MANILA, Philippines—Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz on Friday said she has given the green light for the release of P31.6 million to provide temporary jobs for workers affected by typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” in five regions.
Through the Department of Labor and Employment’s emergency assistance fund, a total of 7,138 informal and formal sector workers will be given emergency employment in the Regions 1, 2 and 3; Cordillera Administrative Region and National Capital Region, Baldoz said.
She said the funds will be used to pay for the salaries of workers to be employed to do rehabilitation work, specifically the clearing, cleaning, and de-clogging of drainage and other small infrastructure in typhoon-affected communities. They will also be tasked to do repair work on government facilities, such as school buildings and municipal halls.
“Our goal here is to provide our displaced workers immediate relief from the calamity by giving them income, and at the same time, enlist them for the rehabilitation, clearing and cleaning of their affected communities,” Baldoz said.
“They will be employed from between 15 to 30 days. I have already directed the concerned DOLE Regional Offices to mobilize the worker-beneficiaries who will be deployed immediately to clean the drainage, canals, schools, and evacuation centers once the flood subsides,” she added.
The secretary said the DOLE regional offices will coordinate with local government units on the emergency employment program. It shall hire the workers and directly pay them. The LGUs, on the other hand, shall provide the counterpart of tools and equipment.
The amount of P31.6 million will be sourced from the Adjustments Measures Program, a DOLE intervention for temporarily-displaced workers in the agriculture and non-agriculture sectors.
It shall be distributed to the following regions with the corresponding number of beneficiaries:
(1) Region 1, P4.0 million for 550 workers; (2) Region 2, P4.5 million for 760 workers; (3) Region 3, P11.1 million for 3,900 workers; (4) Cordillera Administrative Region, P4.0 million for 300 workers; and (5) National Capital Region, P8.0 million for 2,300 workers.
On Monday, Baldoz approved the release of initial amount of P3 million in emergency employment assistance for not less than a thousand workers/heads of families in Hagonoy, Calumpit, Obando, and Paombong in the province of Bulacan.
She has also approved the release of another P930,000 for 15 municipalities in Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union.
The emergency employment assistance will benefit 375 farmers and fishermen from Calasiao, Sta. Barbara, Labrador, San Carlos City and Laoac in Pangasinan; San Vicente and Sta. Catalina in Ilocos Sur; Pasuquin, Bacarra, San Nicolas, Solsona, Dingras, Laoag City and Paoay in Ilocos Norte; and Aringay in La Union.