(File photo)
MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday reported that it has almost exhausted the PHP2.5-billion funds for its Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) assistance program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said as of August 2, their foreign and regional offices had disbursed a total of PHP2.324 billion to 226,714 land-based and sea-based OFWs.
The funds are only meant for 250,000 beneficiaries but the DOLE has so far approved assistance requests of 261,543 OFWs.
AKAP is a one-time cash aid of PHP10,000 (USD200) for affected OFWs.
Beneficiaries of the cash aid are both on-site and repatriated Filipinos affected by the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Bello reported that the government has transported over 120,000 OFWs returning to their respective provinces.
Citing a report from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, 122,369 OFWs have so far been assisted and sent home to their provinces since May by land and sea transport arranged by the agency.
The latest batch is composed of 2,369 OFWs who took their rides home from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange on the eve of the return of the National Capital Region (NCR) to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) on Monday.
“We will not get tired of assisting our returning OFWs and facilitate their transport to the provinces and be with their families. This is just a small way to repay their enormous contribution to our country,” Bello said. (PNA)
