Sustainable Livelihood Program for Purok Arao, Barangay Vista Alegre, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Abstract

This paper assessed the workability of a sustainable livelihood program for poor urban dwellers relocated to Purok Arao, Barangay Vista Alegre, in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines in line with the government’s poverty-alleviation initiatives. The program’s viability was analyzed in reference to respondents’ socio-economic profile, skills training needs, and a host of anticipated issues and concerns within the community. Data needed were collected using a self-made survey questionnaire, which was administered to randomly sampled respondents (N=817; n=269). Said data were later complemented by a focus-group discussion (FGD) with ten (10) selected participants fairly representing all segments of the community.  Initial data analysis characterized the respondents’ demographic profile with the older residents outnumbering the younger ones, the females surpassing the males, and the married outstripping the single, widowed, and separated ones combined. Additional data reveal that less than 50% of the residents are high school graduates, but 77% of them own a house. The majority recorded a meager family income of Php8,450, which was attributable to their low educational attainment and limited skills in cooking, personal services, and construction work. Subsequent analysis revealed the respondents’ preferred livelihood skills in food and beverage, baking/pastry making, dressmaking, tailoring, culinary arts, automotive servicing, food preservation, electrical servicing, welding, beauty care, cosmetology, massage therapy, and communication and information technology. These findings call for a methodical selection of target beneficiaries, continuous skills training development program, cultivation of entrepreneurial mindset, and strengthening partnership with LGUs and other NGOs to bankroll the proposed sustainable development livelihood program.