The Department of Labor and Employment in Mimaropa Region (DOLE-4B) is urging beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program to immediately report barangay officials or employees demanding a portion of the wages they received for services rendered to the government.

In an interview on Wednesday, Rameses Torres, TUPAD program focal person in this province, said it was the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) that first exposed the scam supposedly being perpetrated by wayward barangay personnel on unwitting TUPAD beneficiaries.

He noted that while DOLE 4B already issued an online advisory to TUPAD beneficiaries, so far, none of them have come forward to lodge a complaint against a village official for demanding a “cut” from their salaries.

“We issued the advisory based on information received by the DILG. But we cannot confirm at the moment that such things are taking place. In any case, we just want to clarify that TUPAD beneficiaries should get their full salaries and the DOLE has not authorized anyone to make deductions,” Torres said in Filipino.

The DOLE, which is tasked with implementing the TUPAD program with help from the various Local Government Units (LGUs), is currently “coordinating with the DILG to address the issue,” the official added.

TUPAD is a community-based emergency employment program that provides short-term jobs to displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers, for a minimum period of 10 days but not to exceed 30 days, for which the DOLE pays them minimum wage.

In a recent memorandum, DILG Undersecretary Felicito Valmocina, told barangay chairmen and other concerned officials “to ensure that all TUPAD beneficiaries receive their full wages/pay-outs and shall not in any way engage in illegal activities in the implementation of the TUPAD Program within their respective jurisdiction.” (PNA)