P6.37M in TUPAD wages benefit over 1,000 workers in Ormoc City

Ormoc City – A total of P6.37 million in wages have been recently paid to some 1,419 informal sector workers in Ormoc City as the Department of Labor and Employment continues to intensify implementation of its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.

The wage payout was led by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III as he reiterated the department’s commitment to deliver labor and employment programs and services to the needy workers of the Eastern Visayas region and to the whole country.

“I would like to assure our partners in the local government that your labor department is working its best to deliver labor and employment services for the benefit of our dear Filipino workers,” Bello said.

Noting that the TUPAD program has been very effective in providing temporary employment opportunities for those who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, Bello emphasized that the labor department will continue to implement the program so that more Filipinos could benefit from it.

“The TUPAD program has really helped a lot of people from different places and I am happy to see how our government through DOLE is able to bring assistance and relief to our workers amidst this pandemic,” he added.

Of the total TUPAD beneficiaries, 1,080 workers received P4,875 each as payment for their 15-day service while the remaining 339 workers were paid P3,250 each for completing a 10-day TUPAD program.

Aside from Bello, the wage payout, held last April 23 at Ormoc Superdome, was also witnessed by Labor Undersecretary Renato Ebarle. He was assisted by DOLE-RO8 Regional Director Henry John S. Jalbuena and DOLE West Leyte Field Office Head Fe A. Estrella.

Leyte 3rd District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez and Ormoc City Mayor Richard I. Gomez expressed their gratitude to Bello not only for his presence during the significant event but also for all the DOLE assistance given to residents of Ormoc.

TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers, for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.