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Emergency employment benefits over 13K Capiz residents

By Perla Lena

June 17, 2021, 4:52 pm

<p><strong>EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT</strong>. Workers hired under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program plant mangroves in a barangay in Roxas City, Capiz. DOLE Capiz officer-in-charge Amy Judicpa, in an interview Thursday (June 17, 2021), said for the second quarter of 2021, the emergency employment program will benefit 13,285 workers in the province. <em>(File photo courtesy of DOLE Capiz)</em></p>

EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT. Workers hired under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program plant mangroves in a barangay in Roxas City, Capiz. DOLE Capiz officer-in-charge Amy Judicpa, in an interview Thursday (June 17, 2021), said for the second quarter of 2021, the emergency employment program will benefit 13,285 workers in the province. (File photo courtesy of DOLE Capiz)

ILOILO CITY – At least 13,285 workers in Capiz stand to benefit from the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) this second quarter of 2021.

In an interview Thursday, DOLE Capiz officer-in-charge Amy Judicpa said for the second quarter, they would be allotting PHP62.3 million for the emergency employment or cash-for-work program.

The first set of proposals with an allocation of PHP51.931 million for 10,884 workers has already been forwarded to their regional office in Iloilo City.

Another set will be submitted next week for the PHP10.4 million worth of proposals for the provision of emergency employment to 2,401 workers.

“The local governments select the workers. Their nature of work include repair, maintenance, or rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads, public markets, and rural health centers; cleaning of the vicinity of their barangays; tree planting and other rural works depending on the proposal of the LGU (local government unit),” she said.

The program is implemented for a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 15 days. They are paid PHP395 based on the existing daily minimum wage in Western Visayas.

They are also provided PHP350 worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) to include long-sleeved shirt, buri hat, and face mask. They are also covered by accident insurance under the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

“During the implementation of the TUPAD, there is an official from the LGU or barangay to (monitor and to) ensure that they use the PPE and they observe the safe physical distancing,” Judicpa added.

The employment program, as much as possible, does not want to engage senior citizens as they are susceptible to disease but it could not be denied that some were tapped to work.

She said the seniors were required to present a certificate of fit to work from their rural health physician.

While TUPAD has been a regular program of DOLE, yet it already served as their initial response to provide work to individuals affected by the health pandemic, especially those from the informal sector, Judicpa said.

“They are thankful, especially officials down to the barangay level, because somehow their salary has helped them in their daily sustenance,” she added. (PNA)


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