DoLE to help displaced jeepney drivers

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) is ready to provide livelihood assistance to jeepney drivers and operators affected by the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma on Thursday said that affected transport workers would be given P30,000 in livelihood assistance through the department’s “enTSUPERneur” program.

More than 4,500 transport workers have availed of the program from a list of livelihood projects that include rice retailing, variety store and food stall establishment, animal raising, agricultural input provision and tailoring, among others. Laguesma said 1,500 more have applied.

The secretary said the livelihood package also contains materials, inputs, and market linkages to assist the beneficiaries.

The “enTSUPERneur” livelihood program is a joint initiative of the DoLE, Department of Transportation, Office of Transportation Cooperatives, and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Laguesma said government agencies will pool their resources to help the estimated 30,000 workers who will be displaced by the jeepney modernization program.

Meanwhile, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has provided jeepney workers with skills development training through its “Tsuper Iskolar” Program since 2019.

The program provides displaced drivers, operators and their family members free technical vocational skills training, assessment and certification, with a training allowance of P350 per day for a maximum of 35 days.