Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero is urging the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to reach out to more residents in areas hard-hit by Super Typhoon Odette by providing emergency employment under its flagship program Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers” (TUPAD).
According to Escudero, the DOLE’s flagship cash-for-work program must be sustained in regions devastated by Odette to bring relief and temporary employment to thousands of residents, particularly those belonging to informal sectors, whose livelihood and jobs have been sidelined by Odette, while rehabilitation and rebuilding continue.
Escudero, who comes from the province frequently visited by strong typhoons, shared Sorsogon’s own experience when TUPAD had provided the much-needed jobs to many residents displaced and left without any source of income after the powerful Typhoon Tisoy struck in 2019.
The cash-for-work program in Sorsogon provided emergency employment such as clearing and segregation of debris, declogging of canals, recovery of materials and other activities required to rebuild communities, according to Escudero.
“With this program, you are hitting two birds with one stone, so to speak. It gives jobs to typhoon victims at a time they needed it most, it encourages them to work, it brings pride and dignity, and at the same time they contribute to the repair, rehabilitation and rebuilding of their communities,” he said.
“Sana ay tuluy-tuloy lang ang TUPAD sa mga probinsiya at mga kabayanan na hinagupit ni Odette. Kagyat mang trabaho ito, ngunit laking tulong nito sa mga sinalanta upang may pagkakitaan habang katulong din sila at kabahagi sa pagbangon ng kanilang mga komunidad,” the senatorial aspirant said.
More than 2.2 million families have been affected by Odette when it hit central and southern Philippines last December, according to data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as of January 14. Damage to infrastructure was placed at P17.7 billion, while agriculture suffered massive losses of at least P11.5 billion.
Last December the DOLE announced that it has allotted Php100 million for the rollout of the cash-for-work program under TUPAD targeting some 25,000 informal workers from the regions of Western, Central and Eastern Visayas, CARAGA, and Northern Mindanao.
The TUPAD program is a community-based package of assistance that provides temporary wage employment to workers affected by natural calamities and disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Displaced workers will be compensated for 10 days of providing community work to be identified by local government units. Their payout is based on the prevailing highest minimum wage in their region.
According to the DOLE, over 2 million displaced workers have benefitted from TUPAD since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the 2022 spending package of the government, it received P30 billion to bankroll the emergency employment program.