P500M allotted for those displaced by K-12 program

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Friday said it has allotted P500 million for the temporary financial aid of teachers and other higher education institution (HEI) employees who will be retrenched due to the full rollout of the K-12 program this year.

In an interview, Bureau of Local and Employment (BLE) Director Dominique Tutay said the budget can support 23,000 beneficiaries, who stand to receive between P7,000 and P23,000 in monthly provisional aid for up to six months while they transition to self- or full-time employment.

“The financial assistance will be based on the median salary per region. In some other regions, the maximum could be P7,000 or P10,000 while in other regions it would be around P23,000 per individual per month,” said Tutay.

She said the labor agency was expecting around 23,000 teachers and nonteaching personnel to be affected by the full implementation of the K-12 program this year.

To monitor if teachers in colleges and universities across the country were starting to feel the effects of the full rollout of the program, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has already ordered the activation of a quick response team per region, she said.