More livelihood starter kits distributed to Marawi residents

ANOTHER 500 livelihood starter kits were recently distributed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to displaced residents of Marawi City as part of the rehabilitation program. The business packages, worth P15,000 each, include tricycles and pedicabs to address the need for transportation in the war-torn city. “Maranaos are naturally inclined to be entrepreneurs,” Dr. Habib Macaayong, Mindanao State University (MSU) president said in a DTI statement. The distribution of the kit certificates was held at the MSU main campus in Marawi on July 16, where a forum on financing was also held by the Small Business Corporation, Asa Philippines, and Al-Amanah Islamic Bank. Earlier this year, DTI distributed 756 certificates for sewing, carinderia (eatery), sari-sari store, carpentry, electrician, Maranao delicacies, street food, Kia bongo delivery trucks, and mobile rice mills. This first batch has so far generated more than half a million in earnings, according to the DTI. — Janina C. Lim