FILE PHOTO Marlene Cenina, 39, sewer, poses for a picture inside the factory where she works making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontliners during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, in Cainta, Rizal. Cenina lost her job as a sewer after the lockdown and is now working as a volunteer to make personal protective equipment (PPE). (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — There were 25,000 workers in Metro Manila who lost their jobs with the imposition of Alert Level 3 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the capital region, Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III revealed on Tuesday.
“As of yesterday (Monday), ang reported na na-displace — either retrenchment or closure ng office — ay lumalampas lang ng 25,000,” Bello said over Teleradyo.
(As of Monday, the reported workers who were displaced — either through retrenchment or closure of office — only reached 25,000.)
Bello said the displaced workers in areas under Alert Level 3 or higher will benefit from the DOLE’s COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (Camp), where they will each receive P5,000 cash aid.
The labor chief said the department has allotted P1 billion for the program for some 200,000 beneficiaries.
“So ‘yung estimate kasi natin is yung based lang dito sa Metro Manila, eh ngayon dumami na ang region and provinces na nasa Alert Level 3. Kaya kami we are expecting na aabutin namin yung estimate namin na 200,000,” he pointed out.
(Our estimate here is only for those based in Metro Manila, but now there are now more regions and provinces under alert level 3 so we are expecting that we will reach our target of 200,000.)
DOLE opened the application for Camp on Monday.
Bello, however, clarified that the informal workers are not included in Camp, but in DOLE’s cash-for-work program also known as Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged-Displaced (Tupad).
Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3 until January 31.
The government’s pandemic taskforce also placed Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province and Northern Samar under Alert Level 4.