Cash aid for displaced workers may resume with DOLE fund replenishment

MANILA, Philippines – The one-time cash assistance for displaced workers in the formal sector may resume with the replenishment of funds, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Sunday.

According to DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III, this can be possible as several lawmakers have pushed for the augmentation of funds for the department’s cash aid program through the COVID-19 Adjustment Measure Program (CAMP).

DOLE stopped accepting CAMP applications after its funds were nearly depleted due to the surge in requests for financial assistance.

READ: Dole stops accepting applications for workers’ aid

“We are hopeful that some positive developments are coming along the way for our displaced workers,” Bello said in a statement on Sunday.

On Saturday, Senator Joel Villanueva urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to replenish the funds for the cash aid and DOLE’s temporary work-for-pay programs, in accordance to Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan Act to Heal As One Act of 2020.

“Our Bayanihan Law states that DOLE programs will be prioritized for budget augmentation, but it has only received about 16% of their total proposed funding requirement. We hope that our DBM augment the coffers of DOLE so it could continue its emergency employment programs,” he said in a statement.

“If the proposed P7.8 billion could not be fully granted at this time, we hope the government can spare whatever funds it has for DOLE to continue providing the much-needed assistance for the workers whose companies have already applied for CAMP benefits as of April 15,” he added.

READ: Villanueva asks DBM to replenish funds for emergency employment programs

DOLE said that its assistance program to aid displaced worker includes 1,696,814 workers from 63,335 reporting establishments nationwide as of April 17.

Of this, the department said that more than 1.2 million workers were affected by temporary closures while over 550,000 of them are on alternative work arrangements “like reduced workdays, rotation, forced leave and telecommuting”.

“So far, a total of 264,154 workers were extended the cash assistance amounting to P1.320 billion. This leaves assistance fund a small balance of less than P300 million as of April 18,” DOLE noted.

“The highest displacement was recorded in Metro Manila with about 570,523 workers, followed by Central Luzon at 274,910; Calabarzon with 123,687; Davao region at 100,275 and Region 10 with 94,101; followed by Region 2 at 86,467; Central Visayas with 68,250; Cordillera region at 61,200; Region 6 with 59,548 and the Bicol region with 57,167,” they added.

After the entire Luzon and other areas were placed under an enhanced community quarantine due to the rising COVID-19 cases, work was suspended except for those in frontline services like hospitals and food chains.

However, this has left workers who rely on daily earnings and whose jobs cannot adjust to a work-from-home scheme without any income through the lockdown.  In accordance with R.A. 11469, the government also implemented the social amelioration program (SAP) which caters to 18 million Filipinos in impoverished sectors.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Department of Health (DOH) said that there are now 6,259 patients — 409 of which have died while at least 572 recovered from the disease.

Worldwide, over 2.33 million individuals have been infected, while 155,689 have died from the disease and 599,692 have recovered from it.

READ: DOH: PH now has over 6,000 people positive for COVID-19 virus