ILOILO CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has said that P427.5 million in cash aid has been given to informal workers in Western Visayas in the first half of the year.
“We maximize our efforts in reaching the most number of informal workers across the region,” said DOLE-Region 6 Director Sixto Rodriguez.
The DOLE Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program benefited 95,261 displaced and informal workers in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental as well as the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.
The beneficiaries were workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and typhoon “Odette” last December, among others.
Their emergency employment that lasted for a minimum of 10 days and maximum of 15 days were mostly community-based.
It included repair, maintenance, or improvement of public schools and health centers and rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads, bridges, post-harvest facilities, and public markets. Some were also hired to work in fish ports or display booths.
Iloilo and Iloilo City had the biggest share of the TUPAD funds. At least P196 million were paid to 36,405 beneficiaries.
Negros Occidental and Bacolod City had the second biggest share of TUPAD funds – P115.8 million released to 29,042 vulnerable workers.
DOLE-Region 6 will continue providing emergency employment for the second half of the year.