Displaced NV workers get P18-M Tupad

By Leander C. Domingo

BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya -- More than 4,000 workers in this province under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) have received their wages in a series of payouts in the amount of over P18 million.
    Rep. Maria Luisa Lloren Cuaresma of the Lone District of Nueva Vizcaya said this is only a part of the Tupad program in the province and that there will be more to be distributed to the local workers who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
    Cuaresma expressed thanks to the Dept. of Labor and Employment for its continued Tupad program in the province that has benefited Nueva Vizcaya workers who have been affected by the health crisis.
    She said a series of Tupad payouts were conducted in the municipalities of Ambaguio, Bayombong, Bagabag, Bambang, Dupax del Sur, Dupax del Norte, Kayapa, Aritao, Santa Fe, Quezon and Villaverde.
    Cuaresma urged both government officials and beneficiaries to report any irregularity that they may have observed so that these benefits go to the right persons qualified under the Tupad program.
    She also advised the Tupad workers to use the money they received out of their hard work and use it for their respective families or for business start-ups.
    "We have heard some Tupad workers used their wages for 'tong-its' (a form of gambling) and some use their payout to buy liquor instead of using it for the needs of the family or for school materials for their children," Cuaresma said.
    She explained that the Tupad workers are those who rendered 15-day work through community service such as clean-up and disinfection activities in public facilities and receive a wage of P5,550.

Cuaresma said their work included beautification of tourist spots in their respective towns and villages.

"We believe that the Tupad program will somehow make an impact on the lives of displaced workers in the province due to the harsh effects of the Covid-19 pandemic," the congresswoman said, praising DoLE for its continued support to Novo Vizcayanos.

"We are hoping that the Tupad program for the disadvantaged and displaced workers will continue to be implemented in the province in order to help them recover from the effects of the health crisis," Cuaresma added.

DoLE officials revealed more than P18 million worth of salaries for the Tupad beneficiaries have been distributed in the province in a series of payouts since the program started.

Meanwhile, Mayor Benjamin Lloren Cuaresma 3rd said he was able to get support from the Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support party-list for the Tupad workers in the province.

He also said this is also being implemented by the DoLE for those who render 10-day work and will receive P3,750.