From January to May of this year, over 92,000 residents in the Ilocos Region have benefited from the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) emergency employment program.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – Ilocos Region Assistant Director Honorina Dian-Baga reported during a forum on Monday that the agency has disbursed PHP 497.6 million for the program.
Under the TUPAD program, workers engage in 10 days of community work, for which they are compensated at the daily minimum wage in the region, currently set at PHP 435. The community work typically involves cleaning and maintaining public facilities.
The program also includes beneficiaries such as persons deprived of liberty, parolees or probationers, exiting members of the conditional cash transfer initiative Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, and surrenderers, former members, or supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army, Baga noted.
In addition, DOLE has disbursed PHP 13.3 million to 1,226 individuals under its Integrated Livelihood Program, which aims to assist marginalized and vulnerable individuals or groups by providing financial support for starting, expanding, or restoring livelihoods.