WE TAKE note of some actions by two government agencies—the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)--in the time of Covid-19.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the agency has requested P2.8 billion from Malacañang to address displacement of workers. Divide that to P1.5 billion to assist overseas Filipino workers, whose employment are severely disrupted by the pandemic, and P1.3 billion to implement assistance programs for affected formal and informal workers.
The agency specifically named three programs for the local workers where the supposed funds will be dedicated to: the Adjustment Measures Program (AMP), Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Program (Tupad) and Government Internship Program (GIP).
Tupad is an emergency employment program for workers who are displaced, underemployed and seasonal workers. For a period of 10 to 30 days, this community-based program will be supervised by local government units.
This should be welcome help while communities are under quarantine and some business operations stalled. Daily wage earners who are left immobile and without much choice badly need the assistance. But we do hope, however, that the funds the Dole is asking will come at the soonest time possible.
On the other hand, Bello said the temporary flight ban in the country affected around 700 OFWs in Kuwait and 300 in Qatar.
The Kuwaiti ban stands for seven days and government considers either flying stranded OFWs back to the country or let them wait until the ban is lifted.
Qatar, on the other hand, is currently feeding 300 OFWs awaiting repatriation.
Bello also sees a silver lining while firms in the manufacturing sector are looking at hiring thousands of workers. He is also calling business organizations and labor groups to help come up with programs to help displaced workers.
While at that, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Commission on Audit (CA), with Sen. Joel Villanueva, who heads the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resource, are crafting a resolution that will mandate the continuous pay of Metro Manila-based contractuals working in government while the National Capital Region is under quarantine. Should things go awry in other parts of the country, this resolution will be a fair precedent.
About 670,000 contractual workers in government are job-order workers or categorized under contract-of-service categories as of middle of last year, the CSC data says.
Meanwhile, and in contrast to Dole’s initiative, the DSWD is rather bent to freeze its supposed task in the time of Covid-19.
Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista signed Department Advisory Number 1, a guideline of sorts to ensure the safety of its workforce and stakeholder. By the latter, it would mean the thousands of beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
The advisory’s priority actions include the suspension of programs and activities that require physical engagement of beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
It has temporarily suspended its payout activities for social pension for indigent senior citizens and unconditional cash transfers; over-the-counter 4P payouts and cash card distributions; feeding programs; climate change-related activities; among others.
At this time of community quarantine, the DSWD may consider options in the deployment of its services—to the 4P beneficiaries, for instance—if the latter do not have access to electronic cash transfers.