CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro (PIA) -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Oriental Mindoro Provincial Office recently released a fund amounting to P10,770,700 for the 3,034 informal workers under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program in Pola.

TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days, but not exceeding to 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed per DOLE’s guidelines.

The beneficiaries of the program underwent an orientation session on January 24-25, 2023.  The first batch composed of 1,310 workers was done on January 24 while the second batch with 1,724 workers was done on the following day.

Beneficiaries of the program from the 13 barangays of said town started to work on January 24, 2023, and will be ended on February 8, 2023, according to DOLE.

DOLE Oriental Mindoro Provincial Director Roderick Tamacay said TUPAD beneficiaries are currently working on various social projects such as waste clearing and segregation, unclogging waterways, repair and maintenance/improvement of common public facilities and infrastructures like schools and health centers, stockpiling, among other things.

Tamacay said each worker-beneficiary will receive a total of P3,550 or P355 per day upon completion of the required documents.  The said rate per day is equivalent to the prevailing minimum wage in the Mimaropa region.

Prior to the deployment of workers, each one of them received a set of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and enrolled in the Group Personal Accident Insurance (GPAI) program of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for insurance coverage.

Based on the record of DOLE, there were 533 profiled parents of child laborers (PCL) who are included and will also be benefited by the said program.

The program aims to provide a source of income to the said parents of child laborers, thus helping them to prevent their children to engage in any form of child labor and have access to education.

Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz received the check intended for the program and assured full support of the local government by pledging to assist in the monitoring of community service during the entire duration of the work period.  (LTC/PIA MIMAROPA)

Photo above: Mayor Jennifer Cruz (right) receives three separate checks with a total amount of P10.7 million from DOLE Mimaropa as financial support to DOLE’s TUPAD program in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.  (Photo credit: DOLE-Oriental Mindoro)