Davao City manicurists receive needed aid

DAVAO CITY – More than 400 manicurists in 54 barangays of the first district initially received the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) payout on Tuesday from the First Congressional District Office here in the city.

Amidst the ongoing Covid–19 pandemic, the office of the First Congressional District Representative Paolo Duterte, in joint efforts with ACT-CIS Partylist lawmaker Eric Yap and the Department of Labor and Employment provided aid to this sector.

TUPAD is a community–based package of assistance that offers emergency service for displaced, underemployed, and seasonal workers, for a minimum period of 10 days, not more than 30 days, depending on the nature of work. For this payout, the beneficiaries worked for 15 days.

Duterte’s office said that around 2,000 manicurists are yet to receive TUPAD cash assistance. The payout will be wired through money remittance to ensure a smoother and safer cash distribution to recipients in the next coming days.

The lawmakers expressed hope that the TUPAD program can help the families of the beneficiaries during these challenging times, encouraging them to continually support the government’s efforts in alleviating the impact of the pandemic on every household.

Duterte earlier said that the office prioritizes assistance to marginalized/displaced workers and frontliners in response to the pandemic’s public health emergency.

He also said that his staff is continuously going around the areas under his jurisdiction to check whether other sectors have yet to receive assistance from the government, which aims to provide programs for disadvantaged community members.