In Leyte province, it's the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) themselves who have been tapped to rehabilitate their jails.
Seventy persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Sogod District Jail in Southern Leyte were the latest recruits of the Department of Labor and Employment in Eastern Visayas (DOLE-8) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
The PDL beneficiaries rendered 20 days of work involving cleaning, sanitation, repainting and minor repair oF the jail facilities.
“The implementation of the program reflects the Department's balanced approach of addressing workers' immediate needs while creating pathways toward long-term economic self-reliance,” DOLE-8 Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Joan Nidua said in a news release Friday.
DOLE-8 said the implementation of TUPAD and livelihood assistance programs aims to provide immediate income support while helping beneficiaries, including PDLs, develop productive skills and prepare for sustainable sources of livelihood.
With the enrolment of PDLs under the TUPAD program, authorities believe they can contribute to the welfare of their families and provide a sense of self-worth and productivity even behind bars.
Aside from the TUPAD payouts, the agency turned over P200,000 in livelihood assistance to the Dongon Farmers' Association in Maasin City for its vegetable farming project and distributed PHP3.94 million in livelihood grants to 323 beneficiaries in Tomas Oppus under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program.
(With report from PNA)
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