Bello urged: Hold pols liable for abusing TUPAD

MANILA, Philippines — A workers’ group is asking Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III to hold accountable politicians who are using DOLE’s emergency employment program to boost their bids in the May 2022 national and local elections.

Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) chair Leody de Guzman said Bello should not allow the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) to be used for political patronage.

“We have long been calling the attention of DOLE on how TUPAD was illicitly accessed by congressmen, in cahoots with DOLE provincial directors and local government officials, from mayors down to the barangay captains, who distribute the funds to their constituents as political patronage,” he said.

De Guzman said if Bello is serious about ending corruption, he should “call a spade a spade and name names.”

With the next elections less than a year away, TUPAD has been largely politicized, De Guzman said.

“These DOLE programs are mandated by law and must be made available to all workers. It was not released due to the good graces and kind intercession of seemingly benevolent politicians,” he said.