BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) continues to assist underemployed, self-employed individuals and displaced marginalized workers to earn income for their families.
DOLE Cordillera Assistant Regional Director Emerito Narag reported during Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas that a total of 7,008 individuals in the Cordillera region received their Tulong Panghanap sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) wages totaling to P39,585,284 in the payouts on Sept. 13, 2024 as part of the “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Tapat para sa Lahat.”
Among the TUPAD beneficiaries are 907 from Apayao; 1,347 from Benguet; 862 from Baguio City; 1,104 from Ifugao; 1,491 from Kalinga, and 1,563 in Mountain Province.
The beneficiaries in Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, and Mountain Province received P430 per day for their 15 days community work, while those from Ifugao and Kalinga received P430 per day pay for the 10 days of work that they have rendered.
Narag informed that the next batch of TUPAD beneficiaries composed of 5,449 workers from the different Cordillera provinces and Baguio City were oriented about the program during the Handog ng Pangulo event.
Around P26.12 million funding is allocated to the wages, personal protective equipment and insurance of the beneficiaries. He also shared that during the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Caravan last April, the DOLE CAR disbursed around P30.017 million to 6,121 TUPAD beneficiaries.
In payout during the Labor Day celebration last May, 23,103 TUPAD beneficiaries across the region received their wages totaling to around P131.37 million.
As described by the DOLE, the TUPAD program is a community-based safety net initiative that provides temporary employment to workers in the informal sector.
The DOLE -CAR also spearheaded the release of around P1.14 million stipend to 287 Government Internship Program (GIP) beneficiaries, while a around P9.27 million livelihood assistance were also awarded to 402 beneficiaries during the Handog ng Pangulo events, according to Narag.
Narag led the DOLE-CAR in joining the other DOLE regional offices nationwide for the synchronized weekly Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas to report their accomplishments and priority thrusts under the governance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In the forum, Narag assured that DOLE continues to improve its programs and services in carrying out its mandate to promote gainful employment opportunities and human resource development, protect and promote workers’ rights and welfare, and promote and maintain industrial peace. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)
