EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1836
PATE
TJME
INPEX
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT ENHANCING AND INSTITUTIONALIZING THE TULONG 
PANGHANAPBUHAY SA AUNG DISADVANTAGED/DISPLACED WORKERS 
(TUPAD) PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article II, Section 9 of the 1987 Constitution provides that "the State shall 
promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and 
independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that 
provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of 
living, and an improved quality of life for all." Corollarily, the Constitution also 
mandates under Article XIII, Section 3 that the State "xxx shall guarantee the rights 
of all workers to seif-organization, collective bargaining and negotiations, and 
peaceful concerted activities, including the right to strike in accordance with law. They 
shall be entitled to security of tenure, humane conditions of work, and a living wage. 
They shall also participate in policy and decision-making processes affecting their 
rights and benefits as may be provided by law."
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is the national agency 
tasked to formulate policies and implement programs of the national government in 
promoting gainful employment opportunities and optimizing the development and 
utilization of the country's manpower resources.
One of dole's projects is the Tuiong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating 
Disadvantaged/Dispiaced Workers (TUPAD) or Emergency Employment Program, a 
community-based (municipality/barangay) package of assistance that provides 
emergency employment for displaced workers, the underemployed and the


unemployed poor for a minimum of ten (10) days but not to exceed thirty (30) days, 
depending on the nature of work.
Just last 17 April 2020, DOLE Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay said that 
close to one hundred eighty thousand (180,000) informal workers benefited from the 
implementation of the then on-going TUPAD Program. However, while the Department 
bought to help more displaced workers, they were simply unable to fund the program's 
expansion or effectively focus their efforts on marginalized sectors.
Committed to aggressive job creation in the wake of the pandemic, this bill 
seeks to institutionalize and enhance DOLE'S TUPAD Program, expanding both the 
coverage of qualified beneficiaries in the informal sector, as well as the projects eligible 
for financing and support.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is urgently sought.
IMEE R. MARCOS


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1836
TIME
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT ENHANCING AND INSTITUTIONALIZING THE TULONG 
PANGHANAPBUHAY SA ATING DISADVANTAGED/DISPLACED WORKERS 
(TUPAD) PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Enhanced TUPAD
Act."
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy.-Ihe. State shall promote a just and dynamic 
social order that shall ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free 
the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services; 
promote decent, productive and full employment; a rising standard of living; and an 
improved quality of life for all.
The State shall ensure wider access to inclusive and gender responsive social 
protection policies and programs such as active labor market interventions promoting 
and facilitating transitional or temporary employment generation and human resource 
development, and social safety net from the effects of disasters, epidemics/outbreaks, 
pandemics, public health emergencies, war, armed conflict, crises, economic shocks 
or income loss brought by ill-health, disability, work-related injury, unemployment, 
work displacements, development policies or policy-related disruptions and other 
related contingencies.


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SEC. 3. Coverage. - This Act shall cover all displaced, marginalized and/or
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vulnerable workers affected by disasters, epidemics/outbreaks, pandemics, public
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health emergencies, war, armed conflict, crises, economic shocks or income loss
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brought about by ill-health, disability, work-related accidents or injuries,
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unemployment, work displacements due to business closure, retrenchment,
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rightsizing, redundancy, technological advances, development policies or policy-
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related disruptions and other analogous causes.
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SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
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a) Accredited Co-Partner refers to the program partner, which may be a peoples'
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or workers' organization, union, association, federation, cooperative, business
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association, church-based organization, educational institution, or private
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foundation, that has been accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment
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(DOLE) to implement TUPAD programs and projects using government or public
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funds. Government agencies, local government units (LGUs) including state
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universities and colleges (SUCs) are deemed accredited co-partners;
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b) Beneficiary refers to individuals, who may be working poor, displaced,
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marginalized and/or vulnerable workers who are qualified to avail of assistance
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under the Enhanced TUPAD Program;
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c) Disaster refers to a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a
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society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses
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and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to
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cope using its own resources, as defined in Republic Act No. 10121, otherwise
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known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010;
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d) Displaced workers refer to workers in the formal and informal economy or self-
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employed, whether overseas or local, who became unemployed, underemployed,
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or have lost their livelihood due to disasters, epidemics/outbreaks, pandemics,
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public health emergencies, war, armed conflict, crises, economic shocks, or income
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loss brought about by ill-health, disability, work-related accidents or injuries,
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business closure, retrenchment, rightsizing, redundancy, technological advances.


