The Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program has evolved far beyond its original purpose as an emergency cash-for-work scheme, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said the program is now serving fisherfolk displaced by the General Santos City earthquake, funding Licensure Examination for Teachers or LET passers to teach struggling Grade 1 to 3 pupils on weekends, cleaning public schools during Brigada Eskwela, and supporting transport workers through the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Tulong Pasada fuel subsidy program.
Tolentino explained the details in an interview on DZRH News program The Situation Report on Thursday, September 10, describing the breadth of TUPAD’s current applications as a reflection of how the program has been adapted to meet different kinds of displacement and disadvantage.
He said the emotional impact of TUPAD on individual beneficiaries was visible during his visit to General Santos City after the earthquake, where a fisherfolk beneficiary broke down in tears when describing how the program kept his family afloat after his livelihood was destroyed.
“Kahapon nasa GenSan, mayroon kaming tinulungan ng TUPAD doon, kahapon ko, umiiyak ang isang mangingisda. Kasi pagkatapos noong lindol, talagang sarado ang hanapbuhay,” Tolentino said.
He said one of the more creative applications of TUPAD involves hiring LET passers who have not yet found teaching positions to conduct weekend reading tutorials for Grade 1, 2, and 3 pupils in areas with high drop-out and non-reading rates, with records showing the program has been helping children catch up before they reach the Grade 4 drop-out threshold.
TUPAD also funded the nationwide Brigada Eskwela school cleaning program, where workers were paid under the scheme to prepare public schools for the new school year, and contributed to the Tulong Pasada program that helped transport workers cope with rising fuel prices after February 28.
Tolentino said the common thread across all TUPAD applications is temporary work for those who have been displaced, not permanent employment, but acknowledged that some communities have come to rely heavily on the program precisely because the disruptions affecting their livelihoods have become recurring rather than temporary.
