Archival eyes long-term support for solo parents

Local

CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival is looking to provide long-term support for solo parents.

He said the city government is now exploring financial assistance and livelihood programs aimed at helping them secure stable income and employment.

Archival bared the plan during a rice assistance distribution for 800 solo parents from the city’s North District held earlier this week. The activity marked one of the mayor’s first major engagements with a sector he said would be a priority under his administration.

“Bag-o paman ko na mayor, ang ako lang gitagaan nako pagtagad ang mga solo parent,” Archival told the beneficiaries.

The mayor said the city is now studying the feasibility of creating a dedicated financial assistance program for solo parents, while also identifying possible funding sources to sustain it.

He acknowledged that beyond short-term aid, the city needs to develop income-generating opportunities that can help solo parents become economically self-reliant.

To lay the groundwork, Archival asked solo parents to formally register with their respective barangay presidents and submit their contact details and skill sets.

This, he said, would allow the city government to match beneficiaries with appropriate livelihood or employment programs.

“Before mo manglakaw, ang ako untang request, makabalo ko unsay inyong abilidad,” the mayor said, citing practical skills such as cooking and sewing that could be developed into community-based livelihood projects.

Among the ideas being considered is the formation of skills-based cooperatives at the district level. Archival floated the possibility of organizing cooking groups that could cater barangay events or fulfill bulk orders during holidays, reducing the city’s dependence on outside catering services while generating income for solo parents.

He also raised the prospect of sewing cooperatives that could handle large orders, such as school uniforms, which are often outsourced to private suppliers.

“Kana nga mga dagkong order, pwede unta na ihatag sa komunidad nga mas nanginahanglan ug kita,” the mayor said.

Archival pointed to the city’s existing partnerships with fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and Jollibee, which provide employment opportunities for senior citizens, as a model that could be adapted for solo parents.

During the dialogue, some solo parents appealed for city-supported discounts on basic commodities. Archival clarified, however, that such a benefit would require an enabling ordinance from the Cebu City Council before it could be implemented.

The initiatives under Archival’s administration build on earlier discussions within City Hall on improving support systems for single parents.

In a previous interview, Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña unveiled a separate proposal centered on employment-linked communal housing for single mothers, describing it as a “social experiment” to ease the burden of balancing work and childcare.

“Single mothers are economically non-productive because they cannot work properly since they have to be with their baby,” Osmeña had said, explaining why many remain unable to enter the formal workforce despite having qualifications.

Osmeña’s proposal includes partnerships with the business process outsourcing industry, starting with a Cebu-based call center willing to hire an initial batch of 40 single mothers, alongside plans for a city-supported communal living facility in Barangay Apas.(TGP)