ILOILO – Almost 4,000 workers in Western Visayas have been displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The number of affected workers from nearly 528 establishments ballooned further to 3,884 across the region as of Sept. 28 data, DOLE Region 6 information officer Niezel Anen Sabrido said.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw the imposition of various levels of community quarantine, which halted the operations of business establishments.
According to Sabrido, of the 528 companies, 436 retrenched their workers while 92 permanently closed.
“Establishments needed to lay-off employees to stay afloat,” she said.
In Region 6, accommodation and food service activities were among those adversely affected.
“Region 6 is usually tourism-driven so we have a lot of affected establishments and workers from the tourism sector,” said Sabrido.
Also, the administrative and support service; manufacturing; information and communication; and wholesale-retail, motor vehicles, and motorcycles were among those hit.
Sabrido said displaced workers can avail themselves of unemployment insurance benefit from the Social Security System.
They can also apply for DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay Para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) program through their local governments as long as they are qualified, she added.
TUPAD gives emergency employment to displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days. The daily wage is P395.
Last March, DOLE also rolled out the limited program “Adjustment Measures Program for Affected Workers Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” or simply CAMP – a safety net program that offered financial support to affected workers in private establishments that adopted Flexible Working Arrangements or temporary closure due to the pandemic.
It covered workers in private establishments affected by the pandemic from its onset in January until the lifting of the stringent quarantine measures on April 14.
CAMP provided financial assistance to cover the remaining unpaid leaves of workers affected by the quarantine. A one-time financial assistance equivalent to P5,000 was provided to affected workers in lump sum, non-conditional, regardless of employment status.
Aside from the financial assistance, CAMP also provided affected works access to available job opportunities suitable to their qualifications through job matching, referral and placement services either for local or overseas employment./PN