The government said on Wednesday that residents of Boracay Island are eligible to apply for the cash-for-work program through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The workers who were displaced by the closure of the world-class tourist destination may now apply for labor or office work at the DSWD.
According to DSWD OIC Secretary Emmanuel Leyco, the agency adjusted its guidelines for the program, specifically amending the rate of financial assistance.
“The lack of economic activities and employment opportunities aggravates their condition and increases their vulnerability to the social ills created by poverty, and we cannot allow this to happen,” Leyco said.
“The increased rate of assistance is meant to help alleviate the economic difficulties of Filipinos affected by the Boracay closure,” he added.
Previously, the rate of assistance for the program stood at 75 percent of the regional wage rate. DSWD amended the guidelines for beneficiaries to receive 100 percent of the regional minimum wage, which currently stands at P323.50 a day.
Boracay Island was officially closed from tourists starting April 26. As businesses depended heavily on tourism, many of them had to close down during the closure period, which, in turn, displaced thousands of workers.
Displaced workers can apply for either labor or office work for 30 days, and could work as part of clearing operations, facility repair, planting trees, cleaning, and other similar work. DSWD will provide protective gear and tools for those participating under hazardous activities.
They may also apply for technical or office work; assisting in profiling tasks, preparing reports, disbursing payment operations, camp management, and operations center work, among others.
Under the guidelines, eligible to apply for the DSWD's employment program include displaced workers; those who had to return to their home provinces; those who were transferred employment; and those who migrated to other provinces.
Interested applicants may visit the DSWD Operations Center in Faith Village in Boracay.
Meanwhile, Leyco said those who were transferred or had to go back to their home provinces can visit the DSWD field office in their region to seek assistance.
As of Monday, May 7, the social welfare department has assisted 5,244 displaced workers, disbursing a total of P12.64 million since April 23.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Boracay closed due to its environmental problems, approving the recommendation of the Environment, Interior, and Ttourism departments.
According to government estimates, some 36,000 workers were affected by the closure. Revenue losses during a six-month shutdown is estimated to run up to P1.96 billion, with the Western Visayas economy to be heavily affected by economic losses.– Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said it would temporarily suspend all flights to and from Caticlan, Aklan on the back of sluggish demand as Boracay Islands remains closed. The suspension of all operations will take effect on May 17, 2018, until Oct. 27, 2018.
Prior to this, Cebu Pacific maintained a daily flight between Manila and Caticlan; as well as Cebu and Caticlan as Boracay Island was closed on April 26.
Cebu Pacific will resume full commercial service in Caticlan once Boracay is opened in late October 2018.
Affected passengers may take any of the following options: Get a full refund; place the full value of the ticket in a travel fund for future use; rebook the flight within 30 days without penalties, subject to flight/seat availability; or reroute to any domestic destination within 30 days without penalties, subject to flight/seat availability.
Cebu Pacific is in the process of informing passengers affected by the flight cancellations. Affected passengers may manage their rebooking or refunds via the “Manage Booking” section in the CEB website, www.cebupacificair.com.
Guests who booked through a travel agent or any other third party are encouraged to provide us with their own contact details so they are directly advised about any flight changes.
For any other concerns, passengers may also message the official Cebu Pacific Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cebupacificair) or Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) accounts. They may also try the CEB hotline at +632 702 0888, however due to the heavy volume of calls, the fastest way to rebook or refund affected flights is via the ”Manage Booking” section in the Cebu Pacific website.