Some 999 residents from the mountainous town of Vintar in Ilocos Norte province received payments on Wednesday after rendering community service in their respective villages.

Under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), hundreds of residents in the different towns and cities of Ilocos Norte have already benefited through emergency employment and earn extra in times of need.

For a period of 10 days but not exceeding 30 days, TUPAD beneficiaries can earn at the prevailing minimum wage of PHP400 per day.

Currently, the office of Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, in collaboration with the DOLE and various local government units here, is enlisting interested individuals who may wish to avail of the TUPAD program.

Once they qualify for the program, the worker-beneficiary can receive a payout of PHP6000 and will be hired for 15 days to perform light work in the barangay such as street sweeping and cleaning of public facilities, tree planting, and coastal clean-up, among others.

The work schedule, however, varies and is adjustable.

“We are so grateful to have been part of a program that enabled us to sustain our basic needs,” said Gina Corrales, an online seller who applied for the program.

During the payout distribution held at the Vintar auditorium, Vintar Mayor Richard A. Degala expressed his gratitude to the young solon and to DOLE for facilitating the payment.

Degala said his constituents are lucky to have been chosen as beneficiaries of the TUPAD program, benefiting the low/minimum wage income earners, underemployed, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.

TUPAD is an institutionalized, community-based amelioration program aimed at helping displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers during calamities, both natural and man-made. (PNA)