(Eagle News) – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has realigned its 2020 budget to provide financial assistance to around 300,000 workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the DOLE said that it “has realigned P1.5 billion of its 2020 budget in order to provide a one-time assistance of P5,000 to an additional 300,000 workers already processed under the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).”
With the realignment, the DOLE will now be able to provide CAMP assistance to a total of 650,000 workers, amounting to a total amount of P3.24 billion.
However, the DOLE said that even with the infusion of additional funds, there will still be “around 1,000,000 workers still unserved under the special amelioration program”.
Per DOLE’s records as of April 28, over 1.6 million workers from 87,301 establishments have been affected by temporary closures, while 797,729 were on alternative work arrangements due to existing quarantine measures.
The DOLE also said that it will commence next month the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program in areas outside of the extended enhanced community quarantine.
“The program will utilize a separate P1 billion realigned regular funds of the labor department”, the DOLE statement said.
– Assistance for OFWs –
In the case of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the DOLE reported that “it has provided the P10,000 cash assistance to more than 70,000 OFWs or close to 50 percent of targeted beneficiaries of the P1.5 billion AKAP assistance fund.”
The DOLE has said in a separate statement that more than 230,000 OFWs affected by the pandemic are seeking cash assistance, exceeding the set target of P 150,000 beneficiaries under the AKAP program.
“[A] request for supplemental budget is being eyed to be able to provide more OFWs with the needed emergency assistance”, the DOLE said.
Reports from the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in 40 posts across the globe said that “a total of 89,436 OFWs were either displaced or on a no-work, no-pay status due to lockdowns and slowdown of businesses in host countries.”
Eagle News Service
