Ky BAY
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES [? RECEIVED a
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES {[2
Quezon City
TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
House Bill No. 86

Introduced by HONORABLE RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA III,
HONORABLE LANI MERCADO-REVILLA, and
HONORABLE BRYAN B. REVILLA

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Poverty and displacement remain persistent realities for many Filipino
workers. Whether caused by natural calamities, economic shocks, pandemics, or
involuntary termination, the lack of stable income can immediately plunge entire
households into vulnerability. In such moments, swift and targeted government

support is not only necessary—i

This bill seeks to institutionalize the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating
Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program of the Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE). TUPAD is a community-based package of emergency
employment that has long served as a temporary relief mechanism for displaced,
marginalized, and underemployed workers. By placing it within the framework of
law, the bill aims to provide the program with permanence, safeguards, and

strengthened implementation.


This measure codifies and expands the TUPAD program by establishing clear
definitions, expanding its coverage, mandating inter-agency convergence, and
prescribing minimum standards for wage and safety benefits. It ensures that wages
paid under TUPAD shall not be less than 100% of the prevailing regional minimum
wage, and that beneficiaries are covered by micro-insurance and appropriate

protective equipment.

Further, it outlines modes of implementation, mechanisms for accountability,
and consequences for prohibited practices such as commission cuts and ghost

beneficiaries.

By passing this bill, the State strengthens its social safety net and empowers
DOLE to more effectively respond to emergencies—whether due to climate,
conflict, or economic downturn. It is a practical, humane, and forward-looking
policy that reaffirms the dignity of work, even in temporary forms.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

RAMON Ko B. REVILLA IIT
LANI Whacavo-newt LLA <é B. REVILLA


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 86

Introduced by HONORABLE RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA III,
HONORABLE LANI MERCADO-REVILLA, and
HONORABLE BRYAN B. REVILLA

AN ACT 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:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "TUPAD Act."

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — 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.


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The State shall improve the quality of life of all Filipino workers through
active labor market policies, promotion of employment opportunities and
employment facilitation, human resource development, and the provision to
displaced, marginalized, and/or vulnerable workers a transitional or temporary social
safety net from economic shocks brought about by disasters, public health
emergencies, war, armed conflict, economic crises, and other related contingencies,
and/or experiencing loss of livelihood or income due to disability, work-related

accidents or injuries, unemployment, or work displacements.

SEC. 3. Coverage. — This Act shall cover all displaced, marginalized, and/or
vulnerable workers affected by disasters, public health emergencies, war, armed
conflict, economic crises, and other related contingencies, and/or experiencing loss
of livelihood, or income loss due to ill-health, disability, work-related accidents or
injuries, unemployment, or work displacements because of authorized causes of
termination of employment, technological advances, policy-related disruptions, and

other analogous causes.

SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act:

(a) Accredited Co-Partner or ACP refers to the program partner that has
been accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
to implement TUPAD projects using government or public funds. The
ACP may be a peoples’ or workers’ organization, legitimate labor
organization, cooperative, business association, _church-based

organization, educational institution, including Technical Education


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and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-accredited technical
vocational training institutions and State Universities and Colleges
(SUCs), nongovernment organization, private foundation, or a
government agency or instrumentality, including National Government
Agencies (NGAs), Local Government Units (LGUs) and Government-
Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCCs):

Beneficiary refers to individuals or group of individuals who are
qualified recipients of assistance under the TUPAD Program;

Displaced workers refer to persons involuntarily terminated due to
authorized causes of termination as provided under the Labor Code of
the Philippines, technological advances, policy-related disruptions, and
other analogous causes. It also refers to Overseas Filipino Workers who

have been involuntarily separated from their jobs overseas;

Marginalized workers refer to workers deprived of education, health,
employment, and other opportunities by reasons of poverty,
geographical inaccessibility, culture, and gender, among others, and to
workers who are less likely to have formal work arrangements, and are
more likely to lack decent working conditions, adequate social security,
and whose employment is characterized by inadequate earnings, low
productivity, and difficult conditions of work that undermine their
fundamental rights;

