CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) paid more than P467 million in wages to workers of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged or Displaced Workers (TUPAD) project in various provinces in the region.
In a statement, DOLE 7 said, the paid amount benefitted 112,128 TUPAD workers who worked from 10 to 30 days under the program.
DOLE 7 said localities in Cebu Province had the most number of TUPAD beneficiaries with 68,416 workers. These municipalities collectively received P280 million as payment for wages.
TUPAD, according to DOLE 7 director Lilia Estillore, is a community-based package assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed, and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.
It is one of the two components of the Department’s Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program which is DOLE’s contribution to the government’s agenda of “inclusive growth” through generation of massive job and poverty reduction opportunities.
Moreover, the Province of Negros Oriental registered 14,160 TUPAD workers who were paid P72.5 million; Bohol has 15,912 beneficiaries who were paid over P64 million in wages.
A total of 10,624 workers were also registered from the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu Lapu; workers from these tri-cities received a total of P46.7 million in payment for wages.
DOLE-7 also logged 3,016 TUPAD workers in Siquijor whose wages summed up to P12.1 million pesos.
Estillore said workers under the program are paid the highest minimum wage rate applicable in the region for a day’s work.
Workers will render various community work, such as cleaning and disinfection, greening and tree planting activities, de-clogging of canals, maintenance or improvement of common public facilities, and debris segregation, among others.
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