CEBU, Philippines — In a bid to continuously empower Cebuanos by teaching them new skills and encouraging them to venture into business, the Cebu provincial government kicked off its 4th quarter caravan of the P100 million worth Sugbo Kahanas program in the 5th district of Cebu last Nov. 17, 2023.
The Sugbo Kahanas program was introduced by Gov. Gwen Garcia in 2021 to help those who lost their jobs and livelihoods during the pandemic by offering them free skills trainings, which they could later use in finding other jobs or in starting their own ventures.
Under the program, the Capitol allocated P100 million which was divided among the board members and the vice governor for a decisive province-wide investment in skills development training.
According to Sugbo News, the official Facebook page of the provincial government, by providing the graduates with starter toolkits, the provincial government hopes to support them in applying their newfound skills towards starting their own businesses.
During the Caravan of Services in Cebu's 5th District, Gov. Garcia and Cebu 5th district representative and Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco led the distribution of starter toolkits and National Certificate II (NC II) to the Season 2 graduates of the program.
This marks the seventh batch of Sugbo Kahanas graduates who have received their toolkits from the Capitol.
The program has produced over 8,000 skilled Cebuano graduates over the course of two years.
According to Sugbo News, the program has been well-received by the community, with many graduates successfully establishing their own businesses.
Meanwhile, a check worth P42 million was distributed to six local government units of the fifth district of Cebu during the Caravan of Service.
Borbon, Catmon, Compostela, and Liloan were given P8 million each; Carmen received P6 million; and Sogod had P4 million.
The checks were personally received by the mayors of the respective LGUs, namely: Borbon Mayor Noel Dotillos, Carmen Mayor Carlo Villamor, Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco, Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño, Catmon Mayor Avis Monleon, and Sogod Mayor Moonyeen Durano-Streegan.
The financial assistance will be spent for the LGUs’ infrastructure projects. — (FREEMAN)