Self-employed refers to persons who operate their own businesses or

trades and do not employ paid workers in the conduct of their economic


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activities, including workers who work purely on commission basis and

who may not have regular working hours;

Sub-professionals refer to individuals in the private sector involved in
structured work in support of office operations or those engaged in arts,

crafts, and manual or clerical work;

TUPAD Program refers to temporary wage employment assistance
program for displaced, marginalized, and/or vulnerable workers, also
known as the Tulong-—- Panghanapbuhay sa _—_Ating
Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program, and _ herein
interchangeably referred to as TUPAD or Program;

Underemployed workers refer to employed persons who express the
desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or an

additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours;

Vulnerable workers refer to workers, local and overseas, including
minimum wage eamers, working poor, and marginalized workers, who
are confronted by ex-ante risk that if currently non-poor will fall below
the poverty line, or if currently poor, will remain mired in poverty, or
exposed to adverse shocks; and

Workers refer to workers in the formal and informal economy or self

employed, whether overseas or local.


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SEC. 5. Lead Agency and Convergence with Related Government
Assistance Program. — The DOLE shall be the lead agency in the implementation
of the TUPAD Program and shall be responsible in the administration, sourcing,
assessment, and approval of all project proposals for funding for the implementation
of the TUPAD Program. The DOLE shall integrate and collaborate with other
government agencies, LGUs, business and labor groups, and civil society groups in

implementing similar or related programs and services for an efficient and effective

whole-of-nation approach in the delivery of social safety nets.

SEC. 6. Eligible Projects for TUPAD; Counterpart Funding Requirement.
— Eligible employment projects that may be included under the Program shall
include, but not be limited to, social community projects, economic projects, field
works such as conduct of survey and profiling in partnership with government
offices, agro-forestry community projects that promote green jobs, and provision of
assistance to LGUs in the delivery of essential services. The DOLE, in coordination
with relevant government agencies, LGUs, ACPs, and other relevant stakeholders,
shall formulate and implement projects under the TUPAD Program that
complements or utilizes the skill set of all categories of workers classified under the

Philippines Standard Occupational Classification.

The DOLE shall also set the duration of work for each project under the
Program, with due regard to the nature of the work to be performed; Provided, That
except as authorized by the Secretary of Labor and Employment in exceptional
circumstances, the duration of each project under the TUPAD Program shall not be
less than ten (10) days, nor exceed ninety (30) days. Consistent with applicable


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government auditing rules and regulations, ACPs and LGUs shall provide a
counterpart funding of 20% of the total cost of the project. The funding may be in
the form of labor, land for the project site, facilities, and equipment, among others,
to be used in the project. The LGUs and ACPs may also provide technical assistance,
which could be in the form of identification of projects, profiling of beneficiaries,

procurement, monitoring, and facilitating access of services from other agencies.

Sec. 7. Qualified Beneficiaries. — All displaced workers, marginalized, and/or
vulnerable workers shall be qualified as beneficiaries under this Act; Provided, That
the Secretary of Labor and Employment may, under appropriate circumstances,
approve TUPAD projects that will include the underemployed and/or sub

professionals as beneficiaries under this Act.

The Secretary of DOLE shall set standards regarding the TUPAD
beneficiaries, including the allowable number of beneficiaries per household, the
number of projects under the Program a qualified beneficiary may participate in, and
such other relevant matters for the effective implementation of this Act, with a view

to helping the most number of beneficiaries.

Sec. 8. Modes of Implementation of the TUP AD Program. - The TUPAD
Program shall be implemented by DOLE Regional Offices through any of the
following modes: With an AGP - Under this mode, the AGP shall be the DOLE'S
partner or conduit in the implementation of the program, provided they are registered
with any registering body of the government and accredited by DOLE as an AGP;
Provided, That Government agencies, LGUs, TESDA, and SUGs, shall


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automatically be TUPAD program partners, without need of accreditation; or DOLE
Direct Administration - Under this mode, the administration and implementation of
the TUPAD Program shall be undertaken directly by the DOLE'S regional,
provincial and/or field offices. In the event of massive displacement of workers
resulting in serious disruption of means of livelihood, direct administration of wage
employment projects shall be undertaken proactively by DOLE motu proprio, in

collaboration with relevant government agencies and/or LGUs.