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development policies or policy-related disrupt and other analogous adverse events
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as may be determined by the DOLE;
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e) Enhanced TUPAD Program refers to the DOLE program which provides for a
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safety net wage temporary employment assistance for displaced and/or vulnerable
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workers also known as the Tubng Panghanapbuhay sa Ating
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Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program, and interchangeably referred to as
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Enhanced TUPAD Program;
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f) Marginalized workers refer to workers who have not benefitted from education,
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health, employment, and other opportunities by reasons of poverty, geographical
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inaccessibility, culture, gender, among others, and to workers who are less likely
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to have formal work arrangements, and are more likely to lack decent working
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conditions, adequate social security, and whose employment is characterized by
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inadequate earnings, low productivity, and difficult conditions of work that
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undermine their fundamental rights;
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g) Massive displacement refers to large-scale displacement of workers in the
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formal and informal sectors brought about by disasters, epidemics/outbreaks,
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pandemics, public health emergencies, war, armed conflict crises, economic
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shocks, development policies or policy-related disruption among others, resulting
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in loss of or serious effect on income and livelihoods;
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h) Micro-insurance refers to a scheme that provides specific insurance and similar
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products and services that meet the needs of the low-income sector for risk
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protection and relief against distress, misfortune, and other contingent events;
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i) Self-employed refers to persons who operate their own businesses or trades and
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do not employ paid workers in the conduct of their economic activities. This
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category includes workers who worked purely on commission basis and who may
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not have regular working hours.
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j) Enhanced TUPAD Program is a safety net wage employment assistance
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program for displaced and/or vulnerable workers also known as the Enhanced
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Tubng Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program, and
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Interchangeably referred to as Enhanced TUPAD Program;


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k) Vulnerable workers refer to workers confronted by ex-ante risk that if currently
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non-poor, wili fall below the poverty line, or if currently poor, will remain mired in
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poverty, or exposed to adverse shocks.
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I) Working poor refer to workers in the private sector whose wages are below the
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statutory minimum wage and individuals whose income fall below the poverty
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threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority and/or
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cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide their minimum basic needs of food,
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health, education, housing and other essential amenities of live.
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SEC. 5. Temporary Wage Employment Assistants Program for
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Displaced and/or Vulnerable Workers or Enhanced TUPAD Program, - The
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Enhanced TUPAD Program is a social safety net designed to assist displaced/or
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vulnerable workers and their families, and get them back on their feet by providing
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them temporary wage employment if they fall on hard times due to disasters,
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epidemics, war, armed conflict, crises, economic shocks, or income loss brought about
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by ill-health, disability, work-related accidents or injuries, unemployment, work
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displacements due to business closure, retrenchment, rightsizing, redundancy,
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technological advances, development policies or policy-related disruptions and other
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analogous causes. For this purpose, the TUPAD Program being Implemented by the
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DOLE providing emergency employment for displaced or disadvantaged workers is
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hereby enhanced and institutionalized.
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SEC. 6. Eligible Projects and Duration of Work. - The eligible projects
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that may be funded under the Enhanced TUPAD Program shall be social, economic,
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and agro-forestry community projects that wili help the government in mitigating the
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impacts of outbreaks/epidemics, rebuilding the community affected by
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disasters/catastrophes, and promoting green works or green jobs and climate resilient
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development/disaster risk reduction, including provisioning of assistance to the local
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government units in the delivery of essential services.
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The Department shall set the period of work of approved TUPAD project
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depending on the nature and duration of work to be performed, but In no case shall
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the project duration be less than ten (10) days, nor to exceed thirty (30) days. Under


