A total of 2,789 displaced workers from Isabela province have benefited from the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
In a statement, DOLE Regional Office 2 said the beneficiaries were from the five municipalities of Isabela, including the town of Ramon which has 728 beneficiaries; Alicia (970); Cabatuan (970); Santiago (103); and Cordon with 18 beneficiaries.
Provincial Director Evelyn U. Yango of Isabela Field Office (IFO) said the beneficiaries rendered 10-days of community work through clean-up and beautification of public places in their respective barangays.
Yango representing DOLE 2 Regional Director Joel M. Gonzales, along with Assistant Regional Director Elpido B. Atal Jr. has led the payout of salary to the workers amounting to P10.3 million on October 18-21.
DOLE Region 2 also announced that there is still a series of TUPAD program implementations in the coming days, noting the previous directive of Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma to expand the coverage of the emergency program to those affected by calamities and other disasters.
“We are continuously implementing TUPAD programs. This is to help our displaced workers, especially those who lost their jobs during the pandemic and those who are victims of typhoons and earthquakes,” said Yango.
The TUPAD platform is one of the DOLE’s flagship programs that provide temporary employment to informal sector workers and vulnerable workers affected by natural or man-made calamity.
Under the TUPAD program, beneficiaries are entitled to receive a salary of P3,400 to P5,100 depending on the length of service. Workers are employed for 10 days up to 30 days.