SEC. 9. Wages and Compensation of Beneficiaries. — The wages and
compensation of the beneficiaries shall not be less than 100% of the highest
prevailing minimum wage rate set by the Regional Wages and Productivity Board
(RTWPB) in the region where the project will be implemented. The beneficiaries
shall be enrolled in a group micro insurance and shall be provided with the
appropriate training, safety tools and proper equipment. The DOLE shall use
automated banking facilities, money remittance providers, and electronic/digital
wallets as primary mode of wage disbursement for the beneficiaries of this Act.
Under exceptional circumstances, such as TUPAD projects in geographically
Isolated and disadvantaged areas, or non-operation of wage disbursement
mechanisms due to public emergencies, including war, armed conflict,
epidemics/outbreaks or public health emergencies, the Secretary of Labor and
Employment may authorize direct cash pay-out to TUPAD beneficiaries.

SEC. 10. Prohibited Practices. The DOLE shall establish mechanisms to
ensure compliance with the provisions of this Act. It shall provide a list of prohibited

activities, such as, but not limited to, cuts for commission, job sharing, ghost


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beneficiaries, duplicate beneficiaries, and padding of beneficiaries. Any violation of
this provision shall result in the blacklisting of the ACP, including the reimbursement
of the amount involved, with legal interest, without prejudice to the filing of criminal
and other related cases. If the ACP is an LGU or sue, the LGU or SUC shall
immediately address such deficiency and/or error, without prejudice to applicable
tules and regulations of the Commission on Audit (COA), and the filing of civil,
criminal or administrative actions against erring officials and government
employees. In case of direct administration, the responsible DOLE personnel shall
be subjected to administrative investigation, without prejudice to the filing of

appropriate civil, criminal or administrative case.

SEC. 11. Authority to Receive and Administer Donations for TUPAD
Program. -The DOLE is hereby authorized under this Act to receive donations from
government and non-government organizations and to administer the same strictly
and exclusively for the beneficiaries of the TUPAD Program, subject to relevant

accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

SEC. 12. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation of the TUPAD Program. —
The DOLE shall establish a standardized monitoring, evaluation and reporting
system to properly document every approved project under the Program. It shall also
submit to Congress, and make available to the public, an annual accomplishment
report and utilization of the funds earmarked for the implementation of the Program.
The annual report shall include the pertinent details of every project under the
Program, the mode of implementation, number of beneficiaries, donations from
private and other organizations, expenditures, number of beneficiaries who acquired


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employment after their participation in the Program, and other pertinent information
as may be necessary. An impact evaluation shall be conducted from time to time, but

not later than every three (3) years.

SEC. 13. Grievance Mechanisms. —- The DOLE shall establish grievance
mechanisms for the filing or reporting of complaints, grievances, or violations
provided in this Act and other related laws arising from the implementation of the
TUPAD Program. For this purpose, the Department shall ensure that all beneficiaries

and stakeholders of the Program have access to these grievance mechanisms.

SEC. 14. Appropriations. — The funds for the initial implementation of this
Act shall be sourced from the current budget of the DOLE for the implementation
of the TUPAD Program. Thereafter, the amount necessary for its continued
implementation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act;
Provided, That such appropriation shall take into consideration an administration
cost of not more than 5%, subject to periodic review and appropriate
recommendation for increase, whenever necessary. For this purpose, the DOLE shall
issue the appropriate guidelines on the utilization and management of the

administration cost.

SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within ninety (90) days
from the effectivity of this Act, the DOLE shall, in consultation with TESDA,
DPWH, DENR, DILG, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, National Anti-

Poverty Commission (NAPC), and other relevant government agencies and other


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stakeholders, issue the necessary rules and regulations for the effective
implementation of this Act.

SEC. 16. Separability Clause. — Any portion or provision of this Act that is
declared unconstitutional or invalid shall not have the effect of nullifying other
portions or provisions hereof as long as such remaining portions can still subsist and

be given effect in their entirety.

SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. — All laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, other
issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed

or modified accordingly.

Sec. 18. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,