Cebu's 3rd district residents get P25 million in payouts, aid

CEBU, Philippines — Residents of Cebu’s third district received P25 million worth of cash payouts and financial assistance through various government programs.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA-7) led the distribution of the payouts and aids to the beneficiaries in Barili, Aloguinsan, Balamban, Asturias, and Toledo City.

Bello led the release of financial assistance to 158 parents of child laborers amounting to P4,599,080 and P570,000 worth of OWWA financial assistance to 34 beneficiaries in Barili, Cebu.

Another 1,103 workers under the TUPAD program in the town received their salaries from DOLE totaling P4,517,888.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia also distributed the salaries of 10 TUPAD beneficiaries amounting to P40,400.

TUPAD or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers, for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.

“Basta ang mahalaga yung pera na yan, pera ninyo. Gamitin niyo nang mabuti, magtrabaho kayo nang mabuti para uunlad ang Barili, uunlad ang probinsya ni Governor Gwen at uunlad ang ating bansa,” Bello said in his speech in Barili town.

In Aloguinsan, reference codes were also distributed to 101 TUPAD beneficiaries for their payouts. The DOLE spent a total of P413,696 that will cover the payment of the beneficiaries’ salaries, enrollment and coverage of a Group Personal Accident Insurance (GPAI) with the GSIS for one year.

A total of 1,710 TUPAD beneficiaries in Balamban and 711 TUPAD workers in Asturias also received their reference codes for their salaries. The labor agency shelled out P6,908,400 for the wages of TUPAD workers in Balamban and P2,872,440 for those in  Asturias.

In Toledo City, Bello also distributed salaries of the 1,278 TUPAD workers amounting to P5,163,120 and WWA financial assistance to 43 OFWs in the amount of P650,000 yesterday in Toledo City.

According to DOLE website, only the following types of projects can be supported with TUPAD assistance: social community projects, such as repair, maintenance, and/or improvement of common public facilities and infrastructure such as schools and health centers, debris clearing, de-clogging of canals, debris segregation and materials recovery, stockpiling and clearing; economic community projects like repair, maintenance and/or rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads, bridges, post-harvest facilities, public markets and common service facilities such as production and display centers, fishports; agro-forestry community projects, such as tree planting, seedling preparation, and reforestation. —JMD (FREEMAN)