The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Team headed by Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) Maria Isabel Lanada conducted site inspection of the two (2) venues in barangays Maliwanag and Manaul, Municipality of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro for the 20-day Cash-For-Training and-Work (CFTW) scheme under the Risk Resiliency Program(RRP)-Local Adaptation to Water Access (LAWA) and Breaking Insufficiencies through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished (BINHI) Program on 10 June 2024.

Municipal Agricultural Officer (MAO) Jemale Fajutnao and Municipal Social Development Officer (MSDO) Ismylene Fernando accompanied the team and also served as technical persons providing ideas as to the size of the sites, specific work needed, skills of workers necessary per site and number of days required to complete the project.

LAWA and BINHI Program is a government strategy aimed at helping the poor communities of fisherfolks, farmers and Indigenous Peoples (IP) as priority target beneficiaries in combating water insufficiency and food insecurity in the country due to the adverse effects of El Nino and La Nina Phenomena especially in the affected areas of the MIMAROPA Region.

The 20-day Cash-For- Training and- Work (CFTW) is expected to begin on the third week of June and will be completed on the first week of July 2024.

Towards its completion, the project will be turned over to the LGU through the help of the local residents for its sustainability and longer benefits by the locals, being the ultimate purpose of the program.

The Municipality of Mansalay and Bongabong are the two affected Municipalities in the province of Oriental Mindoro adversely affected by the El Nino and La Nina Phenomena.

Prior to the site inspection, the team paid a courtesy call to Mansalay Mayor Ferdinand Maliwanag at the Municipal Capitol to explain the objectives of the program and seek the full cooperation of the Local Government Unit of Mansalay.