To give beneficiaries of a government emergency employment program a better chance of finding sustainable jobs, the government must ensure that the skillset of beneficiaries is improved during the period they are working with the government, the chair of the House of Representatives’ labor and employment committee said on Friday.
“We can improve the value of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) program by providing our beneficiaries with opportunities to gain new knowledge that would give them a better chance at finding employment or starting small businesses,” Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
The TUPAD program of the Department of Labor and Employment provides temporary employment from 10 to 90 days to displaced workers, underemployed, and seasonal workers.
“Beneficiaries can only avail of the program once a year, so we have to think about what comes after. Kung may nakakabit na training program kasabay ng short-term work, hindi lang doble ang value na maidadagdag natin sa benepisyong bigay ng programang ito.”
While Nograles lauds the program for providing Filipinos with short-term employment during emergency situations, he emphasized that the government should think about the long-term by empowering beneficiaries so they do not solely rely on it.
“Beneficiaries can only avail of the program once a year, so we have to think about what comes after. Kung may nakakabit na training program kasabay ng short-term work, hindi lang doble ang value na maidadagdag natin sa benepisyong bigay ng programang ito,” the lawmaker said.
He urged the DOLE to collaborate with the academe and the Technical Education and Skills Development to come up with short-term training modules that beneficiaries could select from.
“By providing them with learning opportunities we open more doors for them towards attaining a sustainable livelihood,” said Nograles.
“Hindi rin kasi biro ang pondong inilalaan natin para sa TUPAD. There has to be an end-game that will benefit those that the program serves in the long-term,” he added.
For 2024, the TUPAD program’s allocation is P28.867 billion. The proposed budget for 2025 for the program and the Government Internship Program is P20.28 billion.
