SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Ilocos regional office has requested the central office to realign this year’s Special Program on the Employment of Students (SPES) fund to livelihood programs.
“The SPES budget this year is PHP12 million but we opted not to have SPES this year due to the pandemic. And also our local government unit partners and establishments have asked to not have it this year instead, we asked the central office to realign it for livelihood funds,” DOLE Ilocos regional director Nathaniel Lacambra said during the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas Pangasinan chapter virtual forum on Thursday.
He said DOLE has implemented other programs focused on helping employees amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Among the programs of DOLE are the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) and Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged or Displaced Workers (TUPAD).
Lacambra said CAMP has already benefited 19,048 formal sector workers, while TUPAD has benefited 36,194 informal workers.
He added some 6,497 displaced overseas Filipino workers received their PHP10,000-cash assistance through the DOLE’s Abot-Kamay Ang Pagtulong (AKAP).
AKAP is the department’s cash emergency program.
Meanwhile, the DOLE, with the Department of Trade and Industry, has inspected 494 establishments in the Ilocos Region in connection with the implementation of minimum health standards in workplaces as of August 21.
“Of the total number, 267 were compliant but 216 were non-compliant,” he said. (PNA)
