NOT FOR POLITICS. An undated photo shows the recent activity of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Central Visayas intended for the beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) in Cebu. DOLE-7 regional director Undersecretary Victor del Rosario on Friday (May 5, 2022) said the TUPAD program aims to help workers displaced by the pandemic find a temporary job and not for profiling of voters for the May 9 national and local elections. (Photo courtesy of DOLE-7)
CEBU CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Central Visayas on Friday said the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) aims to help workers displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic get a temporary job and not to profile voters.
The statement from Undersecretary Victor Del Rosario, concurrent DOLE-7 regional director, came after a certain political camp here allegedly used the TUPAD program to profile voters for vote-buying purposes for the May 9 national and local elections.
Del Rosario responded to a complaint filed by lawyer Ernesto Rama on the alleged “TUPAD payout” that happened at the Asian College of Technology (ACT) on Wednesday and Thursday.
In a response letter, del Rosario said they do not directly pay in cash to the beneficiaries of the program.
“Based on the policy of the Department and per record of this Office, the distribution of payment of TUPAD salaries is sent and released through a money remittance service provider,” he said.
He mentioned M. Lhuillier and the Universal Storefront Services Corporation (USSC) as the agency’s accredited remittance centers that can dispense salary payouts for the TUPAD workers.
“It is our money remittance partners who will send a message to the beneficiaries that they can claim their wages,” he added.
Del Rosario vowed to make validation of the reported payout at the ACT based on Administrative Order No. 118, the agency’s prevailing rule in disposing of complaints about its DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP).
TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment to displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers from 10 to 30 days.
On Thursday, local police and Special Weapons and Tactics personnel responded to a bomb threat alarm at the ACT, discovering that a number of residents who were there following an advisory to get the initial amount of TUPAD payout. (PNA)
