The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Tuesday launched a program that will provide employment opportunities for individuals displaced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the launch of Assistance to Youth and Unemployed for Development and Advancement (AYUDA) Program at the Rizal Park, Manila, DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado said the program aims to help address unemployment through the government’s massive Build, Build, Build program.
All the DPWH Regional and District Engineering Offices nationwide simultaneously launched the program.
“AYUDA was launched so that we can maximize our Build, Build, Build Program by hiring unemployed youth and those who lost their jobs, allowing our kababayans to recover from Covid-19 and at the same time contribute to our public infrastructure development nationwide,” Mercado said.
“The goal is to at least hire one member per household to guarantee food on the table of Filipino households that are struggling to make ends meet,” he added.
Mercado said those who will be hired will be part of the DPWH maintenance workforce responsible for ensuring cleanliness and obstruction-free roads through street sweeping, cleaning of street signs, hauling waste materials, and painting of concrete barriers.
These activities complement the DPWH’s comprehensive project cycle which does not end upon the completion of infrastructure projects but also covers their upkeeping and maintenance.
A certification of employment will be issued to beneficiaries which they may use for future employment.
The DPWH AYUDA was conceptualized from previous DPWH employment programs Out-of-School Youth toward Economic Recovery (OYSTER) and the Kalsada Natin Alagaan Natin (KNAN).
The event was also attended by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” C. Abalos Jr.; DPWH Senior Undersecretary Rafael C. Yabut; Undersecretaries Maximo L. Carvajal, Roberto R. Bernardo, Eugenio R. Pipo Jr., Emil K. Sadain, and Maria Catalina E. Cabral; Assistant Secretaries Wilfredo Mallari, Ador G. Canlas, Eric A. Ayapana, and Mel John I. Versoza; NCR Director Nomer Abel P. Canlas; and other public works officials.
Source: Philippines News Agency
