The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) distributed PHP5.553 million in cash assistance to 1,234 beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) from 14 villages in Silay City and two in Bacolod City on Monday. The checks were turned over by DOLE-Western Visayas Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. and Negros Occidental Field Office head Carmela Abellar to the respective village officials during the program for the 2023 Kalayaan Job Fair and World Day Against Child Labor at a mall here. ‘The TUPAD program is a big help to our less privileged constituents,’ village chief Henry Belleza of Barangay Hawaiian in Silay City said after 110 of his constituents were identified as beneficiaries of a total PHP495,000 assistance. Barangay 2 chief Noel Lacson, also of Silay City, said 70 residents will benefit from the PHP315,000 aid. Other beneficiaries from the northern Negros city included Barangays Rizal, which also received PHP495,000; while Balaring, Lantad, Mambulac, Bagtic, Kapitan Ramon, Guimbalaon, Patag, 1, 3, 4 and 5 were granted PHP315,000 each. In this capital city, the recipients included Barangay 36, with 66 beneficiaries for a total of PHP297,000, and Barangay Bata, 100 beneficiaries of a total PHP450,000. A flagship employment program of the DOLE, the TUPAD provides emergency employment for vulnerable workers by assigning them to render community services. The beneficiaries conducted cleanup in their communities four hours a day for 10 days, equivalent to a daily wage of PHP450. They were provided with personal protective equipment, including long-sleeved shirts, hats, and face masks.

Source: Philippines News Agency