The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Central Visayas (Region 7) has mobilized a substantial P100 million fund to provide immediate relief and support livelihood recovery for workers in Cebu devastated by the recent flooding from Typhoon Tino.
Emergency Employment for Hard-Hit Communities
DOLE 7 Director Roy Buenafe, in an announcement on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, detailed that the funds will be deployed through the government's Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program. This initiative is designed to assist both formal and informal sector workers in the most severely affected areas, which include Mandaue City, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Danao City, and Talisay City.
Under this scheme, approved workers will be engaged in community rehabilitation for a period of 10 days. Their tasks will focus on essential clean-up operations, such as clearing debris, mud, and waste from public areas to hasten the overall recovery of their communities.
Financial Support and Beneficiary Selection
Each beneficiary of the Tupad program is set to receive P5,400 for their 10-day work period. This amount is calculated based on the regional minimum wage rate of P540 per day.
Director Buenafe emphasized that the program is already in motion, having started on Monday, November 10. He clarified that the work for formal sector employees is not general clean-up but is targeted. "Their work won't just be sweeping... they will work in their own enterprises so that operations can resume immediately," Buenafe stated. This approach aims to help businesses like gas stations and retail stores, which operate on a 'no work, no pay' basis, to reopen faster. Around 780 formal workers have already been identified for this immediate assistance.
For informal workers, the program will deploy them for similar short-term tasks within their flood-impacted barangays. The target is to assist 200 beneficiaries per barangay. Initial barangay targets include at least four in Liloan, six in Compostela, five in Danao City, and three each in Talisay and Mandaue cities.
The critical task of identifying qualified beneficiaries falls to barangay officials. Buenappe made a direct appeal, "We are just asking the barangay officials to avoid politics first... prioritize those who were most affected by the calamity." The regional office is working closely with local government units, barangay captains, and Public Employment Service Offices to ensure eligible participants, who must be over 18 years old and physically fit, are enrolled. Affected employers can also endorse their workers for the program.
Assured Funding and Broader Recovery Goals
Director Buenafe provided assurance that the P100 million budgetDOLE's central office has pledged to provide additional funds to sustain the recovery program until all affected workers are assisted.
"If the needs exceed this, the secretary promised to provide additional support from the central office," Buenafe said, recalling a similar instance where Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma supported extra funding for workers affected by an earthquake near Bogo City in September. The current intervention program has been extended until December.
Beyond providing immediate income to displaced workers, the program is strategically aimed at accelerating the recovery of communities and local businesses by physically clearing the obstacles left by the typhoon. Furthermore, Buenafe encouraged employers to help ease the financial strain on their employees by releasing 13th-month pay and holiday bonuses early in light of the recent calamities.
