The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment will be receiving P5 billion in additional funding for programs designed to help formal sector workers affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The aid package for formal sector workers was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases through Resolution No. 21 issued Monday, April 6, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.
“The recommendations of the Department of Labor and Employment for the social amelioration program for the formal workers sector as presented are hereby approved,” he announced on Tuesday, April 7.
“For this purpose, the IATF supports the approval and immediate release of the requested budget by the Department of Labor and Employment amounting to P5 billion,” he added.
The additional fund will be for DOLE’s COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP), a one-time P5,000 assistance for affected formal workers; Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD), an emergency employment program for displaced workers; and the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) sa OFWs program, a program that aims to provide relief to migrant workers.
DOLE said that the additional P5 billion it requested will help more workers affected by the pandemic.
Previously, the agency expressed hope that it can provide cash aid to more than 350,000 formal and informal sector workers by utilizing the P1.5 billion budget earlier allocated for CAMP and TUPAD.
“Provided that the beneficiaries of the aforementioned shall be separate and distinct from those already covered by social amelioration programs by other agencies of the national government,” Nograles said.
