Some P1.2 billion in cash assistance has been disbursed to 239,713 workers in the tourism sector as of April 6 while another P719 million is ready for payout to 143,000 workers more.
Secretary Silvestre Bello III of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) does not see the need to augment the P3.1 billion fund allotted for the
Department of Tourism (DOT) and DOLE Cash Assistance Program with about P1.1 billion more left.
“The way we accrediting qualified beneficiaries, we note the slow application even if we have liberalized the requirements,” Bello said at the awarding of certificates of the cash assistance to workers in the NCR Plus yesterday. He did not elaborate
The program gives a one-time P5,000 financial assistance to qualified workers from primary and secondary tourism enterprises, whether or not accredited by the DOT and the local government units including the tour guide associations and legitimate community based tourism organizations. Workers in tourism support services such as those engaged in transportation facilities, small dining businesses and other tourism related activities and tourism destination can now avail of the financial assistance.
Bello said even the previous recipients of the unemployment benefits of the Social Security System and the Department of Finance’s small business wage subsidy program may now apply for the assistance under this program starting April 1 this year.
The 239,713 beneficiaries come from 10,401 tourism establishments, organization and associations.
DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said as of April 6, 2021, 355,797 workers from 13,752 establishments, organizations and associations nationwide, as well as 12,321 workers who applied individually, have been approved to receive financial assistance.
In the NCR Plus, Puyat said the program has approved financial assistance to 67,347 tourism workers, amounting to P336.7 4 million of which 6,817 workers are in Bulacan; 1,432 in Cavite; 14,161 workers in Laguna; 10,582 in Rizal and in NCR, 37,365 .
Puyat expressed confidence once COVID cases decline and restrictions are lifted hopefully by May, travel within NCR Plus would resume. With the bubble still in MECQ, non-essential travel outside the area remains prohibited.
Meanwhile, Puyat said the DOT welcomes the ratification made by the Inter-agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the DOT-endorsed initiative for the construction of a free and temporary vaccination center in the vacant lot of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), a DOT-attached agency, in Paranaque City.
The facility, which will be a public-private partnership, is expected to vaccinate at least 12,000 people a day.
The National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF), which was duly authorized by the IATF, shall enter into an agreement with the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, whose board had already given its preliminary approval of the project, to ensure its immediate execution.
The NTF earlier tourism frontliners to be in the A4 priority list of citizens for vaccination.
