By Brian Campued
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is mobilizing thousands of Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) beneficiaries in support of the nationwide Brigada Eskuwela and a massive cleanup drive in Metro Manila ahead of the rainy season.
This, as DOLE Secretary Francis Tolentino joined President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the kickoff of the National Capital Region (NCR) Brigada Eskuwela 2026 in Kapitbahayan Elementary School in Navotas City on Tuesday.
The initiative is part of the partnership between DOLE and Department of Education (DepEd), which was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on May 13 to ensure that schools are ready for the opening of classes on June 8.
Under the partnership, DOLE’s TUPAD beneficiaries assist in cleanup and sanitation efforts, repair and repainting of facilities, restoration of school fixtures and furniture, and landscaping and beautification activities.
As of DOLE’s latest data, at least 122,393 TUPAD beneficiaries are tapped for the Brigada Eskuwela, covering around 5,605 schools nationwide.
TUPAD beneficiaries will likewise be deployed to assist in cleanup and declogging activities in drainage systems, esteros, rivers, and other critical waterways in NCR, in line with the President’s directive to reduce the occurrence of flooding during the rainy season.
Tolentino joined Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairperson Romando Artes and officials of the Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works and Highway in a meeting led by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto in Malacañang.
In a news release, Recto said the inter-agency initiative will focus on garbage removal, desilting heavily clogged waterways, and restoring water flow in drainage channels that usually cause the recurring floods in the metropolis.
“Dalawang problema ang sabay nating tinutugunan dito—pagbaha at kabuhayan. Habang nililinis natin ang mga estero, ilog, at drainage systems, nakapagbibigay din tayo ng trabaho sa libu-libong Pilipino,” Recto said.
Meanwhile, agencies are finalizing the number of workers that would be deployed and are coordinating with local government units to ensure the immediate implementation of the program.
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