OVER 100,000 workers affected by the recent typhoons have received short-term employment assistance under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged-Displaced Workers (Tupa) program, the Department of Labor and Employment’s (Dole) said on Thursday.
Data from Dole’s Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns showed that 101,302 affected workers from Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon (Cavite Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Bicol, and Eastern Visayas have so far benefited from P494.7 million in emergency employment assistance.
Tupad provides displaced or informal workers temporary jobs lasting 10 to 90 days, allowing them to participate in cleanup, rehabilitation, and community restoration activities while earning minimum wage-level pay.
Among the regions, Eastern Visayas recorded the highest number of beneficiaries with 75,598 workers receiving P359 million in wages.
Bicol Region followed with 8,511 beneficiaries worth P41.6 million, while Mimaropa recorded 7,014 workers who received P34.7 million.
In the Ilocos Region, 5,312 workers received P27.2 million, followed by Cclabarzon with P22 million for 3,177 workers, and Cagayan Valley with P9.9 million for 1,690 beneficiaries.
Dole said the emergency employment assistance aims to help affected workers recover while supporting ongoing cleanup and repair efforts in communities devastated by Typhoons Mirasol, Nando, Opong, and Paolo.
‘Through Tupad, the Department remains committed to continuously assisting disaster-affected workers toward recovery, livelihood restoration, and their continued progress,’ the agency added.
The labor department earlier said it is reviewing the current work duration under Tupad, with plans to extend the maximum period of employment beyond 90 days.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said the review seeks to determine whether a longer work period would make the program more sustainable and better aligned with post-disaster recovery needs.
‘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.
As of September, the agency has extended Tupad aid to more than 1.52 million workers, already surpassing its 2025 target of 1.46 million.
In 2024, the program assisted over 4.45 million beneficiaries-more than triple its goal of 1.35 million-with nearly half coming from areas hit by calamities.