Camarines Norte IPs to break away from TUPAD traditional employment program
Ninety-two beneficiaries of the "Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD)" program from the Manide tribe in Camarines Norte are set to build community vegetable gardens instead of working on its usual roadside cleaning projects.
"The implementation of TUPAD for Manide beneficiaries will do away with traditional cleaning of barangay road sides," said National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Labo Service Center in a Facebook post.
This change is under the national government's directive of implementing programs that "lean on the promotion of food security", it added.
It is also for the advantage of those living in far-flung areas like members of the IP communities, NCIP Labo Service Center continued.

TUPAD, a program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is a "community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers."
The types of employment projects that it usually supports are maintenance and repair works, improvement of common public facilities, de-clogging of canals, and trash segregation.
TUPAD beneficiaries from the Manide tribe will create a vegetable garden that is open for everyone within their respective areas using assorted vegetable seeds to be provided by the NCIP and the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist, NCIP Labo Service Center said.

They were from municipalities of Labo, Paracale, and Capalonga, NCIP Labo Service Center added.
On Monday, Oct. 24, the IPs attended TUPAD orientations simultaneously held in Labo Sports Complex in Labo and Barangay Batobalani Covered Court in Paracale.
Another orientation is set to be conducted on Wednesday, Oct 26 in Capalonga.