ON CELEBRATION of Labor Day, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (Cibac) Party-list representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva urges the government to ensure the availability of funds to implement government intervention programs aimed at assisting our laborers during this period of crisis.
“The most meaningful way to celebrate Labor Day and to show our appreciation to our laborers is to ensure the availability and accessibility of government aid that will provide them security amidst the current economic slowdown. We must protect our workers who toil to produce the goods and services we need and who make our economy thrive,” said Deputy Speaker Villanueva.
The Cibac lawmaker notes that according to the estimate of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), the number of displaced workers in the country is already pegged at 2.3 million. On top of this, over 230,000 affected overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are already seeking cash aid from the government.
Three major programs of DOLE are being rolled out to help our laborers during this crisis, namely: (1) Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (Camp) which extends one-time P5,000 assistance to affected formal workers, (2) the Camp-Akap (Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong) program which grants P10,000 one-time assistance to distressed OFWs and the (3) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers – Barangay Ko, Bahay Ko (Tupad-BKBK) which aims to aid hard-hit informal sector workers.
Deputy Speaker Villanueva says that he appreciates the recent initiative of DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello in adding P1.5 billion more funds to enable Dole-Camp to help about 650,000 affected formal workers. However, DOLE still estimates that around 1,000,000 workers are yet to receive any assistance so funds are still needed. It is good to know that the government have launched the P51-billion Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program to cover 3.4 million affected employees of small businesses but the Cibac lawmaker notes that funding for the SBWS should not be cut short and must be even augmented if needed.
The Cibac lawmaker also calls out to private companies and employers to do the initiative, for humanitarian purposes and for the welfare of their employees, of applying for Camp program on behalf of their employees. This, after Cibac received reports that some employers turn deaf ear to this government program and do nothing to apply for the said cash aid of their employees.
On the other hand, the almost 230,000 OFWs who are seeking government assistance is too much to be catered by P1.5 billion funds set for Camp-Akap program, which is originally pegged to cater only around 150,000 beneficiaries. In the same vein, the P966 million TUPAD funds aimed to reach 235,000 informal sector workers must be replenished to accommodate more beneficiaries.
“The government should not let up in ensuring unhampered flow of funds to aid our workers and sustain their survival as we brave this state of national crisis,” ends the Cibac lawmaker. (PR)