DOLE to start receiving applications for P5K cash aid on Jan. 24

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will start accepting applications on Monday, January 24, for the P5,000 cash assistance for workers affected by Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila and other areas, one of its officials said on Saturday.

"Starting Monday, January 24, tayo ay magsisimula nang tumanggap ng applications para sa P5,000 financial assistance para sa mga naapektuhan ng Alert Level 3 at pataas," DOLE Assistant Secretary for the Employment and General Administration Cluster Dominique Tutay said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(Starting Monday, January 24, we will begin accepting applications for the P5,000 financial assistance for those affected by Alert Level 3 and higher.)

Tutay said the financial assistance is the P1-billion COVID Adjustment Measure Program (CAMP) 2022.

"Ang mga kwalipikado ay ang mga manggagawang nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pagsasara permanently ng kanilang kumpanya at mga manggagawang suspended ang kanilang work dahil pansamantalang sarado ang kanilang kumpanya dahil sa Alert level 3," said Tutay, who is also the director of the Bureau of Local Employment.

(Those who are qualified are workers who lost their jobs due to the permanent closure of their companies, as well as employees whose work was suspended due to the temporary closure of their employers' businesses under Alert Level 3.)

Tutay earlier said the DOLE will prioritize in the CAMP 2022 cash aid program workers who were displaced due to permanent closure of the business establishments they are working for or those retrenched by their employers. 

She clarified on Saturday that under CAMP 3, those under flexible work arrangement are not included in the beneficiaries.

The one-time P5,000 cash aid is for private workers and is seen to benefit about 200,000 workers.

The DOLE official on Saturday said based on their data, from January 1 to 15, more workers in the administrative and support services, manufacturing, construction, food and accommodation and other services were displaced.

Affected workers and individuals can apply for the CAMP 2022 financial assistance through the DOLE Establishment Reporting System (ERS) at https://reports.dole.gov.ph.

READ: DOLE releases guidelines on P5k cash aid for workers affected by Alert Level 3

Metro Manila and several other provinces have been placed under Alert Level 3 until January 31 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. 

Under Alert Level 3, several establishments will be allowed to operate at 30% indoor venue capacity but exclusively for fully vaccinated people and 50% outdoor venue capacity as long as employees are fully vaccinated.

In-person classes, contact sports, fun fairs/perya, and casinos are among the activities and establishments that are prohibited under Alert Level 3. —KG, GMA News