ILOILO City – “Ang nabaton ko nga sweldo ginpakay-o namon sang amon balay. Daku gid nga bulig sa amon daily needs.”
Jenniezel Gamuyao of Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz district considers herself lucky to be one of the beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) under Bayanihan 2.
The community quarantine implemented to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has economically displaced a lot of workers.
However, TUPAD brought hope to workers idled by the health crisis, according to Gumayao.
She is one of the 59 TUPAD beneficiaries in their barangay who were given the opportunity to work for 15 days and compensated P395 daily.
Among Gamuyao’s duties were cleaning and disinfecting public areas, sidewalks and footbridges.
She was also one of the “green thumbs” who contributed to the vibrancy of the communal garden “Gulayan sa Nabitasan.”
According to Gamuyao, her compensation from TUPAD helped her build a house, buy necessities for the household and pay the school fees of her son, a graduating Bachelor of Science in Criminology student at a university in here.
“Daku gid ang pasalamat ko sa nag-organize sang DOLE-TUPAD, kay Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III and sa aton officials sa Iloilo City headed by Mayor Jerry Treñas and Cong. Julienne Baronda and DOLE in Region 6. Daku ‘ni nga bulig sa amon, most especially sa nadulaan sang obra. Biskan sa 15 days lang daku ang nabulig sang sweldo sa amon,” Gumayao told Panay News.
Gumayao is also a recipient of DOLE’s Government Internship Program (GIP). She works as an office staff of the Nabitasan Elementary School for three months, or until November 2021, and earns P395 per day.
For Gumayao, availing herself of the two DOLE programs helped ease the burden, especially with the meager income of her husband, who is a food delivery serviceman.
Jesner Perce Punsaran, councilman and chairperson of the committee on livelihood and job opportunities in Nabitasan, expressed gratitude to TUPAD.
“The DOLE-TUPAD Bayanihan 2 Intervention program has helped our qualified beneficiaries affected during and after the community quarantine,” Punsaran said in an interview with Panay News.
“On behalf of the people of Barangay Nabitasan, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to DOLE secretary Silvestre Bello III, DOLE Region 6, Cong. Jam-jam Baronda and Mayor Jerry Treñas for making this project possible,” Punsaran added.
Meanwhile, another beneficiary, Herchel Cabarga, was also one of the workers who reeled from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She was assigned in the Municipal Tourism Office of Leon, Iloilo.
“Grateful ako as one of the recipients, especially nga affected amon operations,” Cabarga shared to Panay News.
In the province of Iloilo, a total of 2,217 displaced workers in the tourism sector availed themselves of the TUPAD program.
LCES THANKFUL
Local chief executives also appreciated DOLE for the emergency employment assistance program.
“We are fortunate that we have that,” said Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. “We have funds that we can use for the displaced employees of the tourism sector.”
Most beneficiaries were employees of resorts and other tourism establishments which temporarily closed doors (May 22 to Oct. 16) due to strict quarantine restrictions.
Among the town-beneficiaries of TUPAD were San Joaquin, Tigbauan, Miag-ao, Tubungan, Leon, Santa Barbara, Zarraga, Leganes, New Lucena, Pavia, Janiuay, Lambunao, Calinog, Sara, Carles, San Dionisio, Balasan, Ajuy, Concepcion, Oton, Cabatuan, Dueñas, Barotac Nuevo, Batad, Guimbal, Maasin, Alimodian, Pototan, and San Enrique.
Leon’s Mayor Ma. Lina Holipas said DOLE’s TUPAD helped her 237 constituents who lost their jobs to the pandemic.
“The pandemic has brought a lot of challenges to our fellow Leonians, especially to a number of business owners and displaced tourism workers. In response to the challenges, the Iloilo provincial government headed by Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. together with the DOLE facilitated a cash for work program,” Holipas said.
The payout for Leon’s TUPAD beneficiaries was held on Oct. 12.
Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez of San Enrique, Iloilo shared the same sentiment.
According to Fernandez, not only workers in the tourism sector availed themselves of DOLE’s TUPAD but also the informal workers and indigents, among other displaced workers in the town.
“Daku gid nga bulig sa amon mga pumoluyo ang ini nga programa kay nahatagan sang trabaho sila in this time of pandemic,” said Fernandez.
Mayor Rema Somo, meanwhile, confirmed Santa Barbara had more than 3,000 TUPAD beneficiaries.
“Nagapasalamat ako sa DOLE nga nakahatag sa aton mga pumoluyo sang ‘cash for work’,” Somo said.
The mayors are also working closely with DOLE-6’s new officer-in-charge director, Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez Jr., for more boost to the region’s workforce.
P351 MILLION
Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 9 this year, DOLE in Western Visayas released P351,721,947.50 to 87,492 beneficiaries of its TUPAD program.
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.
“TUPAD is one way nga tagaan sang employment ang aton nga mga informal sector para makabulig man sa ila matag-adlaw nga pangabuhi,” John Mandario, DOLE-6 regional information officer, told Panay News.
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/PN
