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Republic of the Philippines  
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House of Representatives 
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Quezon City 
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TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
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First Regular Session 
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House Bill No. __________ 
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Introduced by Representative Jernie Jett V. Nisay 
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EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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Displacement of workers due to disasters, pandemics, economic crises, armed conflict, 
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technological disruption, or business closures continues to threaten the livelihood of millions of 
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Filipinos, especially those in the informal economy and the most vulnerable sectors. While the 
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Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating 
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Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program has provided emergency employment 
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opportunities for many, its implementation has relied mainly on policy issuances, making it 
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prone to funding constraints, irregular coverage, and inconsistent delivery. 
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This bill seeks to institutionalize the TUPAD Program into law, ensuring a sustainable, 
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transparent, and accountable wage employment assistance program for displaced and 
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vulnerable workers. It defines clear coverage, establishes project implementation standards, 
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protects beneficiaries’ wages, strengthens convergence with local and national agencies, and 
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provides safeguards against misuse. 
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By codifying TUPAD, this Act will not only offer temporary employment but also help 
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affected workers regain their livelihood, develop their skills, and transition back to stable 
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employment—thereby contributing to inclusive economic recovery and resilience. 
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In view of the foregoing, the swift passage of this measure is earnestly sought. 
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      REP. JERNIE JETT V. NISAY 
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      Pusong Pinoy Partylist 
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September 10, 2025
3:58 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
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House of Representatives 
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Quezon City 
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TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
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First Regular Session 
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House Bill No. __________ 
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Introduced by Representative Jernie Jett V. Nisay 
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AN ACT 
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PROVIDING FOR A WAGE EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE 
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PROGRAM FOR DISPLACED AND/OR VULNERABLE WORKERS INSTITUTIONALIZING 
FOR THE PURPOSE THE TULONG PANGHANAPBUHAY SA ATING 
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DISADVANTAGED/DISPLACED WORKERS (TUPAD) PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT 
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OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR 
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OTHER PURPOSES 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
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assembled: 
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Section. 1. Short Title. –  This Act shall be known as the “TUPAD Act”. 
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Section. 2. Declaration of Policies. – The State shall promote a just and dynamic 
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social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people 
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from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, 
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a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all. 
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It shall improve the quality of life of all Filipino workers through active labor  market 
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policies, promoting and facilitating employment generation, human resource development, and 
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by providing displaced and/or disadvantaged workers a social safety net from the effects of 
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disasters, epidemics/outbreaks, pandemics, public health emergencies, war, armed conflict, 
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crises, economic shocks or income loss brought about by ill-health, disability, work-related 
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injury, unemployment, work displacements, and other related contingencies. 
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Section. 3. Coverage – This Act shall cover all displaced and/or vulnerable workers 
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affected by disasters, epidemics/outbreaks, pandemics, public health emergencies, war, armed 
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conflict, crises, economic shocks, or income loss brought about by ill-health, disability, work-
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related accidents or injuries, unemployment, work displacements due to business closure, 
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retrenchment, rightsizing, redundancy technological advances, and other analogous causes. 
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Section 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 
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Employment (DOLE) to implement TUPAD programs and projects using 
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government or public funds. 
