THE Department of Labor and Employment on Monday said that they had given over P1.8 billion in wages and livelihood assistance to over 313,000 workers across the country as part of the celebration of Labor Day.
According to Labor Undersecretary Carmela Torres, the said amount includes wages of informal sector workers.
They were under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD program.
The DOLE said that under the TUPAD program, there were 267,000 beneficiaries who received their wages amounting to P1.3 billion.
DOLE said that they will also disburse P428 million to 26,000 beneficiaries under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) or Kabuhayan Program; P68 million worth of stipends of some 10,000 government interns under the DOLE-Government Internship Program (GIP); and P40 million worth of salaries of young workers under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES).
Meanwhile, Torres noted that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority is set to give away starter toolkits amounting to P4 million.
DOLE previously announced it would be offering 74,000 jobs from different sectors during its career fair at different sites nationwide.
According to Torres, there were some 1,289 local employers that took part in the program.
Catherine R. Cueto
