P2.3M released for Yolanda-hit Cebu towns

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment-7 has released a total of P2,311,920.00 to the three towns in northern Cebu badly hit by typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Under the Yolanda Rehabilitation and Recovery Program, DOLE’s Cebu Provincial Field Office facilitated the simultaneous payment of wages among beneficiaries of the Emergency Employment Program in Barangays Poblacion and Cadaruhan in Borbon, which benefited 198 workers.

Barangay Poblacion received P460,500 for 100 workers while Barangay Cadaruhan was given P451,290 for 98 workers.

DOLE-7 said that in Barangay Poblacion, beneficiaries worked for 15 days repairing electrical wirings and street lights connection; reconstructing multi-purpose building; and rehabilitating Borbon Central School’s perimeter fence.

They also did some maintenance and clearing of provincial and barangay roads.

Meanwhile, workers in Barangay Cadaruhan repaired and cleared provincial roads, landscaped the rear ground of the barangay multi-purpose building, also in 15 days.

In May this year, DOLE-7released P1,400,130 to eight barangays in Tudela, Camotes Island.

A total of 331 workers from barangays DaanSecante, Villahermosa, General, Puertobello, MC Arthur, Southern Poblacion, Calmante, and Buenavista benefited from a 15-day work

Workers in Barangay Daan Secante renovated their Senior Citizens Building and the perimeter fence of their basketball court.

Those in Villahermosa focused on excavating the foundation of the semi-concrete walkway of their marine sanctuary and installed pipe culverts and backfilled the Canmanooc Creek.

In Barangay General, beneficiaries constructed six Purok Centers while workers in Puertobello repaired the Hagutapay Wharf and rehabilitated the road in Sitio Sauran.

In Barangay MC Arthur, Purok Centers were improved and the basketball court was repainted.

Beneficiaries in Calmante constructed their barangay nursery while those in Barangay Buenavista constructed their Vermi Culture facility.

DOLE-7 Acting Director Exequiel Sarcauga said DOLE’s Emergency Employment Program or the Tulong Panghanap buhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed, and unemployed poor.

The delivery of assistance under /TUPAD has three phases.

In the pre-implementation phase, workers will be given basic Occupational Safety and Health Orientation.To ensure their safety, workers are provided with and will be enrolled in a group micro-insurance as safety net. All these will be shouldered by DOLE.

During the implementation phase, workers shall be paid 100 percent of the minimum wage, after which, they will be given additional skills trainings during the the post-implementation phase, which will help them find a job or any income-generating undertaking in the future.  (FREEMAN)