The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Negros Oriental began distributing PHP10.7 million in cash assistance on Tuesday to 2,288 beneficiaries in Dumaguete City.

The financial aid is part of DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program. Each beneficiary worked for 10 days, earning a daily wage of PHP468, for a total of PHP4,680, according to Ma. Socorro Mira, head of the city’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO).

Mira said many of the workers were employed in August as street sweepers and waste segregators in their barangays.

“We are actively promoting waste segregation to minimize the garbage being brought to the city’s materials recovery facility in Barangay Candauay,” she said in an interview.

The payout will continue through Wednesday. Beneficiaries have been divided into two groups to facilitate the distribution of TUPAD assistance. (PNA)