When storms, quakes, and eruptions battered communities this year, it wasn’t just homes and roads that took the hit — livelihoods crumbled just as quickly. But in the middle of the wreckage, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) rolled out one of its largest emergency responses yet: more than ₱2.045 billion in short-term jobs and livelihood support, aimed at giving displaced workers a fighting chance to get back on their feet.
The agency’s TUPAD emergency employment program carried most of the load, reaching over 381,000 workers since the Kanlaon eruption alone. For people who lost income overnight, the 10–90 day community-based jobs — clearing debris, cleaning streets, repairing public spaces — became a vital bridge toward recovery. And when back-to-back Typhoons Tino and Uwan ripped through entire provinces in November, DOLE moved fast: ₱843 million went to 160,000 affected workers, keeping families afloat while their communities slowly pieced themselves back together.
Region VII, one of the hardest-hit areas during Typhoon Tino, is still in the thick of phased payouts and ongoing profiling, with 68,349 individuals receiving a total of ₱363 million. Meanwhile, Uwan’s wake saw nearly 92,000 workers across Luzon and Visayas get ₱480 million in timely wage support. Even beyond typhoons, DOLE extended assistance to earthquake-stricken areas, injecting over ₱85 million into Central Visayas, Caraga, and Davao — critical cash for families navigating yet another layer of crisis.
On top of emergency wages, DOLE also offered a longer-term boost. Through its livelihood program (DILP), 1,693 beneficiaries received ₱19.5 million worth of seed capital and starter kits — small but meaningful footholds for people rebuilding businesses swept away by storms with names as familiar as Crising, Dante, and Nando. In a year defined by disaster, these interventions didn’t just offer income — they gave people the dignity of work, the structure of routine, and the hope of getting back up again.
Image from BusinessMirror