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(b) “Beneficiary” refers to individuals or group of individuals who are qualified 
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recipients of assistance under TUPAD; 
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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 
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losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or 
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society to cope using its own resources, as defined in Republic Act No. 10121 
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otherwise known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management 
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Act of 2010; 
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(d) “DOLE or Department” refers to the Department of Labor and Employment; 
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(e) “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, 
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underemployed, 
or 
have 
lost 
their 
livelihood 
due 
to 
disasters, 
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epidemics/outbreaks, pandemics, public health emergencies, war, armed 
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conflict, crises, economic shocks, or income loss brought about by ill- health, 
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disability, work-related accidents or injuries, business closure, retrenchment, 
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rightsizing, redundancy, technological advances, and other analogous adverse 
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events as may be determined by the DOLE; 
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(f) “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, or economic 
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shocks, among others, resulting in serious disruption of means of livelihood; 
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(g) “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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(h) “Self-employed” refers to individuals who create their own earnings and 
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opportunities in the form of business, contract work, whether overseas or local, 
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or freelance activities; 
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(i) “Sub-professionals” refer to individuals who hold first level positions under the 
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Revised Administrative Code of 1987, which includes the clerical, trades, crafts, 
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and custodial service positions requiring less than four (4) years of collegiate 
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studies; 
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(j) “TESDA” refers to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority; 
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(k) “TUPAD Program” is a safety net wage employment assistance program for 
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displaced 
and/or 
vulnerable 
workers 
also 
known 
as 
the 
Tulong 
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Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged / Displaced Workers Program, and 
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herein interchangeably referred to as TUPAD or Program; 
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(l) “Underemployed workers” refer to employed persons who express the desire to 
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have additional hours of work in their present job or an additional job, or have a 
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new job with longer working hours; 
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(m)  “Vulnerable workers” refer to minimum wage earners, working poor, or 
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marginalized workers, as defined below, whether in an employer-employee 
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relationship in the public or private sector, or self-employed including the 
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Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and whose families depend solely on their 
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wages or compensation income for their minimum basic needs, such as food, 
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health, education, housing, and other essential amenities of life; 
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(i) 
Minimum wage earners refer to workers in the private sector who are 
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paid the statutory minimum wage, or to employees in the public sector 
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with compensation income of not more than the statutory minimum wage 
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in the non-agricultural sector where he/she is assigned as defined under 
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Republic Act No. 10963 otherwise known as the TRAIN law; 
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(ii) 
Working poor refers to individuals and/or groups whose income fall 
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below the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and 
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Development Authority (NEDA) and/or cannot afford in a sustained 
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manner to provide their minimum basic needs of food, health, education, 
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housing, and other essential amenities of life; 
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(iii) 
Marginalized workers refer to workers who have not benefitted from 
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education, health, employment, and other opportunities by reasons of 
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poverty, geographical inaccessibility, culture, gender, among others, and 
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to workers who are less likely to have formal work arrangements, and are 
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more likely to lack decent working conditions, adequate social security, 
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and whose employment is characterized by inadequate earnings, low 
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productivity, and difficult conditions of work that undermine their 
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fundamental rights; 
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(n) “Wage employment” refers to the act of generating one’s income from an 
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employer-employee relationship. 
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Article II 
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Wage Employment Assistance Program 
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for Displaced and/or Vulnerable Workers or TUPAD Program 
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Section 5. Wage Employment Assistance Program for Displaced and/or 
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Vulnerable Workers or TUPAD Program. – The TUPAD Program is a social safety net 
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designed to assist displaced and/or vulnerable workers and their families, and get them back 
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on their feet by providing them 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 by ill-
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health, disability, work-related accidents or injuries, unemployment, work displacements due to 
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business closure, retrenchment, rightsizing, redundancy, technological advances, and other 
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analogous causes. For this purpose, the TUPAD Program being implemented by the DOLE 
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providing emergency employment for displaced or disadvantaged workers is hereby 
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institutionalized. 
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Section 6. Lead Agency and Convergence with Related Government Assistance 
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Program. – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shall be the lead agency in the 
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implementation of the TUPAD Program and shall proactively administer directly, motu proprio, 
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wage employment projects, in coordination or collaboration with relevant government agencies, 
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in the event of massive displacement of workers resulting in serious disruption of means of 
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livelihood. 
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The Department shall be responsible in the administration, sourcing, assessment, and 
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approval of all project proposals for appropriate funding using TUPAD funds. It shall integrate 
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and collaborate with other government agencies, business and labor groups, and civil society 
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groups in implementing similar or related programs and services for efficient and effective 
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whole-of-nation approach in the delivery of social safety nets. 
