INDEPENDENCE DAY COMMEMORATION. Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, lawyer Felipe Claudio Remollo, and Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, 11th IB Army commander (left to right), lead the wreath-laying ceremony in front of the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal at Quezon Park in Dumaguete City on Wednesday (June 12, 2024). The younger Remollo, chief political officer of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, was the guest of honor and speaker. (PNA photo by Mary Judaline F. Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – A total of 960 beneficiaries of the Tulong Pangkabuhayan Sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD program received cash assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as part of the Independence Day celebration here Wednesday.
A ceremonial distribution was held during the Kalayaan Job Fair at a shopping mall as the venue could not accommodate all of the beneficiaries, said Vivencio Lagahid, DOLE-Negros Oriental provincial director.
“The distribution is to highlight our 126th Independence Day celebration although some beneficiaries already received their assistance in the previous week,” Lagahid said.
All the beneficiaries are from Dumaguete City and are allocated PHP4,680 each for 10 days of work.
The DOLE has scheduled payouts for TUPAD beneficiaries in the province in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army’s Recruitment Office in the Visayas participated in the job fair for applicants to the Officer Candidate Course (OCC) so that they no longer need to travel to Cebu City.
“The Philippine Army’s recruitment process is now centralized unlike in the past where this can be done through the division or brigade level,” said Staff Sgt. Regan Cababao, recruitment non-commissioned officer in the Visayas.
There is now one recruitment office each in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao where aspirants can send their applications.
If qualified and have passed the requirements, the training will be in Tarlac.
In the Visayas, the processing of papers and medical examinations for those who have passed the initial stage of application will be done at the 3rd Infantry Division based in Jamindan, Capiz.
Earlier in the day, Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo led the commemoration of Independence Day at Quezon Park, which was highlighted by the sound of sirens, wreath laying at the foot of the Rizal monument, volleys of fire, and the sounding of taps.
His son, lawyer Felipe Claudio Remollo, guest of honor and speaker during the activity, highlighted “freedom of autonomy within the constraints of the law.”
“One of the best examples in the exercise of freedom is the freedom to choose our leaders in the country, through the electoral process, wisely and responsibly, and free of intimidation of threat,” said the young Remollo, who is the chief political officer of House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Underscoring the role of the youth, he said they should be engaged, find out their concerns and interests, and work on empowering them.
They have to be involved in the processes to fully capacitate the youth to their full potential, he added. (PNA)
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