Eighty-eight workers in Sorsogon City received a combined PHP3.6 million in wages through a 90-day employment program that also provided them with hands-on experience in agricultural and livestock activities.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Bicol, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA), implemented the AGRITUPAD: Beyond Emergency Employment project, assigning the beneficiaries to the DA Dairy Farm in the city under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
Each beneficiary received a daily wage of PHP455 during the 90-day project, providing temporary income while allowing them to gain practical experience in farm operations.
The beneficiaries were involved in crop production, nursery management, and livestock care, including preparing organic inputs, tending vegetable crops and seedlings, feeding livestock, collecting eggs, and maintaining farm facilities.
DOLE Sorsogon Provincial Head Mary Jane Rolda said the initiative allowed beneficiaries to earn while gaining practical knowledge that they could use after completing the program.
“Through AGRITUPAD, our beneficiaries are allowed to learn, acquire practical skills, and experience actual agricultural and livestock operations. We want to give them knowledge and skills that they can use in their next employment or future endeavors,” she said in a statement.
For Joseph, 41, one of the beneficiaries, the program provided more than temporary income as he gained new skills in farming and livestock raising.
“It has been a great help to us, not only because we had an opportunity to earn, but also because we learned new tasks in farming and livestock raising. We did not expect that we would learn so much while working under TUPAD, including skills that we can use in the future,” he said.
The AGRITUPAD project demonstrates how temporary employment assistance can also provide workers with practical experience that may help them pursue livelihood or employment opportunities beyond the duration of the program. (PNA)
