KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 12 provided emergency employment and assistance to 77,200 beneficiaries in the Soccsksargen and Bangsamoro regions in the first quarter of 2024.
Under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers Program (TUPAD), the agency implements various initiatives to promote productive employment opportunities and protect every Filipino worker, especially in dire times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to DOLE Soccsksargen Assistant Regional Director Fatima Quorayce L. Bataga, the TUPAD program also assisted 249,000 and 128,755 individuals in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
“TUPAD is a program of DOLE that has been implemented for a long time; it started as an emergency employment for our disadvantaged workers, and then the agency saw it as a big help, especially during the COVID-19,” she stated at the recent ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas’ in Koronadal City.
She noted that recipients of the program worked on a variety of community projects that supported development and provided income, highlighting the upgrading and ongoing implementation of the TUPAD program following the pandemic.
According to Bataga, the program’s clean and green initiative is a significant community-based activity, enabling residents to develop their local communities and facilitating the repair and maintenance of public school learning facilities.
The projects under TUPAD do not only address urgent employment needs but also contribute to community development, Bataga said.
The project also includes water system construction and livelihood activities to provide clean water and support families facing financial challenges.
“The TUPAD program greatly benefits communities,” Bataga added, emphasizing DOLE’s commitment to community-focused programs like TUPAD, which significantly profit communities and leave a life-long impact on them. (PIA Region 12)
