MANILA – Nearly 1 million informal sector workers have so far benefited from the cash-for-work program of the government, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported on Monday.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said a total of 939,209 workers were provided emergency employment under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program and received wages amounting to PHP4.5 billion.
He said the record implementation of TUPAD is pursuant to the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to speed up assistance to the most vulnerable members of society.
“And this was precisely the instruction we issued to our regional offices: expedite the release of assistance to our workers,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Bureau of Workers with Special Concern (BWSC) Director Karen Trayvilla reported that of the number of beneficiaries, some 797,222 had been paid while 141,989 have ongoing works.
She added that with the expeditious program implementation, TUPAD beneficiaries may reach more than one million with more funds still available from the PHP6-billion appropriation under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
“We expect more informal sector workers to benefit from TUPAD under Bayanihan 2. That may exceed one million,” Trayvilla said.
She added that the DOLE had relaxed the program depending on the needs of the region.
Under the program, beneficiaries are paid for work done for a minimum of 10 days to a maximum of 16 days based on the threshold requirements in the area.
The National Capital Region had the biggest TUPAD allocation under Bayanihan 2 which stood at Php923.9 million followed by Region 4A at PHP593.2 million and Region 3 with PHP587.1 million.
TUPAD is a regular program of the department to provide emergency employment for displaced or disadvantaged workers in the informal sector affected by calamities and disasters. (PR)
