DOLE appeals to private companies to submit CAMP requirements for workers’ sake

CALOOCAN CITY, April 2 (PIA)–The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)  is bent on providing assistance to as many displaced workers in the formal economy sector as well as workers in the informal sector.

However, it has come to the labor department’s attention that there are establishments that refuse to submit the requirements needed so that their displaced employees could receive assistance from the government through its COVID 19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).

“I appeal  to companies, for the sake of your employees and workers, submit your reports along with the payroll so that we may be able to extend them their most needed assistance under the CAMP,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said,

As of March 31, DOLE’s field monitoring already recorded more than 630,000 workers displaced either by reason of temporary closure or flexible work arrangements as reported by 15,213 establishments. Of these figures,169,232 belong to the informal sector.

“We have so far distributed P160 million and we are accelerating the release of assistance to all those affected,” Bello said.

The cash aid under the CAMP is different from the P5,000 to P8,000 subsidy that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other agencies are providing under the Bayanihan to Heal As One law.

While the new law provides a cash and non-cash Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP) for two months based on the prevailing regional wage rates, DOLE’s CAMP is a one-time quarantine assistance.

The ESP targets families with at least one member belonging to vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors such as senior citizens, persons with disability (PWD), pregnant and lactating women, solo parents, overseas Filipinos in distress, indigent indigenous peoples,  underprivileged sector and homeless citizens, and informal economy workers.

The DSWD’s food and non-food items, cash assistance to individuals in crisis, and livelihood assistance grants, Department of Agriculture’s cash assistance to rice farmers; and other programs of the Department of Trade & Industry are among those under the Emergency Subsidy Program.

In accordance with this subsidy program, DOLE also administers the TUPAD #BKBK which provides the equivalent of daily minimum wage for 10 days of work for the informal sector workers. (DOLE/PIA-NCR)

source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1037811