Dole's budget increase draws 'ayuda agency' criticism

MANILA, Philippines — Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio has lambasted the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) for what he described as its transformation into an "ayuda agency" due to the gradual budget increase of its assistance programs. During the House of Representatives’ committee of appropriations’ hearing of the Dole’s budget for 2027, Tinio voiced concerns over the additional P10.25 billion budget request for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program. "Why did Dole become an aid-distributing agency? Is that Dole’s function now — to be just another agency that hands out aid?" he questioned during the budget interpellation. Under the 2027 National Expenditure Program, Tupad’s initial fund amounted to P14.25 billion. According to Tinio, if the additional requested budget for the program is approved, it would balloon to P24.5 billion, a significantly higher allocation compared to other projects. He argued that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) lacks funds for long-term skills development. "Instead of expanding Tupad, programs that provide workers with decent jobs should be strengthened, rather than temporary handouts," Tinio stated. He noted that the fund allocated for Tupad represented only 36 percent, or P3.2 billion, of the agency’s total budget in 2016. However, by 2026, it surged by 588 percent, or P22.44 billion, under the General Appropriations Act. "Year after year, we have been expanding Tupad. So, we must ask ourselves: Where is Dole headed? Is it an agency for labor, or an agency for aid? It is time to stop bloating Tupad and return Dole to its true mandate — as a defender of the Filipino worker, not a distributor of relief," he stressed. Tinio called on Congress to redirect resources to genuine programs benefiting workers instead of "inflating Tupad insertions during budget deliberations."