MANILA -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has amended the guidelines on the implementation of the Adjustment Measures Program (AMP), making the process easier for displaced formal sector workers in Boracay to avail of government assistance.
DOLE Order No. 191-A, signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, has revised several rules on the implementation of the AMP, including the amount of more than PHP4,000 in financial assistance that will be given to affected workers, regardless of status.
“Among the amendments provided for in Department Order No. 191-A are the uniformity of the amount of financial support, regardless of status of affected workers; reduction of documentary requirements; alternative mode of remittance of the financial support; and relaxation of conditional requirements,” Bello said.
Based on the order, the financial support component amounting to PHP4,205.50, which is the equivalent of 50 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in Western Visayas, shall be provided monthly for a maximum period of six months, regardless of the status of affected workers, with the reckoning period starting from the date of the beneficiary’s displacement.
As for the documentary requirements, applicants are now only required to submit two documents -- the photocopy of certificate of employment or the profile of displaced workers as provided to DOLE 6 (Western Visayas), and photocopy of any government-issued ID.
It added that beneficiaries may receive the first tranche of financial support, either directly through their Land Bank of the Philippines account or money remittance centers, whichever is applicable.
Instead of submitting conditional requirements every 15th day of each month, beneficiaries may submit two proofs of active search for employment or job contact; and one proof of attendance to any training conducted by a government agency any time prior to the release of the last financial support tranche.
On April 26, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the total closure of Boracay Island to undergo rehabilitation for six months.
Reports said Boracay Island, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, will re-open on October 26. (PNA)
