The Department of Labor and Employment-Western Visayas (DOLE-6) has granted emergency employment assistance worth PHP2.8 million to some 711 informal sector workers in the southern part of Negros Occidental affected by Typhoon Odette.
Data from the Department of Labor and Employment-Western Visayas (DOLE-6) as of Monday showed the recipients were from Sipalay City, with 161 workers; Ilog, 150; Kabankalan City, Cauayan, Candoni, and Hinoba-an, 100 each.
In a statement, DOLE-6 director Sixto Rodriguez said he has directed the field offices to coordinate with partner-local government units and fast-track the emergency employment assistance through the TUPAD or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers.
In Negros Occidental which has the most number of typhoon-affected workers in Western Visayas, each beneficiary received PHP3,950 in total wages for a 10-day work such as clearing of typhoon-hit areas plus insurance coverage.
They are part of the 2,369 affected workers across the region who received assistance from DOLE.
“Our field offices and TUPAD coordinators are processing the requirements in the shortest time possible so that the beneficiaries can utilize the assistance intended for them the soonest,” Rodriguez said.
He said the wages can be used by the workers to buy materials to repair their homes or for their basic needs.
Aside from providing emergency assistance to Typhoon Odette victims, the agency is also implementing the TUPAD and other livelihood programs for qualified and deserving members of the informal sector while the country is recovering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and other calamities.
TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers, for a minimum of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.
Source: Philippines News Agency
