BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) 6 (Western Visayas) is calling on tourism establishments and associations affected by the pandemic to avail of financial assistance under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
As of Thursday, the DOT-6 said it is still accepting applications for endorsement to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 6 for the cash aid as part of the government’s response to address the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis to the Philippine tourism industry.
“We are pleased to inform you that the DOT-DOLE Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) granting financial assistance under Bayanihan Act 2 is still in effect,” it said in a Facebook post.
Those qualified to apply are affected tourism enterprises, community-based tourism organizations, tour guides and their associations, and tourism support services.
During her visit to Negros Occidental and this city on January 19, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said she wants more tourism workers to avail of the one-time financial assistance of PHP5,000 each under the DOLE’s Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program.
Romulo-Puyat and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III signed JMC 2020-001 on the implementation of the program.
In Western Visayas, some 10,180 displaced tourism workers have availed of the cash aid, amounting to PHP50.9 million as of January 13.
A total of 1,754 beneficiaries were from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental with a paid out amount of PHP8.7 million.
Romulo-Puyat also said through the Small Business Corp., the DOT would be able to provide working capital loans for small tourism enterprises, with a loan term of up to four years and a grace period of up to 12 months, with zero interest rate.
“The tourism industry will just re-start and these enterprises have no income yet,” she added. (PNA)
