Senator Erwin Tulfo questioned why many beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) are often seen doing street sweeping, saying the program should offer more useful and sustainable work.
During a public hearing of the Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development joint with Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship and Finance on April 7, Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilyang Pantawid (SNPP) vice chairman Melanie Cervantes addressed government agencies, which she believes could help 4Ps families—Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Cervantes appealed to the DA to bring unsold vegetables from other areas so that Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program families can buy them at lower prices instead of letting them go to waste.
She urged DOLE to broaden the implementation of TUPAD beyond street cleaning. Cervantes suggested converting the program into integrated farming, if feasible, to generate additional sources of vegetables and other food.
“Kasi kung ang TUPAD ay pagwawalis lang ng mga ano… nadadaya po ng mga TUPAD beneficiaries yong kanilang na-ta-take na grant sa TUPAD dahil magwawalis, pailan-ilang piraso tapos iisang tao, picture picture lang. In reality po, ayaw po namin ng ganoon,” Cervantes said, emphasizing that 4Ps families do not receive TUPAD.
“Dini-deprive po kami dahil kami ay tumatanggap na daw ng grant. Ma-do-double daw po yong [kino-compensate sa amin.] Pero sa akin po, malaking bagay kung ang TUPAD ay ida-divert sa integrated farming kasi sa panahon na krisis tayo ngayon, ang hirap-hirap ng mga commodities,” she added.
In reaction, Tulfo pointed out that most visible activities under the program appear limited to cleaning tasks.
“Bakit po puro walis ng walis lang ang ginagawa ng TUPAD? Wala na ba ibang trabaho?” he asked DOLE.
He also raised concern about how the work is perceived by the public.
“Naka T-shirt, nakalagay TUPAD. Akala ko nga noong una, meron akong nadaanan na bayan, naka T-shirt, akala ko kuwan po yon eh… yong inmate, o PDL. Yon pala TUPAD pala siya. Naka dilaw na T-shirt, sabi ko, ‘Ay, TUPAD pala ito.’ Wala na po bang iba na way na… kailangan po ba talaga silang mag-walis? Bibigyan ng dust pan at walis tingting?” he added.
Tulfo said beneficiaries could instead be assigned to other community projects, such as painting classrooms or doing work that could give them more skills.
In response, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said they recognize Cervantes’ concerns, but the program is not only limited to sweeping and allows a wider range of activities depending on proposals from local governments.
“Hindi lang po yong pagwawalis, actually, yong nasa listahan noong iba-ibang proyekto although yon nga po yong image na nakikita natin, but the department is working hard to make sure na hindi ganoon yong maging tingin natin sa TUPAD because marami tayong mga beneficiary na sino-support with respect to training programs using the TUPAD,” Assistant Secretary Adeline De Castro explained.
She added that some beneficiaries are also supported through training and agriculture-related work under the program.
DOLE also said it is working to improve access to job opportunities for beneficiaries, including those under the 4Ps program.
The TUPAD program is designed as a short-term employment measure for displaced or low-income workers, but officials said it can also be used to support longer-term livelihood activities if local governments propose them.
The proposals raised during the hearing also align with efforts to expand the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, with lawmakers pushing to link cash assistance to more sustainable sources of food and income.
The move includes exploring ways to connect beneficiaries to agriculture-based projects and livelihood opportunities, similar to calls to shift TUPAD toward integrated farming.
The TUPAD program is designed as a short-term employment measure for displaced or low-income workers, but officials said it can also be used to support longer-term livelihood activities if local governments propose them—an approach now being pushed in both TUPAD and 4Ps reforms.