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Section 7. Eligible Projects for TUPAD; No Counterpart Funding Requirement. – 
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All employment projects, to be eligible for funding under TUPAD, shall be under any of the listed 
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eligible projects below. The Department shall set the period of work of approved employment 
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project depending on the nature and duration of the 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 ninety (90) days, as provided 
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herein: 
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No counterpart funding shall be required in the implementation of the project from the 
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Local Government Units (LGUs) or any of DOLE’S accredited program partners. However, they 
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shall provide technical assistance, which could be in the form of identification of projects, 
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profiling of beneficiaries, procurement, monitoring, and facilitating access of services from other 
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agencies. 
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TUPAD projects involving 46-90-day period of work shall be implemented in partnership 
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and/or complementation with agencies implementing public projects, such as the Department 
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of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural 
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Resources (DENR), Local Government Units (LGUs), as well as private sector entities to 
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engage in public projects. Said offices/program partners shall provide the required materials, 
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tools, and equipment including office equipment, as warranted by the nature of work. 
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Section 8. Qualified Beneficiaries. – All displaced workers and/or vulnerable workers 
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are qualified beneficiaries under this Act; Provided, that the Secretary of Labor, may, in proper 
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instances, also approve programs under the TUPAD Program that will include the 
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underemployed, including sub-professionals involved in structured work in support of office 
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operations or those engaged in arts, crafts, manual, and clerical work, as beneficiaries under 
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this Act. 
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The Secretary of DOLE shall set standards on the TUPAD beneficiaries, including the 
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allowable number of beneficiaries per household, the number of projects under the Program a 
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qualified 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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Section 9. Modes of Implementation of the TUPAD Program. – The TUPAD 
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Program shall be implemented by the DOLE Regional Offices through any of the 
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following modes: 
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(a) Accredited Co-Partner (ACP). Under this mode, the ACP shall be the 
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Department’s partner or conduit in the implementation of the program; Provided, 
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that they are registered with any registering body of the government and 
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accredited by DOLE as ACP under the TUPAD Program. 
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The following shall qualify as ACP: 
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(i) People’s Organization; 
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(ii) Private sector unions, federations, or workers’ associations, as 
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defined in Book V of the Omnibus Rules and Regulations Implementing 
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the Labor Code of the Philippines; 
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(iii) Cooperatives; 
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(iv) Church-based organizations; 
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(v) Private educational institutions; 
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(vi) Private foundations; and 
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(vii) Government agencies and instrumentalities, including National 
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Government Agencies, Local Government Units, and 
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Government Owned and Controlled Corporations. 
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(b) Direct Administration. Under this, the administration and implementation of the 
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TUPAD Program shall be undertaken directly by the Department’s regional 
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provincial and/or field offices. 
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Section 10. Accreditation of Co-Partners (ACP). – The DOLE shall accredit the co-
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partners in the implementation of the TUPAD Program, and for this purpose, shall set the 
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guidelines for the accreditation process. 
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Government agencies, including local government units (LGUs) and state university and 
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colleges (SUCs), shall automatically be TUPAD program partners, without need of 
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accreditation, upon execution of a TUPAD Partnership Memorandum of Agreement, clearly 
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outlining the responsibilities and deliverables of each party under the program. 
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Section 11. Employment Project Implementation Requirements. – All programs 
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under the TUPAD Program shall observe the following: 
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(a) Strict compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards provided 
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under Republic Act No. 11058 and other related laws and regulations; 
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(b) Provision of necessary equipment for beneficiaries needed to participate in 
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project effectively and safely under the Program; 
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(c) Enrollment of every beneficiary to a group micro-insurance to be included in the 
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total project cost; 
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(d) Issuance of an identification card or document for every beneficiary participating 
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in a project under the Program; 
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(e) Assistance to beneficiaries who have participated in the Program of skills training 
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or upgrading towards self-employment or wage employment. For this purpose, 
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the Department and TESDA shall ensure the implementation and enforcement 
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of this provision; 
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(f) Mechanisms to ensure that the Department and/or its accredited co- partners 
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monitor the implementation of every employment project under the TUPAD 
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Program; and 
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(g) Submission of proper documentary requirements for the release and liquidation 
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of funds for every employment project under the TUPAD Program subject to 
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relevant accounting and auditing rules and regulations. 
