The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Bicol have signed a memorandum of agreement to enhance the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced workers (TUPAD) and strengthen community support for farmers, fisherfolk, and rural residents in the region.

In a media release on Friday, DA Bicol Regional Executive Director Rodel Tornilla said the project aims to broaden TUPAD’s scope to include 150 beneficiaries from agriculture-dependent communities, including farmers, fisherfolk, and rural residents.

The DOLE allocated PHP5.46 million for the DA’s TUPAD beneficiaries.

The program will be dubbed “Harnessing TUPAD Workforce for Sustainable Agriculture Livelihood: DA and DA-DOLE Collaboration Towards Agri-Labor Employment” with 150 eligible beneficiaries that will be employed for 90 days to perform community services like beautification, cleaning, landscaping, and other activities.

“DA Bicol will also equip them with skills training for future employment and sustainable livelihood, such as agricultural crop production, livestock and poultry production, and food processing and value adding,” he said.

The TUPAD partnership will also provide the beneficiaries with training and livelihood kits from the DA, while the DOLE will cover the beneficiaries’ salary for a 90-day training period.

“We need to have a convergence with the Department of Agriculture so that the mandate of DOLE of providing employment to our constituents will also be provided by DA to their people,” DOLE Bicol Assistant Regional Director lawyer Nepomuceno Leaño said.

He said the DA will identify the project area and the beneficiaries.

Following the MOA signing on Tuesday, the DOLE team toured the facilities inside the DA-5 compound to familiarize the possible sites for deploying TUPAD workers, which will contribute significantly to the Department of Agriculture’s goal of promoting agricultural development and growth. (PNA)