MANILA - The Department of Labor and Employment’s flagship emergency employment program for displaced and disadvantaged workers in the informal sector, dubbed as TUPAD, will get a budget cut of P14.7 billion next year.

The proposed 2025 funding for the program is P17.4 billion or 46 percent less than this year’s budget of P32.1 billion. In 2023, TUPAD provided emergency employment to 3.1 million beneficiaries. This year, it has so far benefitted over one million individuals. Next year, it targets to benefit 1.4 million individuals.

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The proposed 2025 funding for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, meanwhile, is P3 billion or 15 percent less than its 2024 budget of P20.5 billion. 

At least three congressmen called for restoring and increasing the proposed 2025 budget for DOLE’s TUPAD program and TESDA. 

Lawmakers questioned the budget cuts saying these go against the government's goal of raising employment.

“How can we be able to continue giving livelihood and giving TUPAD to our people if we have a reduction of P14 billion? We are going to make sure that we restore and increase the budget of the DOLE and also the TESDA in the proper time,” Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez said.

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“Bakit babawasan? Ang daming ahensya d’yan na mga walang silbi, wala talagang ginagawa. Kailangan siguro ‘yun ang bawasan natin, hindi yung kagaya nito na natulong sa mahihirap,” House Deputy Majority Leader and ACT-CIS Party List Representative Erwin Tulfo added. 

The House panel terminated on Wednesday its deliberations on DOLE’s proposed 2025 budget. It will soon be tackled at the House plenary.