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Section 12. Wages and Compensation of Beneficiaries – The wages and 
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compensation of the beneficiaries shall not be less than 100% of the prevailing private sector 
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minimum wage rate set by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) for 
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non-agricultural workers in the area or locality where the project will be implemented. 
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Section 13. Unlawful Acts. – It shall be unlawful for any individual or Accredited Co-
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Partner to commit the following acts: 
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(i) Defraud the government by issuing or presenting falsified or misleading 
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documents, or using false pretenses or other fraudulent acts to acquire funding 
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provided under this Act; 
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(ii) Coerce, invite, encourage or assist persons to seek assistance from the 
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Department for purposes of acquiring from the beneficiary a portion of the assistance, 
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before or after the receipt of assistance; 
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(iii) Mislead an individual or group to join, pay or cooperate with a group falsely 
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representing itself as an Accredited Co-Partner, or falsely promising priority in the 
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processing of assistance. 
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Any violation of this provision shall result in the blacklisting of the accredited co-partner, 
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and the return of the amount involved with legal interest, without prejudice to the filing of 
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appropriate criminal cases under Act No. 3815, otherwise known as the Revised Penal Code, 
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and other pertinent laws. 
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Section 14. Project Funding. – Approved employment project proposals shall be 
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funded under the TUPAD Program fund under the budget of the DOLE. 
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The Department shall be primarily responsible for managing the funds for the 
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implementation of the Program. 
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Section 15. Authority to Receive and Administer Donations for TUPAD Program. 
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– The Department is hereby authorized under this Act to receive donations from government 
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and non-government organizations and to administer the same strictly and exclusively for the 
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beneficiaries and qualified applicants of the TUPAD Program, subject to relevant accounting 
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and auditing rules and regulations. 
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Section 16. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation of the TUPAD Program. 
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– The Department shall establish a standardized monitoring and reporting system to 
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properly document every approved project under the Program. 
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It shall also submit to Congress and make available to the public, an annual 
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accomplishment report and utilization of the funds earmarked for the implementation of the 
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TUPAD Program. The annual report shall include the pertinent details of every project under 
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the Program, the mode of implementation, number of beneficiaries, donations from private and 
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other organizations, expenditures, number of beneficiaries who acquired employment after their 
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participation in the Program, and other pertinent information as may be necessary. An impact 
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evaluation shall be conducted from time to time, but not later than every three years. 
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Article III 
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Miscellaneous Provisions 
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Section 17. Appropriations. – The funds for the initial implementation of this Act shall 
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be sourced from the current budget of the Department for the implementation of the TUPAD 
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Program. Thereafter, the amount necessary for its continued implementation shall be included 
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in the annual General Appropriations Act; Provided, that such appropriation shall take into 
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consideration an administration fee of not more than 5%. 
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Section 18. Implementing Rules and Regulations – Within ninety (90) days from the 
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effectivity of this Act, the DOLE shall, in consultation with TESDA, Department of Trade and 
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Industry, and other relevant government agencies and stakeholders, issue the necessary rules 
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and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
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Section 19. Separability Clause. – Any portion or provision of this Act that is declared 
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unconstitutional or invalid shall not have the effect of nullifying other portions or provisions 
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hereof as long as such remaining portions can still subsist and be given effect in their entirety. 
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Section 20. Repealing Clause. – All laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, other 
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issuances, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified 
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accordingly. Nothing in this Act shall result in the diminution of the benefits and/or assistance 
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given to overseas Filipinos and migrant workers as provided in other laws, ordinances, rules, 
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regulations, and issuances. 
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Section 21. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete 
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publication in at least (2) newspapers of general circulation or in the Official Gazette. 
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Approved, 
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