MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that the Labor Day activities on Wednesday will include payouts for farmers and fisherfolks who have been severely affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

DOLE Workers' Welfare and Protection Cluster Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said these are beneficiaries of their "Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers" or the TUPAD Program.

READ: DOLE: Wrong contact info led to millions in unclaimed workers' aid

Under the program, DOLE provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers for 10 to 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed.

"Binigyan po natin sila ng temporary employment para sa gayon ay kahit hindi po sila nagsasaka o wala silang income from agriculture at doon sa pangingisda po nila ay may other source of livelihood po sila. So nagtrabaho po sila at pinasahuran sila ng Department of Labor and Employment," Benavidez said in a televised briefing Tuesday.

"Ngayon pong May 1, iyong mga TUPAD payouts po namin ay karamihan po doon ay apektado ng El Niño," he added.

Close to 20 local government units had already declared states of calamity in early April because of the low rainfall and intense heat brought by El Niño.

The heat and the dry weather are expected to continue into May.

More than 35,000 individuals have been part of the program, utilizing over P163 million worth of employment packages from DOLE, Benavidez said.

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