BACOLOD City – A total of 16, 149 beneficiaries from Negros Occidental’s tourism industry and this city have availed P80.745 million worth of financial assistance on Friday under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat spearheaded the awarding of the certificates to the recipients of the Department of Tourism-Department of Labor and Employment (DOT-DOLE) Cash Assistance Program through a virtual ceremony.
Each received one-time financial assistance of P5,000. It is provided under DOLE’s COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program and implemented through the Joint Memorandum Circular 2020-001 signed by Romulo-Puyat and Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III.
The beneficiaries include employees of hotels, restaurants, spas, and farms.
Some are tour guides, mangrove growers, makers of handicraft and native products, and even tricycle and pedicab drivers.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson expressed his gratitude and appreciation to DOLE and DOT “for the expedient assistance.”
He acknowledged that times have indeed been hard for the beneficiaries, but said the government is trying its best to mitigate the ill effects of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City mayor Evelio Leonardia said the cash assistance is “more than a shot in the arm” for the beneficiaries from the city.
“We hope that this assistance will go a long way in somehow uplifting their way of life. We thank the DOT and the DOLE for making this a reality,” he said.PNA/PN
