CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A total of 1,984 beneficiaries received P5 million in financial and livelihood assistance from the Capitol in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment as part of the 442nd Aldo ning Kapampangan and DOLE’s 80th anniversary in a ceremony held in front of the Capitol building here Monday.
Provincial Administrator Atty. Andres S. Pangilinan Jr. said 892 benefi ciaries of the Tulong Pangkabuhayan sa mga Disadvantage Workers (TUPAD) were paid salaries amounting to P1.4 million while 700 students who were employed by the Capitol for summer jobs got a total of P2.4 million.
He said 72 “Nego-Kart” units were also handed over to the same number of beneficiaries while 20 sampaguita growers were given farm inputs and 300 persons with disabilities received assistance. Pangilinan said each
TUPAD beneficiary was paid P336 per day for five days of work or P1,680 each for cleaning drainages and declogging canals.
“Maragul yang saup yan kareng kekatang kalalawigan a indigents. Apin yan ing awsan tang financial assistance karela (This is of great help to our provincemates who are indigents. This is our financial assistance to them),” the provincial administrator said.
“Instead na directly bibye tala mu, ngeni mag obra la reng kekatang kalalawigan and in reurn mika remuneration la (Instead of just giving them money directly, now our provincemates work and in return we give them remuneration),” he added.
DOLE Region III Director Raymundo G. Agravante expressed his gratitude to the provincial government for subsidizing 60 percent of the cash allocations. He said the Capitol subsidized 60 percent of the P2.4 million released to some 274 students and added another 22 units of nego-karts for a total of 72 units or P500,000.
Agravante said the TUPAD beneficiaries were mostly flood victims while P200,000 was allocated for the sampaguita growers. For her part, Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda returned the compliment as she also expressed her gratitude to the Labor Department and the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency for their support for the provincial government.
At one point during the program, the POEA surprised Pineda with a plaque of recognition for her efforts in curbing illegal recruitment in the province as well as stopping human trafficking. POEA’s Jesus Gabriel C. Domingo and Jocelyn T. Sanchez handed the plaque to a visibly surprised Pineda.
Meanwhile, Pineda also gave P50,000 each to the Mutya Ning Kapampangan contestants as a form of financial
subsidy during the program as she assured provincial government employees of their benefits.
Also present during the ceremony were Congressmen Yeng Guiao (1st District) and Oscar Rodriguez (3rd District) as well as mayors and provincial board members who earlier joined Pineda in laying a wreath at the Capitol marker.
