DoLE says UPLIFT role focused on transport, agri

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said on Thursday that it continues to play a role in the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) committee’s inter-agency meetings aimed at shielding Filipino workers from the impact of the Middle East conflict and rising oil prices.

At a briefing, Lennard Constantine C. Serrano, assistant secretary and DoLE spokesman, said the department is implementing programs for the transport and agriculture sectors, as well as for repatriated Filipino workers, despite not being specifically named in the Palace order that created UPLIFT.

“Although in Executive Order 110, the department is not named as a member, the important thing is we are included in the discussions and meetings to contribute our programs,” Mr. Serrano said.

He added that the department is working closely with economic managers to ensure that social protection and livelihood initiatives are integrated into the national response.

DoLE’s primary contribution to the UPLIFT framework includes the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers and the Tuloy Pasada program, a cash-for-work initiative providing the regional minimum wage to transport workers affected by high fuel costs.

“We saw the importance of keeping the transportation services moving because it is not just the drivers who are affected but also the commuting public,” Mr. Serrano said.

Director Leilani M. Reynoso of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns said that the initiative has an initial budget of P1.2 billion to assist more than 50,000 workers.

“As long as the budget is there, of course, the program will continue because our target is 50,000 plus beneficiaries,” Ms. Reynoso said during the same briefing.

“Our expectation is that once profiling is finished, we will start full implementation by May 15,” she said.

She noted that the department is currently profiling beneficiaries in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, the Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, the Bicol Region, the Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and the Davao Region.

Beyond transport the DoLE said it is collaborating with the Department of Agriculture to employ workers for cleaning irrigation canals to sustain water flow and agricultural transport.

For overseas Filipino workers, the DoLE is working with the Department of Migrant Workers to profile returnees and individuals facing deployment delays. Mr. Serrano said that the department offers these workers employment facilitation and reskilling programs to bridge the gap during the crisis. He added that the objective remains employment preservation during the energy emergency, with the DoLE to pay out nearly P1.1 billion in social protection benefits to 127,000 workers for Labor Day.

Regarding the various petitions for wage increases, Mr. Serrano said regional boards remain autonomous in reviewing economic indicators to address the needs of workers through the minimum wage determination process.

He said these boards hold delegated authority from the Wage Rationalization Act to evaluate whether current pressures, such as the Middle East conflict, constitute “urgent and reasonable grounds” for a wage adjustment. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking