A total of 767 unemployed residents from 19 barangays of Tacurong City have received their wages for the work they rendered under the TUlong PAnghanapbuhay para sa Disadvantaged workers (TUPAD) program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
DOLE started giving out wages of the beneficiaries on June 3 coursed through M. Lhuillier. Each beneficiary received P4, 125.00 as compensation for a 15-day work. Aside from the wages, the DOLE also provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to each worker in the form of long-sleeved shirts and hats (salakot).
The beneficiaries rendered work in April after the DOLE was able to get an exemption from the Commission on Elections.
TUPAD, which provides emergency or temporary employment to the unemployed/underemployed residents or displaced workers due to natural and man-made calamities, is one of the flagship programs of DOLE under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP).
Under the TUPAD, the DOLE pays for the salaries, micro-insurance premium, and personal protective equipment (PPE) of the beneficiaries who will be engaged in community projects such as eco-tourism, repair and/or improvement of common public facilities, de-clogging of canals, debris clearing, basic repair of public infrastructure, repair and/or rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads and similar facilities, tree planting, seedling preparation, and other similar activities.
Pablito Jayme, a farmer from Barangay New Passi, said that the wages he received was a huge help to sustain the needs of his family. He was one of the many farmers affected by the long dry spell brought by El Niño in the area. “Malaking tulong ang trabaho na ibinigay na DOLE dahil nasusustentuhan ang pangangailangan ng pamilya ko habang wala pang produkto an gaming sakahan,” Jayme said.
Mayor Lina Montilla conveyed her thanks to the DOLE saying that the temporary employment given to the unemployed and displaced workers in the city helped them cope with the effects of the long dry spell. “I know that all LGUs were given the opportunity to avail of the emergency employment program; I’m thankful that our city was a beneficiary to this,” the mayor said. (LGU Tacurong City Information)