CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA 7) – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has empowered a total of 980 women in Central Visayas to become self-reliant and inculcate the importance of savings and good financial management under the ‘Amuma sa Barangay’ program.
Launched in 2022, the ‘Amuma sa Barangay’ aims to empower women from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas on community savings and equip them with skills in financial management.
“Amuma sa Barangay is derived from the Bisaya word ‘care’. Ang intensyon kasi nun is to empower women… kasi nga, disadvantaged sector kasi ang women, ang target natin, lalo na sa hard-to-reach barangays and then ang intensyon ay ipakita namin na kahit sa simpleng pamumuhay, bigyan natin ng dignidad ang pagiging women, na kaya nilang mag-ipon, na kaya nilang mag-save,” said DILG-7 regional director Leocadio Trovela during the 10th Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas episode in Central Visayas.
(Amuma sa Barangay is from the Bisaya word ‘care’. The aim is to empower women, because women are a disadvantaged sector. We target especially the hard-to-reach barangays and then the intention is to show them that even in simple living, we can give dignity to women, that they can save money.)
With the goal of building self-reliant and development-oriented communities, the program organizes 25 women in each group to facilitate community savings in a barangay.
The members also receive livelihood, skills training, and other capacity-building activities.
“Nagbabago kasi ang pananaw nila sa buhay pag nagsi-save sila,” Trovela said.
(Their perspective in life changes if they are able to save money.)
He added that the initiative aims to foster sustainability of the interventions of the national government to the community.
“Alam nila na ma’y program coming from the national government, doon lang sila nag-oorganize. So hindi sustainable, in a way. So dito, pinakita namin na bago pumasok ang TESDA, DOLE, DSWD ay mature na sila,” he said.
(They know that there is a program from the national government, and only by that time they will be organized. So, in a way, it cannot be sustainable. Here, we show them that prior to engaging the programs in TESDA, DOLE, or DSWD, they are already matured.)
As of July 30, 2024, DILG-7 has organized women in 43 barangays in the region with a total of P1,271,431.00 savings.
Of the total barangays, 18 are from Cebu province, 16 from Negros Oriental, 5 from Bohol Province, 2 from Cebu City, and one each from Lapu-lapu City, and Mandaue City.
Trovela said there are still a number of disadvantaged women in Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) in Cebu.
He said the organized barangays serve as model barangays for others to follow.
With 43 organized barangays in Central Visayas, Trovela said DILG-7 continues to bring the project to other barangays in the following months.
“Target namin dito sa Cebu, lahat ng barangays ma-cover na namin especially sa Cebu City na makuha lahat. Na-secure namin ang support ng sanggunian, ng SB members, nabigyan ng suporta yung organization ng Amuma sa Barangay,” Trovela said.
(Our target in Cebu is to cover all barangays especially in Cebu City. We are able to secure the support of the council and we are able to receive support for the organization of the Amuma sa Barangay.)
“Ang intensyon kasi namin is start small pero alam namin eventually dadami pero hindi namin i-require agad na lahat magkaroon. Ipakita muna na nag-wowork siya sa mga model barangay and then replication will happen,” he added.
(Our intention really is to start small but we know that eventually it will grow but we do not yet require everyone to engage already. We will show them first that the program actually works in the model barangays and by then replication will happen.)
Trovela said the LGU will eventually handle the Amuma sa Barangay project.
“Hindi magsa-succeed ang implementation ng program without the support of local government units,” Trovela said.
(The implementation of the program will not succeed without the support of the local government units.) (JJT/PIA 7)
