The Department of Labor and Employment faces a slash of 40 percent in the budget for informal sectors employees.
Because the country is nearing the so-called new normal, hence the need to financially support the unemployed in the informal sector, the Department of Budget and Management cut the Department of Labor and Employment's budget for the TUPAD program from P25.87 billion this year to P14.88 billion next year.
TUPAD stands for Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantages/Displaced Workers, a temporary employment assistance given during the pandemic, explained Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma to CNN Philippines.
“It was reduced because we are now reaching the so-called new normal. TUPAD is a temporary employment assistance, which was given during the pandemic,” Laguesma said in a recent interview with CNN Philippines.
Beneficiaries of TUPAD are paid a daily minimum wage for short-term, 10- to 90-day public works projects including street sweeping, debris cleaning, and de-clogging works.
Aside with TUPAD, other DOLE programs would face a P174 million budget cut next year under the Adjustment Measures Program (AMP).
AMP gives one-time assistance worth P5,000 to displaced workers.
Meanwhile, with the reopening of the economy, Laguesma said they expect more workers to be returning to return to work.
The budget for TUPAD and AMP was significantly increased since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which caused massive economic disruption and mass labor displacement.
The DOLE's P36.94 billion budget for this year would be cut to P25.9 billion under the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP) of DBM. A big chunk of the reduced amount comes from TUPAD and AMP.
Some lawmakers proposed raising the funding for TUPAD during the House of Representatives' budget hearing earlier this month since its implementation greatly benefitted their constituents.
Laguesma said they will be ready to work with whatever amount they will be given by Congress in the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Laguesma also pointed out that in case they will need an additional budget for their programs, they are ready to work with the private sector or other government agencies to get it.
Tags: #DOLE, #budgetcut