DoLE expands TUPAD job opportunities

Filipinos who avail themselves of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program may now be linked to longer-term employment opportunities, the Department of Labor and Employment said.

Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino issued Administrative Order 339, Series of 2026, on 30 September, expanding TUPAD, which was initially established to provide short-term emergency work for disadvantaged Filipinos.

Under the order, qualified TUPAD beneficiaries may be linked to job placements, skills certification, microbusiness funding, education and overseas employment.

DoLE will work with employers, partner institutions, local government units and government agencies, including the Department of Education, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and Public Employment Service Offices.

Qualified beneficiaries include first-time jobseekers and youth; economically disadvantaged, displaced, underemployed and informal-sector workers; and workers and communities affected by calamities, emergencies, economic disruptions, business closures or temporary loss of income or employment.

The program also covers people from vulnerable sectors, including indigenous peoples and indigenous cultural communities, residents of geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, and members of coastal and fishing communities.

The order provides guidelines for assessing TUPAD beneficiaries and linking them to appropriate programs, services and partner agencies.