100 El Niño affected farmers benefit from DOLE assistance

HAGONOY, Davao del Sur, June 20 – Some 100 El Nino affected farmers have recently benefited from the Department of Labor and Employment Region XI’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers, or TUPAD.

The pay-out held last June 3, 2016 was for farmer beneficiaries who were identified by the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) to work for ten days under the program and it was led by DOLE XI Regional Director Joffrey M. Suyao and DOLE Davao del Sur Provincial Head Henry O. Montilla.

TUPAD is a component of the DOLE Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, or DILEEP.

The program is a community-based (municipality/barangay) package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers; those who were self-employed and have lost their livelihood, including farmers and fishermen, due to natural or man-made disasters, and the underemployed and the unemployed poor.

“Gamay tabang namo ni kaninyo nga apektado sa El Nino dinhi sa Hagonoy (This is our help to you who are affected by El Nino here in Hagonoy),” Suyao said in a short message to the farmer beneficiaries.

Resurrection Cosino, one of the beneficiaries, said that this is of great help to them since about six hectares of their farming land have been affected by the dry spell.

“Maka tabang-tabang gyud ni sa among na-short na pangunsumo pati pud sa akong bana nga naa sa ospital karon (This will really help ease out our tight budget and also my husband who is in the hospital),” Cosino said.

She added that they are currently resorting to planting monggo (mung) beans in order to have something to harvest and sell as their land is still recovering.

Goeffrey Te, another beneficiary, said that they are thankful to DOLE for giving them a ten-day work opportunity.

“Daghan kayo ni siyag tabang sa amoa kay makapalit mi ug panginanglanon namo sama sa bugas kay ni-agi man mi karon ug crisis. Pasalamat kaayo mi na sa pulo ka adlaw naa miy nakuha gikan sa DOLE (This is a great help to us as we can now buy some of our needs like rice because we are currently under crisis. We are very thankful to the ten days of work from DOLE),” Te said.

Daily rate of the said beneficiaries for their ten day work was P317 per day. (DOLE-XI/Kriztja Marae G. Labrador)