LUBAO, Pampanga –Some 334 residents in this town, most of whom are former illegal-drugs dependents, have been hired in the government’s cash-for-work program.
On Thursday, the residents coming from 21 barangays here received their personal protective equipment to be used in their employment under the “Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers Program” (TUPAD).
Close to P1.4 million has been allocated for the salaries and other benefits of the TUPAD workers. The allocation was facilitated by Butil partylist Rep. Cecilia Leonila Chavez and the Department of Labor and Employment.
This was the second batch of TUPAD beneficiaries from Lubao this year. The first group of 356 individuals were awarded their equipment in February thru funding requested by the office of Pampanga Second District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and unemployed indigents. It is a component of the DOLE Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program.
Under the program, each beneficiary is hired to work for a minimum of 10 days with a daily pay of P3,570; Each was given P350-worth of protective clothing and head gear and enrolled for insurance coverage with the Government Service Insurance System in the amount of P50 covering the entire duration of their work program.
Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab, in her message to the beneficiaries, said that cleanliness is the priority job of the employed workers.
“When you conduct your job properly, always remember, it is you and your families who will eventually benefit. You are being paid to clean your own communities, for you to prevent the spread of diseases bred in unsanitary surroundings,” the mayor stressed.
Public employment services officer Raquel Lugtu said the municipal government has identified the beneficiaries from the Philippine National Police’s list of drug surrenders to give them the opportunity to find gainful employment and veer away from the illegal vice for good. –Albert Lacanlale