Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Wednesday assured workers who have been displaced due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic that they will continue to receive assistance from the government.
In a statement, he said many establishments closed shop as owners incurred high operational cost and lower sales which have resulted in displacement of some workers.
“Alam ko, marami ang mga nawalan ng trabaho at nagsara na negosyo sa panahon ngayon. Marami rin sa mga magulang natin na OFW (overseas Filipino workers) ang napilitan umuwi (I know that a lot of people have lost their jobs as businesses closed during the pandemic. Many of our OFW parents were also forced to return home),” he was quoted as saying in a video shown to some 200 displaced workers in Tabogon town, north of Cebu.
The workers were recipients of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), a program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) that aims to assist individuals affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Go urged those who lost their job to join the cash-for-work program under the TUPAD, a government initiative that offers a community-based package of assistance in the form of emergency employment for displaced, underemployed and seasonal workers for 10 to 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.
According to a post on DOLE’s website, the types of projects that can be supported with TUPAD are social community undertakings 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, fishports; and agro-forestry community projects, such as tree planting, seedling preparation, and reforestation.
In an activity at the Tabogon Municipal Hall on June 12, the 200 displaced and out-of-school youth workers were given their wages for the work they completed under the program.
Go’s team also provided them with meals, vitamins, masks and face shields while some got bicycles or new shoes from the senator to help with their transportation needs.
There were beneficiaries who received computer tablets so they can continue their online school activities in the safety of their own homes amid the pandemic.
Representatives from other agencies were likewise present as part of a whole-of-government effort to address the impacts of the pandemic on low-income communities.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development provided each worker with additional financial assistance in a separate distribution, the statement said.
The Department of Trade and Industry and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority also conducted assessments for their respective assistance programs.
“Mahirap na nga ‘yung buhay noong wala pang Covid-19, ngayon mas mahirap pa. Gayunpaman, lumalaban pa rin ako para maabot ang mga pangarap ko (Life was tough before Covid-19, now it’s even tougher. However, I am still struggling to reach my dreams),” said Sheila Puyos, 22, a resident of Barangay Tabao-o who was among the 200 workers who received their wages from DOLE-7.
She thanked the senator for his support to the youth, saying “this tablet given by Go is a big help for my modular classes.
Source: Philippines News Agency
