MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Saturday reported that it has recently released PHP16 million in Western Visayas as part of the government’s program to provide aid to displaced workers in the countryside under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
Mary Agnes Capigon, head of the DOLE Negros Occidental field office, said beneficiaries of the cash assistance are the sacadas, or workers in the sugar cane fields.
Financial assistance worth PHP1,000 was given to each worker who not received any financial aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other sources.
“We wanted to reach out to our sugarcane workers because they are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized workers in the country and the Covid-19 pandemic had added to their hardships,” Capigon said in a statement.
She added that the department extended the cash aid from its Emergency Subsidy Program to said workers in the region, both working in the mills and the cane fields.
The DOLE in Western Visayas released the assistance with the help of the local Sugar Tripartite Council (STC) and the coordination of 26 planters’ association and nine sugar mills in the region.
According to DOLE’s Negros Occidental Field Office, the beneficiaries came from Bacolod City, Talisay City, Silay City, Victorias City, Cadiz City, Sagay City, San Carlos City, Bago City, La Carlota City, Kabankalan City, Sipalay City.
Those from the and the municipalities of E.B. Magalona, Murcia, Valladolid, Pontevedra, Binalbagan, Manapla, and Ilog, also received the cash assistance.
She added that the cash aid was given to the workers in several tranches that started early last May up to this month with the coordination of the region’s STC.
“The distribution of the cash aid is still on-going and will continue until we fully released the total allocated budget for Negros Occidental,” Capigon said.
Meanwhile, she added that the families of the “Sagay 9” were also given livelihood aid.
Capigon said the families of the sugarcane workers were provided assistance ranging from a start-up sari-sari store, dried fish venture, and piggery businesses.
The so-called “Sagay Nine,” was gunned down in October 2018 by still unidentified men in a hacienda in Sagay City. (PR)
