By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA — Well into the rainy season, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be tapping beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program under the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to help clean waterways and creeks as part of flood mitigation efforts in Metro Manila.
MMDA general manager Nicolas Torre III met with labor secretary Francis Tolentino to discuss the partnership, including the provision of personal protective equipment and training for the beneficiaries.
Under the agreement, DoLE will be providing the MMDA 10,000 TUPAD slots to reinforce the agency’s manpower in cleaning small waterways around the metropolis.
“They will be utilized in areas that haven’t been reached by our organic manpower,” Torre told reporters in a press briefing.
He said the beneficiaries will be deployed across Metro Manila, as they have specified creeks and waterways that need to be cleaned.
The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now MMDA top executive also said that while the formal initiative will start on July 17, around 500 beneficiaries can start under the program in the next few days.
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