed:
10                        a)  MD Track must be at least sixteen  (16)  years old, with whtten legal
11                               consent from the parents or legal guardians;
12                        b)  EF Track must be at least eighteen (18) years old upon employment,
13                              following legal employment standards ;
14                          c)   Filipino families classified as poor under RA No.11291;
15                        d)  Classified as  a poor household based on the system  for targeting  of
16                               beneficiaries ; and
17                        e)  The target program participants must be willing to comply with the
18                              conditions stipulated in this Act and its Implementing Rules and
19                                Regulations ("I RR").
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21                   Sec. 8. Livelihood sustainability Matrix. -The SLP shall utilize as its main key
22      result areas, the developed SLP Livelihood sustainability Matrix, which is a graduated
23      or  tiered  manner  of  providing  livelihood  assistance  grants,  capability  building
24      activities,   coaching   and   mentoring,    and   technical   assistance   for   livelihood
25      development and organizational building. The matrix includes a set of performance
26      standard indicators that pertains to the major aspect of livelihood development and
27      association management, mainly:
28                        a)  Technical operations
29                        b)  Financial strength;
3o                        c)   Organizational Development and Management; and
31                         d)  Community Impact.
32                  Served SLP participants shall be measured on the four performance standards
33      on an annual basis starting with Year 2 implementation and shall be assessed through


1      the use of annual assessment tools, to establish viability of participants for additional
2      grants and capacity building through successive years.
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4                  See.    9.    Sustainable    Livelihood    Program    Implementation    Stages    and
5      Operational Guidelines. -The SLP shall operate in a five (5)-year cycle, mainly:
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a)  Year 1 jfunJa is the first round of implementation of the program and
shall consist of the Pre-Implementation, Social Preparation, Resource
Mobilization, and Proj ect Implementation ;
b)  Year 2 Usbong shall consist of the monitoring activities, coaching and
mentoring,  second  round  of  capability  building  activities/  training.
Under  this  Year,  the  SLP  shall  provide  Product  Diversification  and
Development Grant;
c)  Year 3 St.bol 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   yabo7ig   shall   consist   of  continuing   monitoring   activities,
capability building, coaching and mentoring, partnership building and
external linkages of SLP to regular markets and institutional partners;
and
e)  Year 5 A". shall consist of the official graduation of SLP associations that
haveachievedallthetechnical,financial,organizational,andcommunity
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.
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28                  Sec. io. Instfutional Arrangement. -The DSWD shall serve as the lead ageney
29      for  Central  Coordinating,  planning,  Implementing,  and  Monitoring  body  on  the
30      program's overall management. The SLP-NPMO shall have the steering and oversight
31      functions and tasks while the SLP-RPMO shall take charge in the implementation of
32      the program stages.


1                  The  program  shall  assign  Implementing  project  Development  officers that
2      shall serve as the community facilitator who is responsible for identifying, organizing,
3      capacitating the new program participants and shall validate the utilization of grants
4      to ensure that the approved project has been duly implemented, Prout.ded that the field
5      monitoring shall be conducted through the Monitoring project Development officers
6      that shall ensure that the modalities of assistance are sustained by the participants
7      through the conduct of regular monitoring visits and assessments.
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9                   Sec.11.  Functions of the Sustainable Livelihood Program National Program
10      Management  Office.  -  The  DSWD  SLP  NPMO  shall  perform  and  implement the
11       following:
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a) Enhancing and developing of program policies, tools, and guidelines;
b) Setting of performance standards and compliance monitoring;
c) Planning and coordinating national program;
d) Human resource management and capacity building for national and
regional program personnel ;
e) National program budget management;
0  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.
23                  Sec.12.  Functions of the sustainable  Livelihood program Regional program
24      Management  Office.  -  The  DSWD  SLP  RPMO  shall  perform  and  implement the
25      following:
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a)  Fully implementing with the program  stages based  on the  approved
process, timeline, and program implementation parametel`s;
b)  Complying with implementation standards and policies;
c)   Beneficiary level monitoring and evaluation for technical assistance
and reporting;
d)  Participating  to  human  resource  development  and  capacity-building
sessions;
e)  Obligating and disbursing funds; and


