An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Thursday the regions of Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao have started providing emergency employment assistance for informal sector workers affected by Typhoon Odette.
“The (DOLE) Regional Office Number 8 (Eastern Visayas), they started on December 17 – a day after Typhoon Odette, which struck our country. In Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), they started on December 20,” lawyer Ma. Karina Perida-Travilla, chief of the agency’s Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) said in a Laging Handa briefing.
She added that other affected areas will be conducting profiling of affected workers.
“While Regions 6 (Western Visayas), 13 (Caraga) and 4-B (Mimaropa) will be conducting a rapid profile, as well as Ceb. They are currently conducting rapid profiling for our beneficiaries who will undergo the TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) Program and assist in early rehabilitation and recovery in their areas,” she said.
Earlier, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced the allocation of PHP100 million for TUPAD to hardest-hit regions in Visayas and Mindanao,
Each region will receive PHP20 million for the emergency employment of a total of 25,000 beneficiaries.
The informal sector workers will be given emergency employment for 10 days, where they will help in clearing, de-clogging of canals, debris segregation, materials recovery, and other activities needed in the rehabilitation of their communities.
A community-based amelioration program, TUPAD provides emergency employment for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days to a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.
The salary will be based on the prevailing minimum wage in the region and will be received through a money remittance service provider.
Meanwhile, Trayvilla reported that close to two million informal sector workers have benefitted from TUPAD, as of December 17, utilizing a budget of PHP9.6 billion.
For the year 2022, she said they have allocated some PHP20 billion for the program.
“Based on our national expenditure program in the 2022 budget, we have almost PHP20 billion set aside for the TUPAD Program and we expect that 4.7 million beneficiaries will benefit from it and they will be given jobs for ten days,” the DOLE official added.
Source: Philippines News Agency
