BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan -- Almost 5,000 displaced workers here have already availed of transportation aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
As of Monday, DSWD has released a total of PHP11.3 million for 4,756 workers since it started its assessment and release on April 23.
The transportation aid is part of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program of the DSWD for residents and workers affected by the island’s closure.
DSWD Regional Director Rebecca Geamala said AICS program has a total allocation of PHP80 million.
Aside from the transportation assistance, residents and workers could also avail of medical, education and even burial assistance.
"Those who have availed of transportation assistance will be referred to the DSWD offices in their respective provinces where they could avail of the other services of the agency,” said Geamala during a recent press conference here.
Apart from AICS, the DSWD will also provide jobs for residents and workers who will stay on the island, through its Cash-for-Work Program.
For its Cash-for-Work Program, the DSWD allocated PHP77 million to cover at least 8,000 target individuals.
Those who will be hired through the program will help in the cleanup activities in the wetlands, forestlands and shorelines of the island for one month.
The agency has also started administering Disaster Assistance Family Access Card (DAFAC) in three barangays here.
This is to assess the households and to determine what DSWD programs they could avail of.
The DSWD has also allocated PHP280 million for its sustainable livelihood program.
At present, the agency has started assessing communities on what livelihood interventions could be implemented here. (PNA)
