Over 1.4-M workers apply for Bayanihan 2 cash aid: DOLE

FILE: Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III during a press conference on Thursday (Sept. 27, 2018), which is held at the DOLE main office in Intramuros, Manila. (PNA photo by Gil Calinga)

MANILA – Over 1.4 million formal sector workers have applied for the Covid Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan 2), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported on Thursday.

“As of December 8, a total of 1,462,350 workers from 36,355 establishments have applied for CAMP, exceeding by more than 2,000 workers the number of target beneficiaries of the program,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement.

Bello III added that more than half of the PHP4 billion of the program’s allocation has been given to qualified applicants.

“Of the P4 billion CAMP allocation, over P2.3 billion or 54 percent has been disbursed to the beneficiaries,” he said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

The DOLE added that applicants for CAMP have only until Friday to apply for the one-time cash assistance of PHP5,000.

In Labor Advisory No. 33, Bello said the program had reached the number of target beneficiaries.

The program also covers teaching and non-teaching personnel in private educational institutions.

He added that the DOLE regional offices will still evaluate and process CAMP applications sent before the deadline.

In the same advisory, Bello said DOLE regional offices shall continue receiving and processing applications for financial assistance under CAMP for tourism sector workers.

Under the program, they are looking to serve over 600,000 tourism workers in the industry, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.

It has a PHP3 billion budget.

Based on the joint memorandum circular issued by the labor and tourism departments, DOLE regional offices have been instructed to process the issuance of financial aid of all tourism-related major industry groups such as administrative and support service activities; accommodation and food service activities; arts, entertainment, and recreation activities, with the exception of gambling and betting services; and other service activities.

As of Thursday, a total of 74,254 tourism sector workers from 2,318 establishments have applied for the grant of financial assistance.

Central Visayas reported the most number of applicant workers, followed by Northern Mindanao, National Capital Region, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.