DOLE eyes P5,000 assistance for 1.4 million workers before Dec. 19

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is targeting to hand out P5,000 in financial assistance to more than a million formal sector workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic before the Bayanihan 2 law expires in the next two weeks.

In a virtual press briefing on Friday, DOLE Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay said as of December 3, the agency has so far given the cash aid to around 350,000 workers.

The financial assistance was provided in the expanded COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (CAMP-Bayanihan 2) “to further extend the assistance to more affected workers.”

Tutay said the law allocated P7.4 billion for the CAMP-Bayanihan 2 to cover about 1.4 million formal sector workers, whose employment was severed or suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Nasa 1.1 million na po ang applications for CAMP... nakapabigay na tayo sa about 350,000 workers. Marami pa rin po ang dapat ma-evaluate,” she said.

“Sa December 10 ang deadline para sa regional offices. So by December 10 baka maka-80% that would be good enough,” she added, noting that the remaining 20% will be released before December 19.

The Bayanihan 2 is scheduled to expire on December 19.

“We have engaged digital payment facilities, partner banks, remittance centers para mas mapabilis ang pagbibigay ng financial support,” the Labor official said. — DVM, GMA News