Over 1,000 Region 1 workers displaced by Abra quake get jobs –DOLE

The Department of Labor and Employment Region 1 said more than 1,000 displaced workers had been provided jobs under a DOLE assistance program following the magnitude 7 earthquake that jolted Abra.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, DOLE-Region 1 Regional Director Evelyn Ramos said they had profiled workers for the TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) to help in the clean-up and debris removal.

She said the affected workers mostly came from Candon and Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

"We had 800 workers in Ilocos Sur alone for the eight municipalities in Ilocos to conduct a clean-up," Ramos said.

She added that the clean-up drive would run for 15 days, for which workers would receive a salary of P5,500.

Around 350 TUPAD workers, meanwhile, assisted in the clean-up and minor repair of classrooms in La Union and Ilocos Norte on Friday.

Ramos reported that some establishments in Ilocos Sur had opened on Friday, while others waited for local government inspections before reopening.

Ramos said the DOLE regional office was also ready to assist workers who experienced mental stress or trauma from the quake.

"Overall, in terms of the establishments, they are okay. No one expressed closing their businesses," said Ramos.

Furthermore, there were job seekers from quake-hit areas in Ilocos Sur who could enroll in skills training under TESDA.

The number of individuals hit by the magnitude 7 earthquake that jolted Northern Luzon on Wednesday morning had risen to over 200,000, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's (NDRRMC's) Saturday situation report.

As of 8 a.m., July 30, the NDRRMC said that 228,238 people had been affected by the recent tremor.

The number of casualties remained at six, with four people still missing. — DVM, GMA News