The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is upgrading Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program to promote sustainable livelihood creation.
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said from a short-term job opportunity scheme, the emergency employment program will foster grassroots entrepreneurship.
He noted that instead of deploying displaced workers solely for routine community cleanup activities, the enhanced TUPAD framework will group graduates of specialized training programs from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and provide them with the capital needed to establish collective enterprises.
“Ang gusto ko ngayon sa TUPAD … halimbawa, ‘yung limang nag-training ng barista ng kape — alam mo paggawa ng kape — bigyan natin ng tamang puhunan niya para ‘yung TUPAD maging coffee shop na rin nila doon sa Cebu o sa Bohol. Kaysa ‘yung nagwalis-walis (What I want now for TUPAD … for example, if five people trained as coffee baristas, we will provide them with the right capital so that under TUPAD, it becomes a coffee shop in Cebu or Bohol. This is better than just having them sweep the streets),” a DOLE news release on Friday quoted Tolentino as saying in an interview.
He said he has already discussed the new concept for the flagship program with TESDA Director General Jose Francisco Benitez.
With the specific guidelines and implementing mechanisms still being finalized, DOLE is targeting the launch of the upgraded program by July.
Regional directors will spearhead ground-level implementation, identify viable localized projects, and ensure a seamless transition from skills training to business ownership.
TUPAD is an emergency employment program that provides temporary jobs to workers, particularly those affected by calamities. Beneficiaries are paid based on the prevailing regional minimum wage rates. (PNA)
