Hundreds of displaced workers and unemployed in the province of Ilocos Norte will be coming together on Saturday in an employment and livelihood caravan that will be conducted here courtesy of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in partnership with other government agencies.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III is expected to grace the event which features the different programs and services being undertaken by the agency to help Ilocanos recover from the pandemic.

The caravan is also expected to raise public awareness on the government’s blueprint to provide jobs, business opportunities and livelihood to millions of Filipinos nationwide.

Under the blueprint, the jobs are seen to come mainly from key employment generating sectors (KEGS), such as manufacturing, food processing, construction, tourism, Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM), transportation and logistics, and retail trade.

According to Anne Marie Lizette B. Atuan, manager of the Provincial Public Employment Service Office, at least 300 individuals will benefit from DOLE’s employment and livelihood assistance program.

“These include the recently-hired additional contact tracers in the province as their salaries will be shouldered by the DOLE under the so-called ‘Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers’ or TUPAD,” she said.

TUPAD is community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers; those who are self-employed and have lost their livelihood, including farmers and fishermen, due to natural or man-made disasters; and the underemployed and unemployed poor.

Under the program, beneficiaries will work for a minimum of 10 days, but not to exceed 30 days, depending on the nature of the emergency work.

Meanwhile, at least 25 individuals from the province will be joining the Government Internship Program (GIP) of the agency to encourage qualified individuals to pursue a career in government service.

Early on, the DOLE chief signed Department Order No. 204-A series of 2019 which allowed applicants aged 31 years old and above to also apply for the program.

To qualify, applicants must have no work experience or with intermittent work experience; laid-off or terminated due to closure of establishments; or displaced due to natural or manmade disasters.

The program is also being extended to victims of armed conflict, rebel returnees, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples. (PNA)