f)   Regional, provincial, and city/municipality level coordination.
3                  See.13.  Regular  Program  Monitoring,  Reporting,  and Transpareney.  -The
4      DSWD  SLP NPMO  and RPMO  shall regularly monitor the implementation of the
5      program in order to ensure the attainment of the goals enumerated in this Act. The
6      program shall annually publish a full report of the SLP covering the implementation
7      and accomplishments of the previous fiscal year. The said report shall include the total
8      number  of  households  served,  physical  and  financial  accomplishments,  notable
9      achievements,  success  stories,  note-worthy capacity-building  activities,  and list  of
lo      recommendations on how to further enhance the implementation of the SLP. The
11      report shall be published in the DSWD official website for transparency.
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13                  Sec.14. Oversight committee. -Upon the effectivity of this Act, a congressional
14      Oversight Committee,  hereafter referred to  as the  SLP  Oversight Committee,  (the
15      "Committee") is hereby constituted. The committee shall be composed of members
16      from the committee on poverty AIleviation, Committee on Labor and Employment,
17      and committee on social services. The oversight committee shall be chaired by the
18      Chairperson of the committee on poverty AIleviation, while the chairperson of the
19      Committee on Social Services shall serve as co-chair of the Committee. Additional
2o      composition of the oversight committee shall be within the purview of the legislative
21       body.
22                  The   Committee   shall   conduct   periodic   reviews   to   ensure   the   proper
23      imp]ementation of this Act as regards the expenditures of the earmarked funds, cost
24      parameters of the modalities, accomplishments of the program, and the performance
25      of its implementingoffices.
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27                   See.15. Compliance with Republic Act No.1ol73, otherwise known as the Data
28      Privaey Act of 2oi2. -The DSWD SLP shall comply with the provisions of Republic
29      Act  No.  ioi73  otherwise  known  as  the  Data  Privaey  Act  of 2oi2  ("RA  lol73'').
3o      Additionally,  the  program  shall  further  comply with  the  organizational,  physical,
31      technical and security measures prescribed in the SLP Data privacy policy and sharing
32      Protocol Manual.
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1                   See.16.  Data Sharing.  -Data sharing between government agencies for the
2      purpose of public function or provision of a public service shall be covered by a data
3      sharing agreement; Prou].did,17iaf the DSWD SLP shall comply with the provisions
4      ofRA lol73; ProtJi.ded further, that all information filed with the DSWD SLP, NHTS-
5      PR L].sfahanan, and other database system used by the DSWD SLP shall be made
6      available to the stakeholders, institution, government agencies, departments and non-
7      government agencies, including obligations to protect personal data and information.
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9                  Sec.17. Convergence of Programs and Services for Livelihood. -Within the
lo      scope of social  protection and national poverty alleviation strategies,  stakeholders
11      such as other national government agencies, the private sector, volunteer groups, and
12      the academe, among others, implementing multi-stakeholder programs and services
13      for the poor and vulnerable, shall converge and complement the modalities offered by
14      the  DSWD  SLP.  Such convergence shall focus on the enhancement of operational
15      efficiency,  provision  of additional  financing,  access  to  resources,  enhancement  of
16      program  modules  and capability-building  activities,  and strengthening of external
17      partnerships and linkages.
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19                  See.18. Appropriations. -The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of
20      this Act shall be charged against those authorized in the  cuITent and subsequent
21       General Appropriations Act.
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23                   See.19.  Implementing Rules and Regulations.  -Within twelve (12) months
24      from  the  effectivity  of this  Act,  the  DSWD  Secretary  shall,  in  coordination  with
25      appropriate  government  departments  and  agencies  and  local  govel.nment  units,
26      promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to caITy out the provisions of this Act.
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28                  See. 2o. Separability clause. -If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or
29      unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions shall not be affected and remain
3o      validand subsisting.
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32                   See. 21. Repealing clause. -Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
33      order, letter of instniction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or


1      inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, amended or modified
2      accordingly.
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4                  Sec. 22. Effectivity clause. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following
5      its publication in the Qffict.az Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the
6      Philippines.
Japproued,