Gov't urged to make TUPAD a public jobs program

THE GOVERNMENT needs to convert its displaced-worker aid initiative, known as TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) into a public jobs program, labor analysts said.

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Benjamin B. Velasco, an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Labor and Industrial Relations, said TUPAD needs to become a hiring program providing paid work to the unemployed for at least 100 days per year.

"Instead of street sweeping, (the government should prioritize) green jobs such as tree planting, river and beach cleanups," Mr. Velasco said via Facebook chat.

TUPAD was designed a community-based safety net scheme that provides temporary employment to the unemployed, the underemployed, and seasonal workers.