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exceptional circumstances, the Secretary of Labor and Employment may authorize
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employment projects with a maximum duration of ninety (90) days.
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For authorized employment project exceeding thirty (30) to a maximum of
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ninety (90) days, this shall be implemented in partnership and/or complementation
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with national government agencies and local government agencies implementing
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public projects as well as private sector entities willing to engage in public projects.
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Said offices/program partners shall provide the required materials, tools, and
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equipment Including office equipment, as warranted by the nature of work.
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SEC. 7. Qualified Beneficiaries. - All displaced, marginalized and/or
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vulnerable workers are qualified beneficiaries under this Act. Critically-impacted sector
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for any of the causes of displacement pursuant to the pertinent sections under this
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Act shall be the priority sectors to be served under the program. Further, it is
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encouraged that at least 50% of the beneficiaries of the employment projects under
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the Enhanced TUPAD Program shall be women.
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The Secretary of DOLE shall set standards on the profiling of Enhanced TUPAD
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beneficiaries per household, and the number of projects under the Program a qualified
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beneficiary may participate in, and such other relevant matters for the effective
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implementation of this Act, with a view to helping the most number of beneficiaries.
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SEC. 8. Modes of Implementation of Enhanced TUPAD Program. - The
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Enhanced TUPAD program shall be implemented directly by the DOLE
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Regional/Provincial/Field Offices or through an Accredited Co-Partner (ACPs). Funds
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may be downloaded to accredited co-partners provided that they do not have
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outstanding unliquidated cash advances/obligation to the Department. Otherwise, the
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direct administration mode of implementation of TUPAD Program will be adopted.
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SEC. 9. Payment of Wages of the Beneficiaries. - The wages of the
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beneficiaries shall not be less than 100% of the "highest" prevailing minimum wage
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rate set by the Regional Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in the region where
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the project will be implemented.
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Quick disbursing mechanism of wages such as the use of automated banking
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facility, money remittance provider, e-wallet and other contactless payment


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transactions shall be the primary mode in paying the Enhanced TUPAD workers. Under
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exceptionai circumstances, such as non-operation of said mechanisms due to
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disasters, epidemics/outbreaks, pandemics, public heaith emergencies, war, armed
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conflict and anaiogous instances, or when the employment project is implemented in
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geographically isolated areas, the Secretary of Labor and Employment, may authorize
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direct cash pay-out to the beneficiaries.
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SEC. 10. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaiuation of the TUPAD Program.
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- The Department shall establish a standardized monitoring, reporting and evaluation
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system to properly document every approved project under the Program.
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The databases maintained in the DOLE Regional Offices and the centralized
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database management system of the Department which store, retrieve and maintain
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data sets necessary in the implementation of Enhanced TUPAD Program shall be
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continuously upgraded. Provided that, laws on privacy and confldentiaiity such as the
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Data Privacy Act of 2012 shall be complied with.
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SEC. 11. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. - Within ninety (90) days
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from the effectivity of this Act, DOLE shail, in coordination with relevant government
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agencies and stakehoiders, issue necessary rules and regulations for the effective
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implementation of this Act.
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SEC. 12. Separabiiity Ciause. - Any portion or provision of this Act that is
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deciared unconstitutional or invalid shaii not have the effect of nuliif/ing other portions
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or provisions hereof as long as remaining portions can still subsist and be given effect
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in their entirety.
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SEC. 13. Repeating Ciause. - Ali iaws, ordinances, rules, regulations, other
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issuances or part thereof, which are inconsistent with Act, are hereby repeaied or
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modified accordingly. Nothing in this Act shall result in the diminution of the benefits
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and/or assistance given to overseas Filipinos and migrant workers as provided in other
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laws, ordinance, rules, regulations and issuances.


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SEC. 14. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,