President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the release of P448 million to the Department of Labor and Employment to financially help more than 18,000 workers who were displaced by the closure of the Boracay island for a six-month rehabilitation program.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the cash assistance represents 50 percent of the workers’ minimum daily wage to be paid to registered employees for the duration of the suspension of their work in the island.
“This is part of the mitigation measures that DoLE has put in place through our Boracay Emergency Employment Program [BEEP] for the affected workers in the area,” Bello said.
The Bureau of Local Employment said a total of 18,206 formal workers and 3,954 informal sector workers had been profiled as of May 1.
Under the labor department’s Adjustment Measures Program, financial support equivalent to 50 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in the region will be provided to 17,735 affected formal sector workers for six months or from May to October 2018 for a total of P448 million.
A separate emergency employment program is also available to informal sector workers with an allocation of P52 million.
To benefit under the program are transport workers, haulers, vendors, and indigenous peoples who will be temporarily employed for 30 days to do coastal clean-up, as well as clearing and reforestation in mangrove sites in Boracay Island.
The labor department has also allocated 200 slots for the youth who might be interested in the Government Internship Program.
They will be trained in government service for six months with stipend equivalent to 75 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in the region. The budget for GIP is at P6.5 million.
To fast-track the meeting of employers and jobseekers, the labor department has also conducted a job fair in Kalibo on April 26 and another one is set in Malay on May 18.