Program launched to fight poverty

CEBU, Philippines — The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) has launched the Paaralang Bayan Online program yesterday as a means to strengthen the performance of community workers in addressing poverty nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is an idea whose time has come,” said NAPC chairman, Secretary Noel Felongco, adding the training program is addressed to barangay development councils, local community organizers and Ka-Sambayanihan volunteers nationwide.

NAPC’s Paaralang Bayan will be conducted every Saturday from October to December 2020 primarily via Zoom meeting application and will be live streamed via Facebook. Then each series will be uploaded in the Ka-Sambayanihan Volunteer’s official Youtube channel.

The program is anchored on NAPC’s five-year development plan, Sambayanihan Serbisyong Sambayanan (3S) that sought to fast-track the development of rural and urban agriculture as the most important preconditions in overcoming extreme poverty.

Felongco said NAPC’s convergence efforts seek to uplift about six million poor Filipinos by 2023.

With physical restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, NAPC’s decision to go online is a response to the need for wider dissemination of information and updates in confronting poverty.

The program is in collaboration with NAPC’s island clusters in Luzon, NCR, Visayas, Mindanao and relocation sites.

“We are looking forward to raising public awareness via a wider dissemination of information in empowering the people to participate in the country’s fight against poverty during the pandemic,” Felongco said in a statement.

Felongco said the online program is expected to increase the knowledge and to train Ka-Sambayanihan volunteers in the monitoring and implementation of poverty alleviation programs at the grassroots during the pandemic.

He said the NAPC is also looking to attain the required number of training and of trained people through the social media platform. — GAN (FREEMAN)