Launched in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Isabela Recovery Initiatives To Support Enterprises (I-RISE) Program was a bold and timely response to the unprecedented loss of jobs and the collapse of livelihood sources caused by prolonged lockdowns. Initially implemented in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, the LPGMA Party-list, and the Northern Luzon Small Biz Group, the program provided interest-free loans to cooperatives and associations, as well as livelihood assistance to individuals from marginalized and vulnerable sectors. Over the years, I-RISE evolved not only as a source of capital and support but also as a procuring entity and ready market for the produce of local cooperatives and associations, distributing goods directly to underserved communities.
As of January 2025, the program has extended Php 248,590,535.00 worth of rice and livelihood assistance, reaching 75,119 small and micro-sized enterprises (SMSEs), 77 cooperatives, and 27 associations, with a cumulative membership of 30,201 individuals. Through its multifaceted approach, I-RISE supports cooperatives and associations representing a wide range of disadvantaged groups, including small farmers and fisherfolk, informal sector workers, indigenous peoples, women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), the elderly, and the youth.
The program also provides livelihood assistance to individual entrepreneurs whose capital does not exceed Php 5,000.00, such as ambulant vendors, sidewalk sellers, flea market (talipapa) vendors, beauticians, barbers, butchers, masseuses, freelance workers, and laborers or skilled workers without formal employment.
Through I-RISE, the Provincial Government of Isabela continues to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to economic recovery, inclusive growth, and social justice, turning crisis into opportunity and empowering communities from the ground up.
