MORE THAN 800,000 local and overseas workers affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic have benefited from the cash assistance provided by the government, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Monday.
In his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa, Duterte reported that some 843,000 formal and informal workers in the country were able to get cash assistance under the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).
“We came up with the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program. We extended financial assistance to over 650,000 affected individuals in the formal sector, 110,000 OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) abroad, and almost 83,000 repatriated OFWs,” he said.
The President added that the government has also provided "temporary wage employment (opportunities) to displaced marginalized workers" through the “Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers” (TUPAD) program.
The CAMP and the TUPAD are part of the Duterte administration's efforts to mitigate the adverse economic effects of the health crisis on low-income workers.
The CAMP provides a one-time cash subsidy of PHP5,000 to formal sector workers affected by the pandemic.
Under the TUPAD, beneficiaries were given 10-day emergency employment and were paid the minimum wage prevailing in their respective areas.
Their job involved the disinfection and sanitation of the beneficiaries’ dwellings and immediate vicinity to comply with the physical distancing protocol to prevent the spread of the virus.
On the other hand, the assistance to OFWs under the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program is a one-time PHP10,000 (USD200) cash assistance.
Beneficiaries are OFWs displaced by the pandemic who are abroad and stranded in the country. (By Ferdinand Patinio)
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