A total of 1,380 beneficiaries from 13 barangays in Legazpi City received PHP6.2 million in total wages under the second batch of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program.

The beneficiaries rendered 10 days of work, earning PHP455 per day or PHP4,550 each, to help maintain cleanliness in schools and communities as part of efforts to prevent the further spread of dengue.

Diosdado Rañeses, head and manager of the Legazpi City Public Employment Service Office (PESO), said the program was implemented in coordination with the City Health Office to support dengue prevention efforts while providing temporary employment to residents in need.

He said the initiative combines livelihood assistance with public health efforts, allowing beneficiaries to earn income while contributing to community cleanliness.

“It’s a combination of providing support amid the rising dengue cases so we can help suppress them, while also helping beneficiaries who need jobs,” he said.

He also thanked the national government and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for continuing to provide livelihood assistance to Filipinos, particularly those who need temporary employment.

Meanwhile, Merly Daseco, one of the beneficiaries from Barangay San Roque, said the wages would help her family meet its daily needs.

“This is a great help to us. I hope you will continue helping those of us who are struggling so we can overcome poverty,” she said.

She added that she was grateful to have been included in the program and would use her earnings to buy food and other household necessities.

Another beneficiary, Grace Mirabueno, also thanked the President for implementing the program, saying the assistance helps ease the financial burden on families struggling to meet their daily expenses.

“This is a great help because it eases our family’s expenses, even if only a little,” she said.

She also hoped the government would continue the program to reach more Filipinos in need.

The second-batch payout highlights the city government’s efforts to combine temporary employment assistance with community-based sanitation activities to help address the dengue situation. (PNA)