AMID concerns that it may be vulnerable to political patronage, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is studying the possible extension of the working period for beneficiaries of its emergency employment program, Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma confirmed on Wednesday.
Laguesma said the assessment followed initial findings of the agency’s impact study showing that most Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) beneficiaries consider the duration of the program too short.
‘The study is ongoing.Under TUPAD, the issue raised is that the program duration is too short.We are considering extending it, but that would mean fewer beneficiaries since the funds would have to be spread across longer employment periods,’ Laguesma said during the Senate Committee on Finance hearing.
TUPAD provides emergency employment lasting from 10 to 90 days for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers.
Beneficiaries are typically deployed to community-based activities such as clean-up drives, debris clearing, and minor repairs of public facilities, and are paid based on the region’s prevailing minimum wage.
Senate Committee on Finance Chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also supported the review, saying the department must base its decision on a proper impact study.
‘The initiative might look good.but we also need a science-based approach to determine whether the program truly creates impact, even if short term,’ he said.
Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), P12.24 billion has been allocated for the Government Internship Program (GIP) and TUPAD, of which P11 billion is intended for the latter.
The amount is lower than this year’s P18 billion combined budget for both programs.
In the House of Representatives, the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations has approved the realignment of a portion of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ 2025 budget to increase TUPAD’s funding to P26.96 billion.
The realignment, however, remains at the House level and will still be subject to bicameral deliberations before a final amount is adopted.
DOLE Assistant Secretary Amuerfina Reyes said the proposed cut under the NEP could affect not only the number of workers assisted but also the quality of interventions.
‘If financial support is reduced, it will definitely have a domino effect-not just on the number of beneficiaries but also on the quality of assistance for people who need it most during emergencies and calamities,’ Reyes said, noting that TUPAD serves as a stopgap measure for displaced workers.
‘TUPAD should be productive’
For Ateneo de Manila University labor economist Leonardo A. Lanzona, the effectiveness of extending TUPAD would depend on whether the work under the program becomes more productive.
‘The number of days paid under TUPAD should lead to productive output. Otherwise, it will remain a doleout,’ Lanzona told BusinessMirror.
He said the government could turn TUPAD into a training platform where beneficiaries acquire new or firm-specific skills during their short employment period.
‘With the help of firms, firm-specific skills can be provided, making the worker employable. The idea is the program becomes a human capital investment, not just welfare. The improved worker productivity makes the program sustainable and results in better employment outcomes,’ he said, adding that such an approach would require collaboration among DOLE, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Trade and Industry.
De La Salle University economist Ma. Ella Oplas, meanwhile, said DOLE must also clarify who should qualify for the program.
She explained that TUPAD should prioritize workers who are part of the labor force but are temporarily unemployed-those in transition between jobs-rather than individuals outside the labor force.
She added that extending the program could help sustain the needs of beneficiaries while they search for permanent work.
‘I think it should be lengthened to make sure that while they are looking for work, they get to sustain their needs. They should also rethink the amount that they are giving out.It takes time to scientifically compute it but what I can say is that it should be more than 5k,’ she said in a text message.
In 2024, TUPAD assisted more than 4.45 million individuals, triple its original target of 1.35 million, with about half coming from calamity-stricken areas.