P44M TUPAD wage aid released in Ilocos from January to March — DOLE

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Sunday announced that a total of P44 million in wages was released in the Ilocos Region under its flagship employment program, during the first quarter of 2022.

This translates to a total of 12,386 displaced and disadvantaged workers in the informal sector who benefited from DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged or Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, said DOLE.

Of the total beneficiaries, 1,198 were from Ilocos Norte; 1,276 from Ilocos Sur; 944 from La Union; 951 from Pangasinan’s Districts 1 to 2; 4,925 from Districts 3 to 4 of Pangasinan; and 3,092 from Pangasinan’s Districts 5 to 6.

“TUPAD has become a very important financial safety net for many of our informal workers. We are grateful to have been part of a program that has recreated jobs and provided a respite for those most affected by the pandemic,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in a statement.

The beneficiaries first rendered various community work which included cleaning and disinfection, and greening and tree-planting activities — undertaken in the beneficiaries’ respective barangays for 10 to 15 days — before they received salaries that ranged between P3,400 to P5,100 per person.

Meanwhile, DOLE Regional Office 1 Director Atty. Evelyn Ramos assured that DOLE will continue to implement TUPAD, now that it had been exempted from the election ban by the Commission on Election.

She added that the regional office will continue to implement Tupad in the coming months, with safety measures in place to ensure the program remains non-partisan.

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/MUF