Forty more beneficiaries including members of the LGBTQ+ community and women’s groups received P10,000 each in financial assistance as the Iloilo City Government expanded its inclusive Tindahan, Livelihood, and Cart (TLC) Program for 2026.
The program, designed to provide accessible capital to micro and nano entrepreneurs regardless of political affiliations or personal background, brings the total number of TLC beneficiaries to 185, following 145 recipients assisted last year.
Before receiving their P10,000 livelihood grants, the 40 new beneficiaries completed capacity-building training covering basic business management, Gender and Development (GAD) concepts, and program guidelines to help sustain their small enterprises amid rising commodity prices.
Mayor Raisa S. Treñas underscored that the flagship initiative aims to level the playing field for small business owners across diverse sectors, emphasizing that access to city support does not require political backers or insider connections.
“The TLC Program is one of our flagship initiatives to provide capital directly to nano-entrepreneurs who need support to sustain and grow,” Treñas said, commending the city’s Gender and Development and LGBTQ+ Affairs offices for co-facilitating the initiative.
For Zander Morales, an LGBTQ+ beneficiary from Barangay San Felix, the grant and accompanying training offer a practical path to expanding his local sari-sari store into a sustainable business.
“The training provides valuable lessons that I can directly apply as I scale up my store and explore other opportunities,” Morales said.
He thanked Mayor Treñas for the assistance and expressed hope that more Ilonggos would benefit from the program.
