MANILA, Philippines — More than P302 million of assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) from the first and second installments of the Bayanihan law have yet to be claimed by beneficiaries, data from the agency on Thursday showed.
According to DOLE, the amount was supposed to benefit a total of 49,598 workers whose jobs have been affected by government restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The amount covers P23 million from Bayanihan 1 intended for 3,798 beneficiaries and P279 million from Bayanihan 2 for 45,800 workers.
The assistance covers the programs of DOLE to aid workers amid the pandemic, such as the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), the general COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP), CAMP for the tourism and education sector, and Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP).
In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Rolly Francia, director of DOLE’s Information and Publication Service, explained that most of the unclaimed benefits were mostly due to issues on the reference number and contact details of beneficiaries for claiming their cash assistance in remittance centers.
He said some beneficiaries did not receive the reference number needed for claiming the amount because they have changed their phone numbers or have used the mobile numbers of other individuals for their application.
Francia said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III advises eligible beneficiaries to go to the nearest field office of DOLE to correct their contact details and validate their identity so they can claim the cash assistance.
“Otherwise kapag hindi nakuha ‘yang more than P300 million na ‘yan, babalik ‘yan sa treasury (if the P300 million will not be claimed, it will return to the treasury),” Francia added.
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