MORE than 1.3 million informal sector workers have been provided emergency employment assistance by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data from the DOLE showed that 1,346,454 informal workers have benefited from the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program as of June 8.
“Under Bayanihan 1, DOLE’s TUPAD-Barangay Ko, Bahay Ko Disinfection/Sanitation Project was able to provide P1.581 billion worth of assistance to 422,804 workers,” DOLE spokesman Rolly Francia said.
“The second round of TUPAD implementation under Bayanihan 2 assisted 923,650 workers with total aid worth P5.219 billion,” he added.
TUPAD is a DOLE assistance program that provides emergency employment for informal sector workers by engaging them in community projects while being paid with the prevailing minimum wage in the region.
Given the success of the program, DOLE said it is set to honor outstanding implementers of TUPAD among their regional offices and their respective focal persons.
“It is about time that we recognize the hard work and dedication of our workers in the Department, who have tirelessly implemented our TUPAD program,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement.
“They have been efficiently administering our emergency employment program for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers, especially during this pandemic,” he added.
DOLE said it will select the top three regional offices that have been outstanding in timely submitting the physical and financial accomplishments reports, in initiating good practices and innovations, and in attaining a minimal number of audit observations.
