Rep. Fidel Nograles said the government must ensure that the skillsets of beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) program are improved during the period they are working with the government.
Nograles, chair of the House of Representatives Labor and Employment Committee added: “We can improve the value of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) program by providing our beneficiaries with opportunities to gain new knowledge that would give them a better chance at finding employment or starting small businesses.”
The TUPAD program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) provides temporary employment from 10 to 90 days to displaced workers, underemployed, and seasonal workers.
While Nograles lauds the program for providing Filipinos with short-term employment during emergency situations, he emphasized that the government should think about the long-term by empowering beneficiaries so they do not solely rely on it.
He urged the DOLE to collaborate with the academe and the Technical Education and Skills Development to come up with short-term training modules that beneficiaries could select from.
For 2024, the TUPAD program’s allocation is P28.867 billion. The proposed budget for 2025 for the program and the Government Internship Program is P20.28 billion.
