DOLE: 500k workers who applied for assistance under TUPAD were unserved

Some 500,000 workers who applied for assistance under the government's TUPAD program were yet to receive aid, but the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said they will be prioritized in the next round of releases.

In a virtual briefing, Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) director Atty. Karen Perida Trayvilla said the unserved workers filed their application for the TUPAD or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, but did not receive assistance.

TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers, targeting to reach close to a million workers.

Under the program, the workers are employed for a minimum of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed, and are paid based on the prevailing minimum wage in their respective areas.

"We have more than 500,000 na unserved applicants. Under Bayanihan 2... prioritize muna 'yung hindi nabigyan ng ayuda doon sa Bayanihan 1," said Trayvilla.

"Ngayon, ito pong list ng unserved, ito na po 'yung bina-validate sa regional office," she said, noting that beneficiaries are being cross-checked to ensure that they have yet to receive financial assistance from the government.

Trayvilla in mid-September said only some 600,000 workers were able to benefit from the program so far.

Under Bayanihan 2 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, the government has allocated some P165.5 billion for efforts against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), of which Trayvilla said the DOLE proposed some P6 billion for the TUPAD.

Just last month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported an unemployment rate of 10% in July, equivalent to 4.6 million jobless Filipinos.—AOL, GMA News