CASH FOR WORK. A staff of the Ilocos Norte government orients beneficiaries of the cash-for-work program at the capitol grounds on Thursday (Aug. 26, 2021). Each recipient received PHP1,275 for a five-day work. (PNA photo by Leilanie G. Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – Idle daily wage earners here are given the chance to earn a little for their families during the extended localized enhanced community quarantine until the end of August.
Under a "pay now, work later” scheme, the Ilocos Norte government, through the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), distributed cash assistance of PHP1,275 each to 29 recipients in Barangay Sta. Balbina.
As many workers are losing income due to quarantine restrictions, Estrella Sacro, head of the ENRO-Ilocos Norte, told the Philippine News Agency on Thursday that the continuing cash-for-work program, particularly in areas under lockdown, advances the payment while recipients can perform the service in their villages for a period of five days when things get better or when the lockdown is over.
Other interested daily wage earners in the coastal villages of Laoag are encouraged to have their names listed and evaluated through the village chief to avail of the cash-for-work program.
"The cash-for-work beneficiaries will be tasked in keeping the cleanliness of the surroundings such as rivers, creeks, shorelines, and unclogging of canals and waterways,” Sacro said in an interview.
To assist daily wage earners who could not go to work due to quarantine restrictions last year, the Ilocos Norte government allocated PHP15 million.
This year, the first batch of beneficiaries included public transport workers, like tricycle and jeepney drivers. (PNA)
