Department of Labor and Employment regional office in Bicol (File photo)
LEGAZPI CITY – A total of 92,947 displaced workers in Bicol on Thursday have received PHP5,000 each under the government’s cash assistance programs amounting to PHP623.18 million, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported.
DOLE Bicol said the remaining 29,691 potential beneficiaries have yet to get their cash aid to complete the agency’s target of 122,638 workers affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and the three typhoons that hit Bicol.
As of 1 p.m. on December 17, recipients of Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating mga Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) totaled 56,676, with a total disbursement of PHP274.381-million; recipients of the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures (CAMP) had reached 35,014, with the total disbursed amount of PHP175.075-million; and, beneficiaries of Abot Kamay sa Pagtulong (AKAP) reached 1,257, and disbursed an amount of PHP12.57-million. Displaced AKAP overseas Filipino workers receive PHP10,000 each.
DOLE-Bicol spokesperson Johanna Vi Gasga in an interview said PHP462.026-million was the total amount disbursed out of the PHP623.18-million total allocation for the TUPAD, CAMP, and AKAP cash aid programs to financially assist displaced workers in the region.
“We really want to disburse all the cash aid budget for Bicol before Christmas. Our personnel, particularly our accounting staff are even doing overtime for these disbursements. We hope we can achieve it,” Gasga told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Those who already received the cash assistance had already reached 80.42 percent for CAMP; 73.5 percent for TUPAD; and, 62.85 percent for AKAP.
Gasga said although DOLE-Bicol had set the online application deadline on December 10, and their national office on December 11, the application portal of reports.dole.gov.ph/ remains open.
“They could still apply for as long as the portal is open. But we must take note that the processing of online applications is being done on a first-come, first-serve basis,” Gasga added.
The original budget of PHP200-million for TUPAD and PHP150-million for CAMP had increased to PHP385.5-million and PHP217.68-million, respectively, when more government agencies had contributed to the cash aid under DOLE supervision. (PNA)
