DBM: P11.03B earmarked for TUPAD temporary jobs program in proposed 2027 budget

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday said the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget next year earmarked over P11 billion for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In a statement, the DBM said the P11.04-billion allocation for TUPAD would provide temporary employment and income support to 672,776 disadvantaged and displaced workers nationwide.

TUPAD provides community-based emergency employment to disadvantaged and displaced workers, allowing beneficiaries to earn wages through temporary public and community work when regular sources of income are disrupted.

The Budget Department said TUPAD, under the government’s strengthened approach, is envisioned not simply as temporary work, but as a bridge toward the worker’s next, more sustainable source of income.

It added that while the amount allocated for the program is the same level as this year’s, next year’s TUPAD “provides longer support for qualified long-term beneficiaries, with the prescribed work period increasing from 20 days to 45 days.”

The Budget Department explained that “qualified beneficiaries under the long-term component will have a longer period to earn income while receiving greater workplace safety support.”

The DBM added that support for personal protective equipment (PPE) will likewise increase from P350 to P400 per beneficiary.

Budget Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon, for his part, said the real measure of TUPAD is not just how many temporary jobs the government can provide, but whether these opportunities can help workers move toward something more sustainable. –NB, GMA News