Local government support for emergency employment for Bendum youth and community

Women participants of the PESO-TUPAD program of the Department of Labor and Employment in Bendum

Liza San Mateo

Representatives of Malaybalay’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) came to Bendum in early May for the implementation of TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers), a program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). TUPAD is a community-based assistance package that provides emergency employment for displaced workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 30 beneficiaries from the community that included out-of-school youth and those with currently unemployed, and aged 17 years old and above.

The program, conducted underneath the APC junior high school building, started in the morning and ended around noon. A cultural exchange followed with the PESO staff sharing the clothes and school supplies they brought with them. In return, the community gave local crops and handicrafts. PESO staff provided the packed snacks and lunch food for the program and also brought with them all the used food packaging when they departed.

The 30 beneficiaries also joined the APC-FFLM teams (Forest, Farm, and Leadership in the Margins). Each beneficiary met the 40-hour work requirement where FFLM staff explained their daily time record.

The community beneficiaries and guests from DOLE also learned what APC-FFLM is doing for forest and water management and appreciated their efforts to sustain the broader community.

APC was happy to host the guests in Balay Laudato Si’ overnight as they enjoyed the sense of culture and landscape the next day for their planning and assessment session.