ILOILO City – Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 9 this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Western Visayas released P351,721,947.50 to 87,492 beneficiaries of its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
According to John Mandario, information officer of DOLE-6, the recipients were workers from the informal sector or those who did not have an employee-employer relationship.
These included pedicab drivers, itinerant vendors and others whose livelihoods were affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the program, recipients work for 10 to 15 days, four hours daily, and receive a salary of P395 per day.
Mandario said local government units, partnered agencies and DOLE-accredited organizations were the ones that selected the recipients.
To ensure the workers’ health and safety, DOLE also provided personnel protective equipment (PPE), facemasks and hats.
“TUPAD is one way nga tagaan sang employment ang aton nga mga informal sector para makabulig man sa ila matag-adlaw nga pangabuhi,” Mandario told Panay News.
Mandario said they provide the initial payment when the recipients’ requirements such as the DTR (daily time record) are complete.
The recipients also need not go to DOLE offices; their compensations were downloaded at various remittance centers.
Per DOLE’s guidelines, the following types of projects can be supported with such assistance:
* Social community projects, such as repair, maintenance, and/or improvement of common public facilities and infrastructure such as schools and health centers, debris clearing, de-clogging of canals, debris segregation and materials recovery, stockpiling and clearing
* Economic community projects like repair, maintenance and/or rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads, bridges, post-harvest facilities, public markets and common service facilities such as production and display centers, fish ports
* Agro-forestry community projects, such as tree planting, seedling preparation, and reforestation
Prior to one’s actual engagement in employment, the beneficiary will be provided with the following:
*basic orientation on safety and health;
* PPE in the form of T-shirt and hat
* Enrollment in group micro-insurance, to be included in the total project cost or as counterpart of the ACP/LGU; and
* TUPAD ID.
Meanwhile, Mandario said the program is ongoing. It is also one of the trust programs of the new director of the DOLE-6, Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez./PN
