The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Bicol office in Legazpi City. (PNA file photo)
LEGAZPI CITY – More than a thousand workers from the first district of Camarines Sur recently received government assistance through the Tulong Pangkabuhayan Sa Ating Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Bicol.
In a statement on Monday, DOLE-Bicol Director Ma. Zenaida A. Angara-Campita said DOLE allocated PHP6.6 million for the 1,322 beneficiaries.
"Of the total TUPAD beneficiaries, 472 workers from Ragay, Camarines received their salary; 300 workers in Del Gallego; 470 in Sipocot; and 80 workers in Cabusao," she noted.
Each beneficiary received PHP5,000 for 16 days of work based on the region's daily minimum wage of PHP310.
Campita said the Labor department would continue to implement the program so that more Bicolanos could benefit from it.
“TUPAD has been providing temporary employment opportunities for those in the informal sector who have lost their livelihood because of the pandemic,” she said.
Campita also said actual payment to beneficiaries was done last week by clustering or through the barangay to avoid overcrowding in the payout sites and ensure that minimum health protocols were followed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Beneficiaries expressed their gratitude for the assistance to the DOLE and its accredited partners.
“Dakulaon po na tabang sa financial needs mi su nakua mi po sa DOLE TUPAD. Salamat po (It is a big help for our financial needs, the cash aid that we received from DOLE TUPAD. Thank you),” 22-year-old Sebastian J. Palomares of Ragay town said.
“Salamat po sa DOLE TUPAD. Maipapa-repair ko na po bahay namin at para sa gamot ng nanay ko (Thank you DOLE TUPAD, I can now have our house repaired and buy medicine for my mother),” said Mae Ann Encinares, 21 years old, of the municipality of Del Gallego.
TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment to displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers, for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed. (PNA)
