More than 62,000 workers affected by the Mindoro oil spill last year received livelihood assistance from the government worth P257 million, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Friday.
In a statement, the department said that the workers in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Western Visayas, the majority of them fishers, were affected by the oil spill when a tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil capsized off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on February 28, 2023.
“From March to December 2023, DOLE provided temporary employment to some 61,929 workers, mostly fisherfolk, through its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Program. Meanwhile, over P3 million worth of livelihood aid was also awarded to 210 workers in the three regions under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program,” the Labor department said.
In MIMAROPA, 57,067 workers employed under the TUPAD program received wages amounting to P220,582,571; while 110 workers in Brgy. Calima received livelihood assistance amounting to P1 million.
Some affected workers were also provided skills training on small engine repair, organic farming, carpentry, masonry, motor vehicle driving, etc. The Labor Department allocated P5,663,790 to cover the trainees’ stipend.
In Western Visayas, 2,063 affected workers in Antique were provided with temporary employment and received salaries amounting to a total of P17,874,578. A total of 100 beneficiaries in Brgys. Semirara, Sibolo, Tinogboc, and Sibato were also awarded livelihood assistance amounting to P2.020 million.
Lastly, 2,034 workers in Isla Verde and Tingloy in Batangas were given temporary employment from May to June 2023 and received wages amounting to P10,251,184.
