The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) provincial office in Antique will release the PHP10.9 million wages of 1,849 beneficiaries of its emergency employment program on May 1.

Provincial Office Senior Labor and Employment Officer Benjie Requintina said in an interview on Thursday that the payout for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) workers will form part of the celebration in the province on Labor Day.

“The TUPAD workers started their work on April 17 and will end on April 26,” he said.

They were from the municipalities of Hamtic, Caluya, Laua-an, San Jose de Buenavista, Bugasong, Valderrama, Sibalom and Anini-y.

Each worker will receive PHP5,500 as wages for their 10-day work, which they can claim from the Palawan Pawnshop, the DOLE remittance partner.

“The TUPAD workers carried out various tasks such as community gardening, mangrove planting and clearing of the mountain trails in the upland barangays depending on the needs of their local government units (LGUs) and the approved program of work by the DOLE,” he said.

Meanwhile, Requintina said that with the extreme heat index, the LGUs have leeway to adjust the working hours of TUPAD workers, provided they render six hours a day.

They also have to inform the provincial office of the adjustment.

“In San Jose de Buenavista, the TUPAD workers start at 6 a.m. to avoid possible heat stroke and exhaustion,”Requintina said.

The 1,849 TUPAD workers belong to the second batch of beneficiaries in the province. The first batch was implemented early this year. (PNA)