Christian Villacan, a middle-aged farmer from Antique, expressed relief after PHP4,800 in Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) Workers assistance was handed to him on Friday in exchange for 10 days of community work.

Villacan said he was more than grateful for receiving such aid from the government, especially at this time when their farm has been gravely affected by the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

“We are not able to harvest anything from our farm because of the drought,” he said in an interview.

Villacan was one of the 6,899 TUPAD beneficiaries who received part of the PHP32.9 million total payout distributed by the national government on Labor Day, May 1 to 3.

He said that he planted peanuts and other crops in an upland barangay of Sibalom, Antique, but could not harvest anything just yet.

He said through TUPAD aid, at least, he would be able to buy food and some basic needs.

Another TUPAD beneficiary said she would grab every opportunity to earn since farming would not get her anything at this time.

The meager income that her husband earns from fishing is not also enough to feed her seven children, the woman said.

“I feel fortunate that I had been included in the TUPAD program to do environmental cleanup,” she added.

Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James Ang, who came to lead the distribution of the payout in Barangay San Pedro, San Jose de Buenavista on May 1, said the party-list initiated the allocation of PHP5.9 million out of the total PHP32.9 million under the labor department’s TUPAD program to help Antiqueños.

“The PHP5.9 million for the 1,126 TUPAD beneficiaries is being released after them rendering hard work,” Ang said. (PNA)