Villanueva lauds DOLE aid programs for displaced workers

By Vanne Elaine Terrazola, Manila Bulletin, 22 May 2020

Senator Joel Villanueva on Friday lauded the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its programs that have assisted workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, said the DOLE, despite “hiccups” in implementation of its programs, showed that it could reach a large number of distressed workers in the formal, informal, and migrant economy, and should be allowed to continue doing so.

“All the emergency employment programs of the labor department are able to serve a larger portion of our distressed workers. Funding of programs like CAMP (COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program) and TUPAD (Tulong Pangkabuhayan para sa Ating mga Distressed/Displaced Workers) should be continued, especially since not all displaced workers are part of the essential sectors allowed to operate,” he said in a statement.

In the Senate’s hearing on the government’s COVID-19 response, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said 2.6 million workers have been displaced from their jobs due to the closure of businesses and the alternative work arrangements amid the community quarantine.

Of the figure, 649,000 formal workers received a one-time wage subsidy of P5,000 under the CAMP.

Based on the President’s eighth Bayanihan Report, over 300,000 informal workers have been granted emergency employment under TUPAD, which Villanueva said was an “an efficient framework of distributing cash-for-work assistance as a justification for its continued funding.”

Meanwhile, over 100,000 overseas Filipino workers received P10,000 under the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) for OFWs.

The DOLE has requested for additional funding to be able to continue implementing these programs for affected workers.

Villanueva said the funds should be replenished to reduce the impact of mass layoffs, which have already begun in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“We reiterate our call for our economic team to finance the programs of DOLE so it is able to reach workers in non-essential sectors. No worker should be left behind,” he said.

“DOLE’s emergency employment programs should be continued because it will also serve as a transition for workers who are going back to their jobs and restarting their ability to earn a living,” he added.