The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has expanded its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program with seven initiatives that link temporary emergency work to skills training, business capital, and regular jobs.
Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino issued the changes through Department Order No. 239-E, Series of 2026. DOLE said the program will now look beyond days worked and wages received and focus on moving beneficiaries toward more stable employment and livelihood. The department said the changes support a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that employment programs provide immediate assistance while also building workers’ skills and income options.
SkillPass
SkillPass turns a beneficiary’s TUPAD work experience into a record of skills and competencies. Eligible participants will be profiled and matched to work assignments based on their skills and local job openings.
They may be referred to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for training, assessment, and certification. Their work and skills records will then be consolidated into a SkillPass certification used to connect them with further opportunities.
Tropa Negosyo Trabaho
Tropa Negosyo Trabaho, also called Puhunan Ko, organizes beneficiaries with similar or complementary skills into groups of at least five to start and run a business.
Approved groups may receive ₱50,000 to ₱500,000 in capital, along with support in business planning, skills training, mentoring, product development, and market linkage. Members may also contribute part of their TUPAD wages as group capital if they agree to do so.
Sagip-Trabaho
Sagip-Trabaho provides wage subsidies to qualified micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that are struggling with wage hikes, with a limit of 35 registered workers per employer. The subsidy covers the exact value of the mandated salary adjustment for eligible staff for up to 90 days. Employers must keep up benefit contributions, maintain job stability, and comply with labor laws.
KaHANAP
KaHANAP connects job-ready TUPAD beneficiaries and other qualified workers with MSMEs that have hiring needs. Participants receive up to 90 days of supervised workplace experience and are paid wages during that period.
Eligible participants include TUPAD workers ready for employment, indigenous peoples and indigenous cultural communities, persons in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, senior high school graduates, technical-vocational graduates, and first-time jobseekers. Participating MSMEs are encouraged to hire qualified workers afterward, depending on performance and available vacancies.
Match Fund LGU
Match Fund LGU pairs DOLE’s TUPAD funds with cash or in-kind contributions from local government units (LGUs) so more beneficiaries can get temporary work. Activities are grouped into three packages: Match Serbisyo for public facilities and services, Match Luntian for solid waste management, environmental protection, and climate action, and Match Digital for digitizing LGU systems, records, and processes. Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-income-class municipalities are given priority.
Tulong-Aral
Tulong-Aral gives qualified education graduates and academic mentors temporary TUPAD work while they help Grades 1 to 3 learners improve basic reading, writing, and mathematics. Each mentor may assist up to five learners in small-group sessions at participating public schools or authorized learning venues. Mentors receive 10 days of training, temporary TUPAD employment, and a certificate upon completing the program.
Trabahong-Dagat
Trabahong-Dagat targets coastal communities, particularly during closed fishing seasons, with hands-on work experience and links to skills training, jobs, and business support. It has three tracks: Dagat Skills and Services for maritime and fishing-related operations, Isda Skills and Production for aquaculture and fisheries development, and Blue Enterprise Development for turning technical skills into small businesses.
The program is open to registered fisherfolk and their families, coastal youth, first-time jobseekers, fisheries, maritime, or TESDA graduates, displaced or seasonal workers, and members of legitimate fisherfolk organizations, labor unions, and cooperatives.
DOLE’s announcement did not state when each initiative will begin.
