House to probe TUPAD scam

The case of individuals allegedly posing as accredited senior citizens of an organization under the Department of Labor and Employment and collecting fees from elderlies in exchange for their inclusion in the agency's program has prompted a House probe.

The immediate investigation in aid of legislation arose after a lawmaker representing the welfare and interests of the elderly in the House of Representatives disclosed that his office had received numerous complaints from seniors, alleging that they were asked to pay a membership fee for inclusion in the DoLE's TUPAD Program.

DoLE's TUPAD Program is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.

It was launched as mandated by the "Bayanihan to Recover as One Act" in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior citizens below 75 years old who are fit to work and are not receiving pensions except for Social Pension for Indigent Filipino Senior Citizen are eligible to be beneficiaries of the program.

The resolution's author, Senior Citizen Partylist Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes, said according to complaints, once senior citizens become members of the program as beneficiaries, they are obliged to give half of the amount received from TUPAD.

Even worse, he claimed that seniors who disobeyed the organization's directives were threatened with expulsion from the program.

Should the allegations be proven true, it is against the mandate and intent of the TUPAD Program, and it can be considered a crime that should be stopped, and the perpetrators should be held accountable, according to the legislator.

Under House Resolution 506, Ordanes prodded the lower chamber's appropriate committee to conduct a review and investigation, in aid of legislation, of the said senior citizen organizations that have abused and corrupted the government's TUPAD Program.