The Misamis Occidental Office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-MisOcc) has paid PHP879,600 in cash aid to 241 worker-beneficiaries under the “Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad)” program.
In a statement Friday, DOLE-MisOcc chief Ebba B. Acosta said the beneficiaries engaged in a 10-day community disinfection and sanitation employment in designated areas throughout the province and were each compensated with PHP3,650 salary.
Acosta said the worker-beneficiaries were tasked to ensure that public places in their respective barangays, including markets and parks, were cleaned and sanitized as added measure in the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
TUPAD may not be a permanent solution, but Acosta noted that “it has touched thousands of lives and assisted them in whatever way imaginable”.
Julito Haguen, a TUPAD beneficiary whose main livelihood is driving a trike, said he was glad the program was not a government dole-out but one must work for it.
“I am much grateful because my earnings from driving are insufficient, especially during lockdowns. I cannot think of ways to make ends meet to buy food for the family,” he said in the vernacular.
TUPAD is a component of the DOLE’sIntegrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), which assists displaced and underprivileged workers in obtaining temporary employment.
The program is a community-based package of assistance that gives emergency employment to displaced employees, underemployed workers, and seasonal workers for a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 90 days, depending on the nature of the activity to be done.
Source: Philippines News Agency
