DOLE-12 releases wages for Tacurong City's 767 emergency employment workers

TACURONG CITY -- Seven hundred sixty seven disadvantaged or unemployed workers here have reasons to celebrate and have something for their children as classes begin Monday, officials said.This, after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-12) released their wages for the work they rendered under its TUlong PAnghanapbuhay para sa Disadvantaged workers (TUPAD) program.DOLE-12 started giving out wages to the beneficiaries on June 6 through Pera Padala of M. Lhuillier with each beneficiary receiving P4,125.00 as compensation for a 15-day work.Albert Gutib, DOLE-12 regional director, said aside from the wages, the DOLE also provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to each worker in the form of long-sleeved shirts and hats (salakot).The beneficiaries rendered work in April after the DOLE was able to get an exemption from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on hiring of workers.TUPAD, which provides emergency or temporary employment to the unemployed/underemployed residents or displaced workers due to natural and man-made calamities, is one of the flagship programs of DOLE under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP).Under the TUPAD, the DOLE pays for the salaries, micro-insurance premium, and personal protective equipment (PPE) of the beneficiaries who will be engaged in community projects such as eco-tourism, repair and/or improvement of common public facilities, de-clogging of canals, debris clearing, basic repair of public infrastructure, repair and/or rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads and similar facilities, tree planting, seedling preparation, and other similar activities.Pablito Jayme, a farmer from Barangay New Passi, said that the wages he received was a huge help to sustain the needs of his family.He was one of the many farmers affected by the long dry spell brought by El Niño in the area. This DOLE program provided us some relief to sustain daily needs of my family after the drought made our life difficult due to effects on our farms, Jayme said.Tacurong City Mayor Lina Montilla lauded the DOLE program, saying that the temporary employment given to the unemployed and displaced workers in the city helped them cope with the effects of the long dry spell. I know that all LGUs were given the opportunity to avail of the emergency employment program I’m thankful that our city was one of the beneficiaries, she said.